Brian Williams Misremembers

ScolaIsBallin · Feb 5, 2015

In a recent broadcast paying tribute to an Iraq War veteran, NBC’s Brian Williams said that he was onboard a helicopter brought down by enemy fire in Iraq in 2003. However, he has now retracted the story after soldiers present exposed his claim as a lie.

Williams addressed his “bungled” story on his show Wednesday night. He also recanted the story in an interview with the military newspaper Stars and Stripes, also published Wednesday.

“I made a mistake in recalling the events of 12 years ago,” Williams said. “I want to apologize. I said I was traveling in an aircraft that was hit by RPG fire. I was instead in a following aircraft.”

The controversy arose after NBC News broadcast a public tribute to Command Sgt. Maj. Tim Terpak, an Iraq veteran who Williams said had been in charge of the journalists’ safety at the time of the incident. The tribute was shot at a New York Rangers hockey game, which Williams attended with Terpak. At the game, Williams recounted his helicopter story.

“The story actually started with a terrible moment a dozen years back during the invasion of Iraq when the helicopter we were traveling in was forced down after being hit by an RPG,” Williams said on the broadcast. “Our traveling NBC News team was rescued, surrounded and kept alive by an armor mechanized platoon from the US Army 3rd Infantry.”

The trouble was that Williams’ account wasn’t true.

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Crew members who had been on the aircraft that was hit told Stars and Stripes that Williams was “nowhere near” the helicopter “or two other Chinooks flying in the formation that took fire.” Instead, they said the anchor “arrived in the area about an hour later on another helicopter.”

Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Miller was a flight engineer on the aircraft that carried journalists.

“No, we never came under direct enemy fire to the aircraft,” Miller told Stars and Stripes. The claim by Williams rankled Miller, as well as other soldiers aboard the Chinooks that did come under attack in 2003.

“It was something personal for us that was kind of life-changing for me. I know how lucky I was to survive it,” Lance Reynolds, the flight engineer, told Stars and Stripes. “It felt like a personal experience that someone else wanted to participate in and didn’t deserve to participate in.”

Reynolds said Williams and the NBC cameramen arrived in a helicopter 30 to 60 minutes after his damaged Chinook made a rolling landing at an Iraqi airfield and skidded off the runway into the desert. He said he brushed them off because his crew was trying to assess damage to the aircraft and he was worried his wife might see the news report. He said he wanted to tell her everything was all right.

READ MORE: Publish ‘Iraq war’ report before election, MPs demand

Stars and Stripes reported that Tim Terpark, with whom Williams struck up a friendship, was one of the soldiers of an Army armored unit that provided security around the aircraft.

Miller, Reynolds and Mike O’Keeffe told Stars and Stripes they all recall NBC reporting that Williams was aboard the aircraft that was attacked, despite the claim being false. The NBC online archive shows the network broadcast a news story on March 26, 2003, with the headline, “Target Iraq: Helicopter NBC’s Brian Williams Was Riding In Comes Under Fire.”

Stars And Stripes also noted that Williams’ story has “been repeated by the network for years.” You can watch him telling it on “The Late Show With David Letterman” in 2013 here.

In his broadcast Wednesday, Williams, who has won a Polk and a Peabody for his news reporting, admitted his mistake.

“I said I was traveling in an aircraft that was hit by RPG fire,” he said. “I was instead in a following aircraft. We all landed after the ground fire incident and spent two harrowing nights in a sandstorm in the Iraqi desert.”
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http://rt.com/usa/229451-brian-williams-nbc-retraction/

Honestly think he should resign after this.. what a great disrespect to veterans.

krnxsnoopy · Feb 5, 2015

He should resign. You can't trust a journalist/reporter that blatantly lies for his own agenda.

Harrisment · Feb 5, 2015

Damn, really wouldn't expect this from him. I have always been a fan of him on TV in whatever capacity. How disappointing.

KingCheetah · Feb 5, 2015

What a disappointment -- I just don't understand how someone so famous could make up such a blatant lie.

rudan · Feb 5, 2015

Resume builder. Maybe he wants a show on msnbc.........

Nook · Feb 5, 2015

He went to the Bobby J school of remembering.

likestohypeguy · Feb 5, 2015

They're all massive phonies anyway, no big deal.

Major · Feb 5, 2015

This story is sort of weird. Two things of in this article:

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/iraq-pilot-brian-williams-fire

1. The pilot says they did actually take fire, though it was not the RPG.

2. In 2007, when Brian Williams wrote about this, he did say that it was the aircraft in front of them that took the RPG and not his own.

Commodore · Feb 5, 2015

Stolen Valor is the most disgraceful sort of lie

but Williams is a member of The Tribe, so he will be protected (see Rather, Dan)

jo mama · Feb 5, 2015

there is no excuse...this is kind of like those stolen valor douchebags. he lied to make the story about himself. hate to say it b/c he is good at what he does, but he should resign.

you have to be pretty dumb to go around repeatedly telling this tall tale - at some point you will get busted...im surprised he was not called out sooner.

Major said: ↑

This story is sort of weird. Two things of in this article:

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/iraq-pilot-brian-williams-fire

1. The pilot says they did actually take fire, though it was not the RPG.

2. In 2007, when Brian Williams wrote about this, he did say that it was the aircraft in front of them that took the RPG and not his own.
Click to expand...

i guess this is plausible. his helicopter might have taken fire from an ak-47 or something and he heard them talking about the other helicopter which took an RPG and just confused them.

KingCheetah · Feb 5, 2015

Major said: ↑

This story is sort of weird. Two things of in this article:

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/iraq-pilot-brian-williams-fire

1. The pilot says they did actually take fire, though it was not the RPG.

2. In 2007, when Brian Williams wrote about this, he did say that it was the aircraft in front of them that took the RPG and not his own.
Click to expand...

Weird, maybe it was some sort of mental fog - he clearly wrote in 2007 that it was the first helicopter that was hit... I'll put my pitchfork down for the moment.

JayZ750 · Feb 5, 2015

I don't know why he's lied.

I do know he makes north of $10 million a year.

The two are probably connected somehow... In his brain.

Mr. Clutch · Feb 5, 2015

KingCheetah said: ↑

Weird, maybe it was some sort of mental fog - he clearly wrote in 2007 that it was the first helicopter that was hit... I'll put my pitchfork down for the moment.
Click to expand...

Cool, now I have two pitchforks to attack Brian Williams with

percicles · Feb 5, 2015

I wish I could post the gif of his baby girl getting her salad tossed from that Girls episode.

bobloblaw · Feb 5, 2015

Why did it take so long for people to call him out if he has told both the true and false stories since? If the first helicopter which was in fact shot down was his escort I guess it is not as egregious of a lie. I would blame it on his staff but he's clearly responsible. Pretty low of him.

Mr. Brightside · Feb 6, 2015

Not really familiar with Brian Williams but it is common for Iraqi war veterans to suffer from PTSD. I didn't have time to read the story, but soldiers need our support, not ridicule.

likestohypeguy · Feb 6, 2015

percicles said: ↑

I wish I could post the gif of his baby girl getting her salad tossed from that Girls episode.
Click to expand...

What, which character is that?

I follow the show, but am behind this season.

percicles · Feb 6, 2015

likestohypeguy said: ↑

What, which character is that?

I follow the show, but am behind this season.
Click to expand...

Marnie

Commodore · Feb 6, 2015

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N09iNMT-dU0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Haymitch · Feb 6, 2015

Meh, does anyone really put that much value on these national news anchors anyway? I doubt he'll get fired and I don't really think he ought to. I'd be more inclined to watch him if he kept making up fake stories of his badassery.

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