The Holy Warrior

[David]

Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin is a devout Christian who has probably seen as much combat as anyone in uniform.

Yet he?s been called a national embarrassment, a religious fanatic and a three-star bigot ? all because of what he said about the religion of a Muslim warlord.

His words set off a torrent of criticism from Muslims around the world, and demands at home that he be fired from his high-level job as undersecretary of defense for intelligence.

Now, this holy warrior speaks about the controversy for the first time with Correspondent David Martin ?- but he says he?s not happy about it.

"I?m not here because I want to be. I?m doing this, not because I want to,? says Boykin. ?I am doing this because it is the only chance I will get to look at Americans and say I am not what I have been portrayed to be.?

Boykin has been portrayed as an anti-Muslim zealot because of what he said while preaching to a Christian congregation about how his faith in God sustained him in battle.

The churches videotaped and distributed Boykin?s speeches, and it wasn?t long before his personal testimony became public controversy. One story he told about chasing warlords in Somalia 10 years ago came across as belittling the Muslim faith.
This is what Boykin said about one Somali warlord who believed Allah would protect him from being captured by Americans: ?I knew that my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol.?

Muslims reacted with outrage from that one statement. Boykin?s response?

?Let?s go back to the day that we captured Osman Atto [the Somali warlord]. He was a corrupt, evil warlord who was stealing from and robbing his own people. He?s a man who worshipped graft, corruption, power and money,? says Boykin. ?My reference to his God being an idol was not to Allah. My reference was to his worship of corruption, of power, of money. He was a thug. He was not a good Muslim.?

That may have been what Boykin meant by his statement, but the words ?my God was bigger than his? are what everybody heard, and they went off like a bombshell, just when the United States was trying to convince the Muslim world that the war against Islamic terrorists had nothing to do with religion.

Was he trying to make it seem like his God was against theirs?

?No, that?s not what I meant at all. Look, I?m a Christian. I make no apologies for that," says Boykin. "But I?m also not foolish enough to deliberately offend or in any way ostracize any religion. ... I?m not anti-Islam, I?m not anti-Allah.?

Does he believe Allah is a lesser God than the Christian God?

"I'm not going to go into that," says Boykin. ?I?m a Christian. That speaks for itself.?

Boykin is a fundamentalist Christian who prays over every significant decision in his life, including whether or not to do this interview.

?I wake up every morning about 4:30 a.m., and I pray for about a half hour and I pray again before I go to bed at night,? says Boykin. ?And during the day, I take opportunities to pray.?

Did he see God?s hand in the election of President Bush? ?Absolutely," he says. "And Bill Clinton and others. I believe that our leadership is placed there by God.?

But President Bush received so much heat about Boykin from Muslim leaders that even he took a shot at the general: ?Gen. Boykin?s comments don?t reflect the administration?s comments. ? He doesn?t reflect my point of view.?

?That was a painful moment, but I put it in perspective,? said Boykin of Mr. Bush?s comments. ?What the president heard was what was portrayed in the media. The president didn?t hear my presentation.?

Boykin tried to end the controversy by asking for an investigation by the Pentagon?s inspector general. Ten months later, the investigation concluded that he had violated department regulations by failing to clear his comments in advance.

The secretary of the Army is expected to issue Boykin a letter of concern, which amounts to nothing more than a mild slap on the wrist. That closes the investigation, but doesn't address the central question of whether a senior officer, wearing his uniform, should speak so openly about his faith. And that leaves the controversy right back to where it began when this self-described holy roller took to the pulpit.

Why did he start speaking to church groups? ?I was asked to come and talk to Americans, many of which had their sons and daughters mobilized and involved in this war,? says Boykin. ?So my purpose was to be an encouragement to Americans while we were at war.?

In churches all across the country, Boykin told riveting stories of how God sustains Americans in battle. ?Before we launched that first mission, we all prayed 'God go with us. God keep your hands on us,'? said Boykin in one speech.

He tells the congregation that when he was a young captain, God actually spoke to him, telling him to join the Army?s elite Delta Force: ?There are times when God speaks to you in an audible voice. He spoke to me that morning because I said, ?Satan is gathering his forces.? He said, ?Yes, son, but so am I.? And I knew I was to be there.?

Boykin has been on the front lines of the battle against radical Muslims for a quarter of a century, ever since Islamic revolutionaries seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took Americans hostage. He was one of the Delta Force commandos who went in to rescue them. The mission ended in failure on a remote desert airstrip when a helicopter ran into a transport plane full of soldiers.

?It was a huge ball of fire. They could not survive,? recalls Boykin.

It was a disaster military, but in Boykin?s telling, it was also a miracle: ?That aircraft was going to explode any moment. But as I prayed in the name of Jesus, the door of that aircraft opened and through those flames came 45 men running just as hard as they could.?

That?s not just a war story that gets better with each retelling. It?s exactly what happened. Logan Fitch was one of soldiers trapped in the back of the plane.

?I could see the flames and the fire and the sparks advancing from the front to the back of the aircraft, inside the aircraft,? says Fitch.

Does Fitch view that as a miracle, that everyone got out of there without any burns?

?These are some amazing guys,? says Fitch. ?If I had to attribute it to anything, I would attribute it to the self -- the training and the self confidence and the cool actions of all of us.?

Boykin says that when he saw the helicopter go into the plane and saw the fire start, he looked up and said, ?In the name of Jesus, spare these men.? He believes that his prayer was answered.

"Well, it was,? says Fitch. ?Whether it?s directly attributable to that prayer, I don?t know.?

Boykin?s message, repeated again and again, is that prayer saves American lives. For example, some of his men walked away from a horrific helicopter crash that was captured on home video during the invasion of Grenada in 1983.

But then came the 1993 firefight in Mogadishu, made famous by the film ?Black Hawk Down.? At that time, Boykin was the commander of Delta Force. He lost 16 of his men; many more were wounded.

?We brought a truck outta that city and brought it back home to that air field. A 5-ton truck, and we had it stacked with bodies, dead and wounded,? said Boykin in a speech. ?My soldiers. And we dropped the tail on that truck and the blood poured out the back of it, like water.?

The next day, Boykin survived a mortar round, which killed one of his men and left another bleeding to death. Boykin prayed over the dying soldier. ?There was no pulse. There was no pressure. But I prayed to almighty God, spare him,? said Boykin in his speech. ?Today, he practices medicine in the Shenandoah Valley with four children.?

That dying soldier was Rob Marsh, who served as Delta?s battle surgeon. ?I required 17 units of blood and it?s, normally there are 15 units in a body,? recalls Marsh. ?If things hadn?t happened the right way, I shouldn?t be here right now. I think the skill of the surgeon, the blood, you know, and God?s will, I?m here.?

But many of Boykin?s men didn?t make it out of Mogadishu, and Marsh thinks Boykin?s preaching was a way of dealing with the trauma. ?It was therapeutic for Jerry Boykin to give the talk that he gave because it?s a way to let the pain out, and also a way to share his faith,? says Marsh.

Faith has always sustained soldiers on the battlefield, but Boykin?s faith at times is startling. He tells church audiences in one speech that the devil showed up in a photo he took in Somalia: ?It is a demonic spirit over the city of Mogadishu. Ladies and gentlemen, that?s not a fake, that?s not a farce.?

Did Mogadishu turn Boykin into a fanatic? ?Well, I don?t think I?m a fanatic,? says Boykin. ?And I think most of the people who?ve served with me would probably tell you I?m not a fanatic.?

Although Boykin would lead the Delta Force in prayer before every operation, the soldiers who served with him say they didn?t see anything unusual about his faith.

?He didn?t go around proselytizing or preaching or anything like that,? says Fitch. ?I simply knew that he was a devout person.?

After Mogadishu, Boykin's marriage ended and he nearly hit rock bottom. He said that he was so miserable that he asked God to take him.

?There was a point at which I probably would have preferred that over having to get up and face the situation that I was in every day,? says Boykin.

What turned life around for him? Boykin, fighting tears, points to his second wife, Ashley. "My wife," he says, "she picked me up."

?You know, you may not wear your religion on your sleeve but you wear your emotions on your sleeve,? Martin says to Boykin. ?I think most people would have this image of a Delta commando has a tough, macho guy, and you clearly are tough and macho, but you have this side of you in which the emotions are just right there beneath the surface.?

?Right,? says Boykin. ?You want to arm wrestle??

Boykin no longer speaks in church. But that hasn?t stopped calls for his resignation. He insists he's not about to quit.





WORDS OF FAITH
Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin is deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence, a three-star general and an evangelical Christian.

"I knew that my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God, and his was an idol."
-- said Boykin, referring to a 1993 battle with a Muslim warlord in Somalia, at a Jan. 2003 church event.

Whether you understand it or not, it is a demonic spirit over the city of Mogadishu. ...God showed me that the enemy was not the enemy that I could see. That the enemy is in the spiritual realm. "
-- said Boykin to a church group in Florida about photos he took of Mogadishu with black slashes in the sky.

"The enemy is a spiritual enemy. He's called the principality of darkness. The enemy is a guy called Satan."
-- said Boykin before a religious group in June 2003.

"Why is this man in the White House? The majority of Americans did not vote for him. He's in the White House because God put him there for a time such as this."
-- said Boykin, of his claim that divine intervention put Mr. Bush in office.

"I am neither a zealot nor an extremist, only a soldier who has an abiding faith."
-- said Boykin, in defense of his statements.

"My references to Judeo-Christian roots in America or our nation as a Christian nation are historically undeniable."
-- said Boykin in a statement issued by the Pentagon in Oct. 2003.

[Boats]

Ya know Dave I saw his interview on TV the other day and he's no different than most. Praying is something we all do at one time or another. He's a brave sole to come out and declare it with so much vigor.

But the influence's or decisions he makes will always be second guessed because of the conflict of interest issues regarding the Church and State. The military has never denied anyone his or her religious motivation's. They provide services of every kind and I recall my superior's always asking on Sunday if I had been to church?

Regardless of my answer - it was asked by them and they cared about my inner sole as well as my military one.

[Keith_Hixson]

When you take a small statement from a larger speech or explanation, plug your personal anti-view onto the statement, then explain exactly in your opinion what statement means and apply that to the entire speech its called SPIN.

Those who are anti military do that very well.

Too bad we don't have discerning people who can look beyond the spin.

The modern press is taught spin in journalism in college. sooooo. . . . . . . . . When it comes to the press believe half what is written, then believe half of that and maybe just maybe you may have an element of truth.

Keith

[Andy]

I think he's a good man, a good Christian and no doubt a good officer. However there is one issue here. By wearing his uniform when giving this sermon there was an implication that he was speaking on behalf of the military, or the government.

I can remember forever saying, "This is not necessarily the opinion of the Easthampton Police Department or the City of Easthampton." That was said prior to giving an opinion or personal observation while in uniform. I'd think there wouldn't have been as much noise about this if he had been wearing a black coat and tie.

Plus, there is a long history of generals getting into trouble for telling the truth. When Bill Sherman said the Civil War would last for years and 100,000 troops would die, they put him in a nut house.

Stay healthy,
Andy

[reconeil]

Gotsta-disagree. If The General and while in uniform (even Dress Blues) had instead praised Allah in A Muslim Temple in America,...he would have been revered by all as a great humanitarian. Probably would've been both decorated by The President of The United States and put up for The Nobel Peace Prize to-boot.

The truth of the matter, is that such a fine warrior merely suffered the very same: "DOUBLE STANDARD",...such as what most Americans in general have been experiencing FOR MANY YEARS. One must be: "Sensitive" to all sensitivities on earth,...except and quite ironically NOT TO ANY AMERICAN SENSITIVITIES.

Don't know about that: "Sherman" & "Nut house" bit either. Whatever and if so, believe Old Bill got: "A bum rap".
The Civil War did last for years, and I've always been led to believe that more Americans died in The Civil War,...than died in all other American Wars combined in history. In that context, 100,000 seems WAY-OFF to me?

Neil

[Andy]

I totally agree, there are double standards and the good guys usually end up with the short end of the stick. Probably why another Christian, G.W., is forever saying what a nice religion Islam is, even if he doesn?t believe it. That said, the General?s wearing his uniform could certainly give the allusion he was speaking on behalf of the government.
He should have known millions of Muslims would not give him the benefit of the doubt.
Yes, what he said was taken out of context and a hell of a spin was put on it, but that happens. Moreover, I?d suggest that someone who has risen so high in the company as to have 3 stars should know that. If you know someone wants to poke you in the eye, wear goggles.

About Sherman: he was determined to have had a mental break down at the very beginning of the war. Before the shooting started most people felt there might be a battle or two and the war would be over. He said 100,000 men would died and his guess was very low, but everyone else was guessing 5,000 or less. It was like WWI, most people thought the war would be over by Christmas, of 1914.

Stay healthy,
Andy

[frisco-kid]

I agree with Andy. He could have gotten the same message across to the audience he was trying to reach [the congregation] by wearing a suit and tie. He then couldn't remotely be seen as speaking for the military or the government. It was the uniform that brought him under the gun. Nobody is going to attack a man for stateing his views in church, but they sure would a general. It's the uniform that dictates which one he's speaking as at the moment. Like Andy said, he should have known better.

As far as the "Muslims around the world" being OUTRAGED by this.....to Hell with them. Instead of this, they should be screaming a world wide outrage of the things being done in their name and their god's name. The killing of thousands of people who's only crime was to get up and go to work that day; the taking hostage and killing of hundreds of children; commiting the savage, barbarous act of beheading somebody, including other Muslims, while proudly video taping it; setting off car bombs in the middle of a Muslim city targeting other Muslims, mostly women and children; and on, and on. Where is the "world wide outrage" from the Muslim populations of the world about these acts?!! The silence is deafening.

[Seascamp]

Methinks the good General owns this one. At three stars he should be well acquainted with the media and public taboos and all the rakes out there to be stepped on that go kersmacko, right between the running lights. We fault persons of position for being evasive, not forth coming or ?weasel wording?. Wull, this is a classic example of the wisdom within the thought of never missing the opportunity to keep one?s mouth shut. I salute his bravery and well articulated thoughts but if I were his camp boy, I?d get me a cattle prod and stand close to the General when he gives public talks, for his own good of course.
One of my Skippers in Vietnam (an O6) had the right idea, wasn?t very complicated and simply went ?F**k the media?, their mothers should have ate them while their bones were still soft?. That worked for me then as now and truer words were never spoken.

Scamp

[reconeil]

As usual, and even though using different words, I'm honored in believing that we sort-of speak as one.

Besides, and whether generals in uniform or political leaders in civilian garb, I see absolutely nothing wrong with ANY honest people praising God or displaying fear of God's final retribution for unconscienable behavior or deeds,...whether in public or at church.

Besides,...whom better can be trusted by ALL to carry out their oaths to: "We The People"? Would America be a much safer place and better served if ALL generals and ALL political leaders were either ALL athiests or Infidel despising or Infidel hating Muslims?
I most certainly don't think so,...and QUITE THE OPPOSITE!!!

Neil

[Seascamp]

I suspect that now is not the time for public people on the right of the chalk mark to be saying how they really feel about much at all as it inevitably leads to the time worn and worn out accusation of being a racist and or bigot that seems to be patented reaction one to all situations and utterances. As well, I don?t think the uniform made one iota of difference and he could have been muttering to himself, buck-naked, in the shower and still gotten his ass nailed. The media sharks know a protean meal when they sniff one out and it don?t mean didly if the target has on a tux or a tutu. The title and status was the target. A public person mentioning a personal spiritual belief, especially a Christian belief, is a PC ?bad?, no-no.
Thence connecting that thought back to back with unkind thoughts about a Moslem or Islam becomes a double ?bad?. But the ?bad? doesn?t go up in an additive linear fashion; it rises exponentially, big time. And that is where the good General finds himself; marooned up the media shit-creek.

Presently we have a real interesting deal going on here. Evidently the University Of Nevada, Reno, is funding a visit and speech by the DNC propagandist Michael Moore. This event is alleged to take place in October at UNR?s Event Center. Now then, UNR is a publicly funded State University so a hue and cry among the taxpayers is going up as we speak. Of course and according to some local media pundits, Moore is as pure as the driven snow and I wouldn?t be a bit surprised if he were nominated for canonization of some sort whilst here. Then some unknown, nincompoop, wag from Gardnerville suggested that the Reno Convention Center be used and ticket sales used to pay for the facility and pay off Moore, thus giving the taxpayers a break. But that suggestion resulted in some utterances about, ?kill the Gardnerville monster?, LOL. :ek:
We?re having some fun now, for sure. However, it?s unlikely I?ll be buying a ?blessed? St. Michael medallion anytime soon, nope, not I.

Scamp