By the seat of his pants
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- May
- 22
Spc. Zachary Boyd is famous. Even if you don’t know his name, or his face, you’ve seen him, or more specifically, his skivvies.
He’s the young soldier whose picture appeared last week fighting the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan. He’s the one on the left — in his pink boxers.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates last night added to his celebrity by lauding his efforts.
“Any soldier who goes into battle against the Taliban in pink boxers and flip-flops has a special kind of courage …. I can only wonder about the impact on the Taliban. Just imagine seeing that — a guy in pink boxers and flip-flops has you in his crosshairs.”
I heard a radio interview with his mom a few days ago in which she explained the origins of the pink boxer shorts with “I Love New York” logos all over them. She said he purchased them when his flight was delayed in New York, during his leave home in March, and that he was motivated to sign up for the Army by the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It was a lovely interview, his mom so clearly bemused by his instant celebrity, overwhelmed by the attention, and just plain proud of her son.
Of course, being a mom, she added in an interview with the family’s hometown paper, The Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, these wonderfully embarrassing quotes:
“I was always telling him to pull up his pants … I would give him a wedgie to make him do it. As a mom, you want your son to look nice.
Thanks, Mom!
AP Photo/David Guttenfelder: Soldiers from the U.S. Army First Battalion, 26th Infantry take defensive positions on May 11 at firebase Restrepo after receiving fire from Taliban positions in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan’s Kunar Province. Spc. Zachery Boyd of Fort Worth, Texas, far left was wearing “I love NY” boxer shorts after rushing from his sleeping quarters to join his fellow platoon members. From far right is Spc. Cecil Montgomery of Many, La. and Jordan Custer of Spokan, Wash, center.
This entry was posted
on Friday, May 22nd, 2009 at 2:14 pm by Nancy Cutler.
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