SCOTT THOMAS BEAUCHAMP Comes Out of Shadows at TNR

This poor sad story telling private is in a heap of trouble!
Do you suppose John Murtha and the democrats will support him?

Private Scott Thomas Beauchamp (his blog is here) comes out of the shadows at The New Republic:

A STATEMENT FROM SCOTT THOMAS BEAUCHAMP:

As we've noted in this space, some have questioned details that appeared in the Diarist "Shock Troops," published under the pseudonym Scott Thomas. According to Major Kirk Luedeke, a public affairs officer at Forward Operating Base Falcon, a formal military investigation has also been launched into the incidents described in the piece.

Although the article was rigorously edited and fact-checked before it was published, we have decided to go back and, to the extent possible, re-report every detail. This process takes considerable time, as the primary subjects are on another continent, with intermittent access to phones and email. Thus far we've found nothing to disprove the facts in the article; we will release the full results of our search when it is completed.

In the meantime, the author has requested that we publish the statement below. --The Editors

My Diarist, "Shock Troops," and the two other pieces I wrote for the New Republic have stirred more controversy than I could ever have anticipated. They were written under a pseudonym, because I wanted to write honestly about my experiences, without fear of reprisal. Unfortunately, my pseudonym has caused confusion. And there seems to be one major way in which I can clarify the debate over my pieces: I'm willing to stand by the entirety of my articles for the New Republic using my real name.

I am Private Scott Thomas Beauchamp, (Photo from his My Space page via Michelle Malkin) a member of Alpha Company, 1/18 Infantry, Second Brigade Combat Team, First Infantry Division.

My pieces were always intended to provide my discreet view of the war; they were never intended as a reflection of the entire U.S. Military. I wanted Americans to have one soldier's view of events in Iraq.

It's been maddening, to say the least, to see the plausibility of events that I witnessed questioned by people who have never served in Iraq. I was initially reluctant to take the time out of my already insane schedule fighting an actual war in order to play some role in an ideological battle that I never wanted to join. That being said, my character, my experiences, and those of my comrades in arms have been called into question, and I believe that it is important to stand by my writing under my real name.

--Private Scott Thomas Beauchamp

Since this investigation will take a bit of time, let me remind you what MNF-I had to say about the allegations by Private Scott Thomas Beauchamp. This is the statement they sent me the on Tuesday:

"We are aware of what was written under a pseudonym. Its writer is unknown as
are his motives. We hold soldiers to the highest standards and the
allegations made are completely inconsistent with those expectations. In the absence of any credible information or independent corroboration, we presently have no reason to believe it."

V/r
MAJ Alston

And, Major Ludeke at FOB Falcon reported this on Private Beauchamp's story about a desecrated mass grave:

I can tell you unequivocally: there was NO mass grave discovered in this area of operations in conjunction with the building of a coalition outpost anytime in the past 12 months. None. Zero. Zip.

Private Beauchamp is in a heap of trouble!
And, so is The New Republic for publishing such obviously bogus stories.

The Weekly Standard Blog has been leading the efforts to get to the truth behind these stories by Beauchamp.
HotAir has more.
Powerline thinks this controversy will be resolved in short order.
Op-For adds this and more:

So no doubt wheels are turning over in the 1/18's command staff right now. Wouldn't be surprised if Private Beauchamp was standing tall in front of the man at this very moment, under the scruntity of an aggressively curious CO who is demanding details down to the letter about each of his diary entries.

Expect a press release soon. The Army is going to move quick on this, now that they have a face to the name.

Either way, today is going to be a very bad day for Private Scott Thomas Beauchamp.

Blackfive has a must read.
Michelle Malkin is piling on.

Previously:
Busted!... New Republic's "Shock Troops" Shocker Is BOGUS!
MNF-Iraq Responds to The New Republic's "Scott Thomas" Tales
MNF-Iraq Releases Statement on TNR's Soldier Stories

UPDATE: Ace says that TNR is much more worried than they are letting on.