Thursday, October 25, 2007
A Second Chance
While The New Republic digs in and continues to stonewall over the Soldier's Diary fiasco, Michael Yon reports that Scott Beauchamp, the central figure in this mess, is undergoing a rehabilitation. Offered a ticket home after the story blew up along with the respect of his comrades, Beauchamp elected to stay, shut his mouth, pay the price and get back to the business of soldiering. His commander is standing up for him.
Beauchamp is young; under pressure he made a dumb mistake. In fact, he has not always been an ideal soldier. But to his credit, the young soldier decided to stay, and he is serving tonight in a dangerous part of Baghdad. He might well be seriously injured or killed here, and he knows it. He could have quit, but he did not. He faced his peers. I can only imagine the cold shoulders, and worse, he must have gotten. He could have left the unit, but LTC Glaze told me that Beauchamp wanted to stay and make it right. Whatever price he has to pay, he is paying it.
...I’m with LTC Glaze on this: it’s time to let Beauchamp get back to the war. The young soldier learned his lessons. He paid enough to earn his second chance that he must know he will never get a third.
Though Beauchamp is close, I’m not going to spend half a day tracking him down when just this morning I woke to rockets launching from nearby and landing on an American base. Who has time to skin Beauchamp? We need him on his post and focused.
As for The New Republic, some on the staff may feel like they’ve been hounded and treed, but it’s hard to feel the same sympathy for a group of cowards who won’t ’fess up and can’t face the scorn of American combat soldiers who were injured by their collective lapse of judgment. It’s up to their readers to decide the ultimate fate.
Credit LTC Glaze for his wisdom, loyalty and leadership, and Beauchamp with having the guts to admit his mistakes, refocus on his present calling and let the chips fall where they may. If those are the facts, then good on him, and good luck to him.
Allahpundit and James Robbins both make strong cases for not letting Beauchamp off the hook, but I don't hear Yon asking for that. I think Yon is saying that the matter has already been settled between Beauchamp and his CO, that that's where it ends, and that we should respect that. And I most certainly do.
As for TNR, they're on their own, and it ain't looking good for those hacks.
Allahpundit and James Robbins both make strong cases for not letting Beauchamp off the hook, but I don't hear Yon asking for that. I think Yon is saying that the matter has already been settled between Beauchamp and his CO, that that's where it ends, and that we should respect that. And I most certainly do.
As for TNR, they're on their own, and it ain't looking good for those hacks.
