Thoughts on the Yon/Milkook kerfluffle
I’m not going to pretend to understand what it is all about, although at first blush I would say the good money is on Mike needing donations. Nonetheless, apparently Mike feels that you shouldn’t comment on anything unless you have actual experience in the specific field. This is curious, since Mike comments on combat all the time, and yet never served as a soldier in one. Apparently Jimbo’s lack of an MOH is a noteworthy indictment of his street cred, this coming from a guy who openly cites to an individual who also writes on military issues and uses the name “Captain” despite having never served in the military.
Nonetheless, I think it is all shit. Jimbo never lied about what he has done, CJ was brave in talking about his ongoing issues, and WOTN has done an outstanding piece, and I have no clue whether he served in theater or not. But, one really doesn’t need to be a participant to ruminate on things. Were that the case the entire media would be just Joe Scarborough and Elliot Spitzer, which would be a disaster.
But to prove my point, I give you a non-expert in the field of art, discussing art in a wonderful fashion.
Perhaps (as Mr Bean might suggest) it is possible that Mr. Yon simply has a cactus lodged up his backside.
Category: Politics
Most ironic part for now (cuz they pile up)? In response to Marcus’ question, “You call yourself a writer and sometimes a war correspondent. What makes you qualified to question anyone’s mental state? ”
“Am as qualified as you are. You don’t need to be a professor of thermodynamics to know that campfires are hot. Silly to think you need a PhD in physics to know that gravity is real.”
(then he linked an online post about the huntsville school district brouhaha from well over a year, and I think almost 2 years ago)
Do as I say and cough up creds, not as I do and pull shit out of my ass on how things are just obvious.
I understand where you’re pointing out with yon being hypocritical by citing herschel smith on his work even though he’s a civilian but I wouldn’t get bent of shape over a guy calling his blog the captainsjournal. When he publishes he doesn’t identify himself as “The Captain.” It’s just a name of a blog. He does good work with his excellent commentary on counter insurgency and supporting the fact that gunfighters should be able to do their jobs. He obviously has some weight when he was cited by the leavonworth lessons learned on the battle of Wanat.
Love Mr. Bean!!
Mick, I am totally with you on that, he puts out excellent material. My point is that his status as a veteran of OIF/OEF means absolutely nothing to me, and apparently not Yon either. What I question is why Jimbo is the target of accusations and he is not. For instance, many on Yon’s Facebook page accuse Jimbo of lying, and Stolen Valor type stuff. I’ve heard Jimbo lie plenty, but it is always the other way, where he claims he was a cook, or a truck driver, never to inflate his resume. Mike went after Jimbo for no reason that I can comprehend. He called a guy out for being something he has never claimed to be. It makes it difficult to respond. One might call me out for never winning an Oscar award, but Glenn Beck had me on to discuss the GI Joe movie. I’m curious if I should not have been there based on Michael’s seeming discretionary policy towards “subject matter experts.”
I see what you’re saying I guess there was a miscommunication. I think the reason why Jimbo is “targeted” by yon is because of UJs personality. He’s more outspoken and tells people to fuck off. I think yon would realize Jimbo’s service is not a stolen valor case when you guys here at TAH and B5 give no quarter to phonies. Shit, ya’ll outed Luttrell’s mentor last year.
[…] War on Terror News has an excellent post showing Yon’s twitter feed and the scurrilous things Yon has said about Grisham. Further, for a guy who has not once seen action while serving as a member of the US Armed Forces, he’s awfully quick to shout down anyone who doesn’t agree with him- even if they veterans. Who made Yon the only person fit to comment on the war? Maybe it is fundraising time… […]
I’m pretty sure Michael Yon wrote his own wikipedia article.
#7 Boo:
Do people actually do that? Chuckle.
1) TSO, laughed my ass off about Jimbo not having the MOH!Read Yon’s first book a few years ago, thought he did a decent job. Then he kinda disappeared for awhile. The attacks on Jimbo, Grisham, and, I think Froggy was the end of any respect I may have had left for him. He seems to have jumped of the logic wheel a long time ago.
2)Mick, yeah Herschel Smith does have one of the best tactical/operational blogs out there. I usually agree with him, though I think he is unfair to the Army on occasion. Women, the ascendency of reconstruction/social sciences and degrading of basic kenetics in COIN theory, and, analysis of Wanat, to name a few.
Hanson and Smith mirror each other alot though, maybe you got to have a peculiar kind of bravdo to use you own name(see Jonn Lilyea) on the interwebs. Mocking of some of the nonsense coming from CNAS(climate change, Diplomatic reboot crap), baseless reprimands of officers making command decisions during Wanat and analysis’ of the battle, to name a few.
My only real critism of either one would be almost exactly the same, Smith pushes the Marines and Jimbos Special Forces(or SOCOM, or Ninja Squirrels, or whatever), which always make you check out their source(s). I have disagreed with both on a few topics, but maybe because they are two of the only PROMINENT bloggers who regularly speak tactically/operationally from a nonacademic or diplomatic background(most of whom openly belong to the poltical left) makes them invaluable. Just saw Smith opine on METZ on his blog tonight.
Even Arthur had both a Gawain and a Percival at his roundtable.
#8 It was linked from WOTN and I’m thinking “who writes like this…” and then it dawns on me.
Maybe it was a groupy— should I write a wiki for Jonn? oh my gosh- that would entertain me for days!
#10 Boo why write a Wiki just for Jonn? I think you should do all of TAH. =)
I’ll write it. What’s the proper conjugation of “Fartknocker?”
I had a lot of respect for Yon back in the day, but in my opinion, I don’t think he has kept that same level of integrity that he once had. I don’t agree with Uncle Jimbo all the time and to be honest, I don’t even know if he knows who I am when I have disagreed with him. Does that mean I attack his bona fides? Question his integrity? I may go after him on the brown side zip boots and gold polyester pants, but that would be about it. Oh, and we did have a little man squabble about Italian motorcycles. I digress…… back to the subject.
What I have noticed about Mr. Yon is that he seems to have taken himself too seriously over the last few years. That he got the boot from his embed seemed to be the start of his downhill slide. The reason why he got the boot was troubling as well, for someone who should have known better. But this running gun battle that he has with Jimbo and then to bring CJ into it as well is just mind boggling. There’s nothing there to prove in going after CJ and will make a person more enemies than supporters.
I usually try to stay out of this kind of thing, since my own service was nothing to brag about, just did my job, nothing fancy, no wall full of medals or such.
I can tell you that the writing of one’s own wiki is frowned upon, as is the use of the subject’s site for writing it.
Believe it or not, the wiki hall monitors get a bit upset if they see someone spinning the tale too much or deleting the record of an opposing view.
LL, in about the same place as that “physicist” comment was an exchange that read like a cartoon, where M. asked Yon what he called himself and was told that he didn’t belong to the fanpage crowd if he couldn’t do his own homework. It is all the more funny because Yon was completely serious and ?feigned? outrage that his title was less than obvious or that the question would be asked of him.
In the end, when I compared the definition of war “correspondent,” I had to conclude that Yon writes letters to the war zone.
I have a feeling there will be many updates to the Yon wiki in upcoming days, with battles between Yon groupies and others settled by Wiki hall monitors deciding for factual accounts and banning the die hards of both sides.
Regardless, I don’t see it profitable for Yon, or a means of positive growth for his fanclub for him to continue sending them off to locations of negative opinions of his actions. Sometimes “research” is best left to the interested party, rather than the fanbase.
I had that happen once when I slipped and fell on a jumping cholla cactus in the AZ desert. It hurts! Needed another pair of hands (with thick gloves) to extract it from back there.
Did you post in the right thread with this one, Joe? Because I can’t draw any connection between your post and those above it. Or am I having an attack of density again?
PintoNag,
Was referring to this: “…… Mr. Yon simply has a cactus lodged up his backside.”
Ah! Thank you. Hope your recovery was swift and complete! 🙂
For the record, WOTN didn’t link to Wiki (but I seen some that did.)
I have seen Yon’s wiki article and it does invoke some questions.
As to “the Captain,” I haven’t read or linked to him in some time, since a disagreement over an “OPSEC” thing.
Sorry, WOTN, I thought it was you, someone mentioned killing someone in a bar fight and hyperlinked it to wiki. I thought I had gotten there from your site (via TAH’s Yon vs Yon) but I couldn’t retrace my steps.
he is just ewww.
… Damn he’s strolled over here too! What an ass.
Is it really necessary to intimate that milbloggers (and we know to whom he refers) actually EVADE service???
“Michael Yon
Dutch Reengaging in Afghanistan
(Meanwhile, “key” “milbloggers” still avoiding the fight after almost a decade.) http://fb.me/SVWDrqrX
11 hours ago via Twitter”
Grow up, Yon.