I drive to work every day through a national cemetery, barely notice it, have to slow down to 20 mph. I first saw it about 1966 when my Big Brother came to Ft Leavenworth to take an entrance examination for West Point. I was a youngster impressed at the time, row and rows of markers running back to the treeline.

Today when I was coming back from lunch I spied an Army Detail up on the treeline. The were in their blues and white shirts under the eyes of an NCO, practicing folding up the American Flag over and over.

It is amazing what you get used to, until you get reminded.

His pictures (both night and day) are revealing and beautiful. He walks with the troops. Yet he has had death threats from an Army MSGT at Bagram and was assaulted by this CPT. What the heck is going on and why isn't Tom out there defending his fellow reporter?

I think Mike can take care of himself. Also, I don't either one of us is a reporter. I am not sure what I am--a blogger/historian more than a newspaperman. And Yon insists he is not a reporter either--not sure what he is.
Best,
Tom

PS-And he is also a terrific photographer.

I am not too keen on Michael Yon. I have friends in his current embed unit, and they say this latest incident involving Yon and Captain Carbone are entirely Yon's fault, and that he has acted like an egomaniac during his current embed. He is also accusing this Captain of assaulting him, but from the Soldier in the unit I talked to, it was nothing of the sort.
I realize you may have a pre-existing relationship with Yon, and he IS a very good photographer, but I take everything he says with a grain of salt these days.

I also noticed that when I posted on his blog and facebook account a reply to his NCO/Officer bashing, he immediately deletes said comments. This is why all comments seem to be ultra-supportive of Michael. Sorry to use this as a forum to say this, but I feel it needs to be said.

"the nightvision devices were useless in the thick dust. "

and few sentences later

"Through nightvision I could see an Afghan Soldier rush in to help carry Chazray. "

Yeah, very believable reporting - NOT.

Yon is currently on his way to get kicked out of an embedd fro a third (or forth) time.

One or two times you might say its the PAOs fault, but three times?

Firstly, it is important to note that I publish under my real name. I am Michael Yon. The writer in question.

Two comments above, possibly the same person, have used pseudonyms. “MSH24” and “MOONOFA” hid identity and made false assertions. Obviously the personal attacks come out when someone has little of value to say, but compulsively says it anyway. So let’s stick to facts:

“MOONOFA” makes false assertions. Whether these are through laziness, dishonesty, or both, is unknown. But the false assertions are demonstrable even within the paragraph from which “MOONOFA” carefully extricated accurate sentences to make a false point. This technique is reminiscent of filmmaker Michael Moore who can take a thousand truths and spin one giant fiction.

“MOONFOA” writes from the cloak of pseudonym:
["the nightvision devices were useless in the thick dust. "
and few sentences later
"Through nightvision I could see an Afghan Soldier rush in to help carry Chazray. "
Yeah, very believable reporting - NOT.]
---END quote from “MOONFOA”---

Firstly, it should be noted that I made HD video of this attack through nightvision. I had 2x PVS-14 monoculars; one on my helmet, and one attached to an HD video camera. In the video, debris can be heard hitting around us, and a Soldier in front of me is reacting to the debris. He seems to move for cover, sees me standing still, and then he stands still. (Going for cover would have been a mistake in this situation.)

Secondly, my actual writing includes this sentence, which “MOONFOA” omitted through sloth, dishonesty, or both: “I was farther away and could hear as the rocks rained down around us in the dark.”

Honesty is still a virtue. Hiding behind pseudonym to spread venon is like being a snake in the dark.

Sincerely,
Michael Yon
Kandahar, Afghanistan

Michael,

I tried to post a similar comment under your Facebook that was associated with my name, but you deleted it then blocked me from commenting on your wall. And for the record, my comments were similar in nature to those I stated above, and did not consist of any vulgarity or offensive material.

Either way, my name is Matt Harris, and my comments are due to the fact that I dislike your smear campaign against those Soldiers who do not have an established forum or method to counter your attacks on their names. I felt especially compelled to do so after discussing your current embed with a Soldier in 4-4 who had a very different viewpoint than your blog about your recent actions.

Feel free to email me at mharrisusa@gmail.com if you have additional concerns about my snakelike tendencies.

My comments w/r/t the reporting of Chazray's death have been deleted from Yon's blog

my point being, NO mother, father, brother, sister, grandparent, aunt, uncle, son or daughter ever ought to read in graphic detail about their loved one's death

"Face Down", "Triple Amputeee", "Tourniquet Too Tight" are ALL words that should NEVER be used when using a fallen's name

to do so makes you a TASTELESS BASTARD who does not deserve the right to be embedded with any of our fine troopers, let alone the 4-4 Cav.

I served and survived 2 tours of Viet Nam, I must ask Michael, what war theatre have you served in "serving" your country as a member of the military and not yourself?

did you not get mustered out for your bar fight before ever serving you country as a member of the military in a war zone?

you remind me a little of the arm-chair quarterback who has all the answers but never got to suit up for the game so you get yourself a sideline seat, you're reaqlly nothing other than a self-serving groupie are you not? surrounding yourself with those you wanted to be like but never could play with

again, you are a TASTELESS BASTARD WITH NO HONOR FOR WRITING AND POSTING IN SUCH GRAPHIC DETAIL THE WOUNDING AND DEATH OF CHAZRAY, the real American Hero in your story.

Can we expect a like story about Spc Fant for his family to look forward to? you Tastelessm and Classless Bastard

we'll see if this site allows my comments to stand

I do not have a problem with the reporting, I have a problem with the naming of the trooper lost in such a graphic hideous detail

based upon your statements why not require

http://icasualties.org/OEF/index.aspx

or the troopers immediate superior informing the family of the following:

to list the net weight of each body bag, the time of suffering between being wounded and death

whether the trooper dies on the field, tarmac, aid station, in-flight or the hospital

a detailed list of the troopers wounds

is that not what Yon did in this instance?

this country owes each and every family that their loved one died honorably serving their country, with their comrades and did not suffer!!! I stand by that!!!

in "Lone Survivor", "Robert's Ridge" and other true accounts of battles I have never read the graphic detail Yon has used in desribing the wounds and suffering of a "specifically named" service member

How long will Chazray's family be tortured by the thoughts and images of their loved one blown to bits????

No problem with Yon or his graphic reporting, only the specific naming of hero lost in his specific reporting

Never in previous accounts by others, when hero's are lost have I heard, triple amputee, tourniquets, or other descriptions like "back of head blown out" , brains everywhere, guts all over the ground, holding his own guts in his hands, etc. etc. WITH THEIR NAMES

all of these things happen in combat, many have been there, seen it and experienced it, it is bad enough that it haunts those of us who have experienced it for years and years WITHOUT ADDING THE FAMILY TO THE SAME HAUNTING COMBAT VETERANS EXPERIENCE

I respect your comments but continue to disagree with Yon's CLASSLESS reporting of the troopers name and specific wounds in his account "grapes"

Also here is the quote from Mr. Yon's article I refer to!!!

Sergeant Wooden called the names, and he called, “Clark!” Chazray was facedown. One arm was gone and his legs were gone, and yet this man had the strength and presence to call out from the dust and darkness saying he was okay. Chazray could still hear. Chazray answered, “I’m okay,” and Sergeant Wooden said his voice sounded completely normal. Just normal Chazray. But everyone here knows that when someone calls out and says they are okay, the sound of their voice only means they are still alive.

Maybe it is time for Mr. Yon to come home, if I were in Chazray's unit and a brother-in-arms I would be mad as hell with Mr. Yon's CLASSLESS reporting

One thing missing from the crying comments about the graphics of war: facts.

My tentmates when that was written were the Soldiers who were hit. Speciaiist Clark's cot was at the other end of my tent. The Soldiers who actually were there helped me write the dispatch by filling in facts. They were happy that it was written.

Next: Chazray Clark's family members posted on my Facebook and there were no complaints.

The "Feelings Police" could not care less about the Soldier who was lost, or the family. They use such attacks in a sick way to sharpen personal agendas against me. Please find another subject to attack with. This is sickening.

I would suggest attacking me for saying that Brigadier General Menard and General McChrystal should have been fired from Afghanistan. That's a safe topic. (Except that they were fired months after I started writing that they should be fired, and BG Menard was convicted of a crime due to my work.)

Stick to the facts. Lond-distance, uninformed opinions stink.

Firstly, I think it's great that Michael Yon is unable to delete comments unfavorable to him. In Mikeys world, the 1st amendment only applies to him - all of his critics get deleted.

Yon was wrong to publish the name of the soldier. He will be wrong tomorrow. And ten years from now. All the deleting of comments won't change that fact. I fervently hope that Clark's family sues him into penury.
Apparently Yon believes that just because he slept in the same tent as Chazry Clark they're buddies. Perhaps now would be a good time to tell Clarks family and friends the story of the scorpion and the frog.

The longer one stays in a free for all battlefield, the surer one tempts fate. When the IED roulette wheel lands on Yon's number, I hope that whomever reports it gives Yon the same consideration that he gave Chazry Clark.

By the way, I saw the post wherein one of Yons fanbois thanked him for fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yon let that comment stand without telling the original poster that he isn't in the military - that he's just some guy who follows warriors around and takes photos. Of butterflies. And shit.

Charles Foster:

Many derogatory comments can be read on my Facebook and website. Please be honest.

Deleted without cause (pro/anti) are include links out, profanity, and craziness that a reasonable person would term crazy. (Such as several pages of Bible or Koran verses.) My webmaster deletes those normally without my seeing. If you came across as loony, he may have deleted your commennts. My apologies if you sounded loony, but as you can easily see there are many deragtory comments about me on my website and Facebook. Please harbor truth.

Michael

My comments and outrage dealt 100% with the use of Chazray's name and how he died.

However, I served 2 tours in Viet Nam and I find being called "Feelings Police" offensive.

Mr. Yon I am sure I have packed many more body bags than you have after you being "mustered" out of the Special Forces!

Again I ask, where did you serve in the SF community in combat?

I know many of the men of the 4-4 Cav. as my son serves in that unit. I kept that out of my posts until now.

The men of the 4-4 Cav serving so bravely almost to a man say "good riddance" now that you are gone. The exception I would say is probably Lt. Col. Katona who is almost as mentally unstable as you. You have tried to portray him as some type of hero while the troops doing the fighting can't get new pants and other items they need!

I find it ironic that they kicked your butt out of the 4-4 Cav while Katona was stateside on R&R. He could no longer protect you from your shoddy & classless reporting. It should be noted that your detailed reporting of Chazray's death happened while he was still in country in Afghanistan.

If he were a leader that gave a damm about his troopers he's have pulled your head off and pissed down your neck himself but, then again he'd have had to pull his nose out of your ass so he could continue to get all of the favorable reporting while his men suffered, I'm sure he has a wonderful scrapbook!

Your quote "Next: Chazray Clark's family members posted on my Facebook and there were no complaints"

Are you really that ignorant. My God man they just lost a husband, father, brother, son. What in the hell did you expect them to write on Facebook????

You should thank whatever God you believe in Mr. Yon that it wasn't my son in the 4-4 you wrote about like that because I wouldn't have complained on your Facebook either, "I would have killed you" and you can take that to the bank. Your reporting was still the most tasteless and classless act I have seen in the 10 years of the war in Afgahnistan!!!

Good riddance to you Mr. Yon and may God Bless the men of the 4-4 Cav and their families, the souls of those lost and the bodies of those wounded to quickly heal.

I am done with this. I hope you rot in hell for your classless & tasteless reporting!

Yes, this post is nameless. I will protect my son while he is deployed.

Yon was wrong to publish the name of the soldier. He will be wrong tomorrow. And ten years from now. All the deleting of comments won't change that fact. I fervently hope that Clark's family sues him into penury.
Apparently Yon believes that just because he slept in the best gardening tips same tent as Chazry Clark they're buddies. Perhaps now would be a good time to tell Clark's family and friends the story of the scorpion and the frog.