My Diarist, "Shock Troops," and the two other pieces I wrote for the New Republic have stirred more controversy than I could ever have anticipated. They were written under a pseudonym, because I wanted to write honestly about my experiences, without fear of reprisal. Unfortunately, my pseudonym has caused confusion. And there seems to be one major way in which I can clarify the debate over my pieces: I'm willing to stand by the entirety of my articles for the New Republic using my real name.
I am Private Scott Thomas Beauchamp, a member of Alpha Company, 1/18 Infantry, Second Brigade Combat Team, First Infantry Division.
My pieces were always intended to provide my discreet view of the war; they were never intended as a reflection of the entire U.S. Military. I wanted Americans to have one soldier's view of events in Iraq.
It's been maddening, to say the least, to see the plausibility of events that I witnessed questioned by people who have never served in Iraq. I was initially reluctant to take the time out of my already insane schedule fighting an actual war in order to play some role in an ideological battle that I never wanted to join. That being said, my character, my experiences, and those of my comrades in arms have been called into question, and I believe that it is important to stand by my writing under my real name.
--Private Scott Thomas Beauchamp
UPDATE: This appears to be STB's personal blog. He's a Dylan fan!
Sunday, September 03, 2006
english songs about commerce and love written by machines
I'm somewhere in Kuwait. Its a dry hot, like what suicides feel when they stick their heads in the oven. I'll send a mailing addy out as soon as I get one. I'm currently living off of bottled water, bob dylan, and umberto eco. I miss everyone so much...you have no idea. cant wait till i'm back in the states this winter with my bride-to-be. I love you Priscilla. I'll hopefully get a chance to call everyone soon.
love and peace
scott "scabies" beauchamp
...Another Bob Dylan reference. This doesn't make him an unimpeachable source, but at least he's got taste.
...SL: "The fact that he's willing to open himself up to the inevitable wingnut smear jobs does give me more confidence in the veracity of his accounts."
AND: Christ, could Barnett be more of a self-important fop? I think not.
...MY:
All these people need to stop. They need to take a deep breath. They need to apologize to the people at TNR who've wasted huge amounts of time dealing with their nonsense. And they need to think a bit about the epistemic situation they're creating where information about Iraq that they don't want to hear -- even when published in a pro-war publication -- can just be immediately dismissed as fraudulent even though the misconduct it described was far, far less severe than all sorts of other well-document misconduct in Iraq.
No comments:
Post a Comment