Brian Williams Lied: Helicopter Wasn’t Shot Down in Iraq

If it’s true that Brian Williams simply switched his memory in favor of a more compelling version of life-threatening events, then perhaps he should have a neurological examination. If it’s not true, then he’s a liar, which is severely damaging to his trusted-newsman reputation. As for the content of the lie itself, how dare someone in a position of authority disrespect our armed forces to embellish his own image?

For those that missed the story, Brian Williams claimed to have been traveling in a helicopter that was downed by RPG fire during the Iraq War. He told the story numerous times, including once on Letterman, which is below at the 3:30 mark. In fact, Williams was on a helicopter traveling one hour behind the actual helicopter subject to the attack. Williams apologized when Lance Reynolds, an Iraqi war veteran, exposed the lie, saying,

“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. Then I remember you guys taking back off in a different flight of Chinooks from another unit and heading to Kuwait to report your ‘war story’ to the Nightly News. The whole time we were still stuck in Iraq trying to repair the aircraft and pulling our own Security.”

I have always enjoyed Brian Williams and appreciated his ability to poke fun at himself. But I also have a very low tolerance for lies, especially when it involves our armed forces. Shame on you, Brian Williams.