Day 193...Again...What Was He Thinking?

Welcome to Day 193...

I just don't get some people.

Last night on his newscast, Brian Williams offered a retraction and an apology when a story he had been sharing for years - how that a helicopter he had been traveling in while covering the invasion of Iraq had been shot by enemy fire - turned out to be untrue.

There was in fact a Chinook helicopter that was fired on that night and those aboard had to scramble to safely land and find cover when the chopper was hit by two rockets and small-arms fire. 

William's version of the story became an identifiable one not only for him, but for NBC news as well.  Williams in fact shared details about the account on David Letterman in 2013 and just recently NBC posted a video clip on it's Facebook page of the anchor recalling the event.  

But when that clip went up, a number of service personnel called Williams out on his memory of the actual story.

“Sorry dude, I don’t remember you being on my aircraft. I do remember you walking up about an hour after we had landed to ask me what had happened,” wrote Lance Reynolds in a Facebook comment responding to the Williams segment.  

Reynolds went on to express his thoughts on Williams' fabricated account...

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

In William's apology, he used words like misremembered, and statements like I would not have chosen to make this mistake.

How could you have not remembered whether or not you were in a aircraft that was being fired upon?

And as far as not choosing to make this mistake?  He owned his account in multiple interviews over the years and seemed to bask in the recognition he received because of it.

The whole thing is so incredibly odd to me.  It's almost like being one of the most recognizable and respected journalist around just wasn't enough.  

Sometimes I get called out for the believability of my stories.  I don't mind.  That's why I call them fiction.

Here's Today's Takeaway Lesson...

"Integrity Is Telling Myself The Truth & Honesty Is Telling The Truth to Others" Spencer Johnson

Here's to Being All In,

Maggie 

Follow me on Twitter @AuthorMaggie #busywriterslife

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