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September 27, 2006

Michael Yon Names Names

Michael Yon, the retired Green Beret who embedded for months with US forces in Iraq, pulls no punches in this email dispatch he just sent to his mailing list:

Pajamas Media recently reported that there are only 9 embedded reporters in Iraq . Many are blaming this on the media, and while I can never be called an apologist for mainstream media, I can say with certainty that the United States military is censoring.

It remains unclear if this is a general policy, though there are recent inquiries to the office of the Secretary of Defense. I await response. Or, perhaps, the censorship is merely the policy of ******* who is responsible for operations involving embeds. ******** is said to be the most quoted man in Iraq . I've learned to trust nothing he says. I do know for a fact that ******* has been untruthful with the media. If ******* calls me on this, I'll take the time to prove it.

While sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, sisters, brothers and friends, fight and die in Iraq and Afghanistan, the military apparently is preventing journalists from telling the story. They attempt to deflect accusations of censorship by allowing in just enough reporters to appear transparent.

Them's fighting words! Yon has huge credibility on issues like this. It seems he would not easily risk it.

UPDATE: After noting Belmont Club's post on Yon's email, which notes that it has not been verified as actually coming from Yon, I've removed the name that Yon mentions in the email. It should not have been included in the first place.

Posted by Chester at September 27, 2006 6:25 PM

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Comments

Agreed.
To my mind, the thread at Wretchard's paints an obvious tale.
Maybe I'm just a conspiratorialist, but like commenter Shoshanna says:
Wouldn't Michael come forward if this were a hoax?

Posted by: Doug at October 1, 2006 8:29 AM

Any specific examples of censoring? On what types of issues is the military most likely to censort? The charge that Bush has covered up the true level of violence in Iraq has dominated headlines this weekend. I'd like to know if what embeds in Iraq see corresponds at all to what the people back home see in the news.

Posted by: jordan at October 1, 2006 11:07 AM

Posted by: Doug at October 1, 2006 6:38 PM

Mike Yon did write that email. Feel free to mention LTC.Barry Johnson - that's the point.

Last nite, Michael gave me permssion to offer up more detail than what's been posted to date. I've done so in my follow up post to "Open Letter to Lt.Col Barry Johnson" titled "Censorship, CPIC and LTC Barry Johnson" which I wrote in response to a comment left on my blog by Trevor, who works for LTC Barry Johnson.

Mike was the subject of bullying, censorship and attempted intimidation by CPIC.
As a taxpayer, a supporter of this war and the President in spite of mistakes that have been made, and as a bigger supporter of our troops I am appalled at the malicious and deliberate attempts by CPIC- during Mikes time in Iraq -to bully, intimidate, and censor him.

In light of what Mike did to bring the truth about our troops to millions of people around the world.....CPIC's actions are both unexplainable and reprehensible.


Posted by: Huntress at October 2, 2006 7:55 PM