Saturday, May 23, 2009

A soldier faces down the Taliban - in pink boxer shorts

I was driving to Arlington National Cemetery this morning when I heard this report on NPR's Weekend Edition titled Real Men Wear Pink Boxers:

Photo Credit: Associated Press photographer David Guttenfelder

U.S. Army Specialist Zachary Boyd of the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry, who is 19, was sleeping when the Taliban attacked his unit in Afghanistan's Kunar province. Specialist Boyd leapt from his bunk. He grabbed his weapon, pulled on his helmet and vest, and manned his station behind sandbags at Firebase Restropo. He did not stop to pull on trousers.
His mom's reaction? Priceless.
"I was always telling him to pull up his pants," Sheree Boyd recalls. "I would give him a wedgie to make him do it. As a mom, you want your son to look nice. But he has always been one to run around in his boxers."
Bravery comes in all forms. Some are brave in battlefields. Some are brave in ordinary homes just like yours and mine all over the world.

13 comments:

Sniffles and Smiles said...

Oh, LOVE this!!!!! ANOTHER PINK story!!!!!!!! Are you and I on the same wavelength or what????? This is so inspiring!!!! And you've told it extraordinarily well!!!! Thanks for sharing! Love to you, Janine XO

Cheffie-Mom said...

I absolutely love this post! What the soldier's mother said is great! I just read Janine's "pink" post. Love it! Have a wonderful weekend!

Rosaria Williams said...

Wonderful and priceless. Mom can hold that up as a timeless blackmailing piece!

Sylvia K said...

Oh, I love this post too, Sujatha, along with your other readers! Bless them all and may he come home safely to show off those pink shorts in a much safer place -- literally!

sujata sengupta said...

Wow!! what a post!! boys will be boys and moms will remain moms I presume hahah loved it Sujatha thanks for sharing!

Eleonora Baldwin said...

Mothers rock, don't you think? Her comment was perfect, truly priceless. Brave beings, the son and the mom. Ciao Sujatha, have a nice holiday.

Sriram said...

He is committed to the purpose.

He may quip "Aint going there to look pretty!". hehe. Good post!

Kavi said...

And ofcourse, some moms are always going to ask their sons to pull up their socks...err...pants !

:)

Frankie Anon said...

Too cute. A smile for the day.

Dr Roshan Radhakrishnan said...

i saw this earlier.. lovely story. seriously, in these grim times, its always nice to read more fun stories like this, rare as they maybe

Unknown said...

Seee? I was right! (not about the pink though, only about the boxers)

Nino's Mum said...

:) I got goosebumps and big guffaws at one go!

Sujatha Bagal said...

Janine, absolutely loved your pink story. :)

Debbie, glad you went over to Janine's.

Rosaria, you read my mind!

Sylvia, I echo your thoughts.

Sujata, you're welcome. :)

Lola, yup!

Sriram, he did pick a nice color!

Kavi, Frankie, NM :)

Dr. Roshan, that's what I loved about the story too.

ASk, perhaps there's a wedgie in your future. Heh heh.