Brian Williams has drawn both support and condemnation from prominent veterans advocacy groups for claiming repeatedly that he was aboard a helicopter downed by rocket fire during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
“As an organization of wartime veterans, The American Legion finds his behavior reprehensible, and we hope that Mr. Williams will redeem himself,” national commander Michael Helm said Thursday in a statement.
“But ultimately, the American people will judge his character,” he added.
Williams admitted Wednesday in an interview with Stars and Stripes that he “misremembered” when he said last week that he was aboard a helicopter that was downed by an RPG during the Iraq invasion.
On his nightly newscast Wednesday evening, Williams said he merely “bungled” the details of the event, including when he said that the “helicopter we were traveling in was forced down after being hit by an RPG.”
“I want to apologize. I said I was travelling in an aircraft that was hit by RPG fire. I was instead in a following aircraft. We all landed after the ground fire incident and spent two harrowing nights in a sandstorm in the Iraq desert,” Williams said
The reported pilot of the Chinook that carried Williams said Thursday that the craft did come under small arms fire, but he added that they were never once fired on with rockets. Former Chief Warrant Officer Rich Krell also said he wasn’t forced to land the helicopter due to damages, contrary to Williams’ version of the story.
“Yeah, [Williams] messed up some things and said some things he shouldn’t have. I [first] heard it a few years ago. … Actually one of my flight engineers said, ‘Did you hear him say that? Wasn’t he on our bird?'” Krell said.
Referring to comments he made during a tribute last week to one of the soldiers who provided ground security for the downed choppers that night in Iraq, Williams said Wednesday night: “This was a bungled attempt by me to thank one special veteran, and by extension our brave military men and women, veterans everywhere, those who have served while I did not. I hope they know they have my greatest respect and also now my apology.”
But Friday wasn’t the first time that Williams claimed he came under fire in Iraq. Following NBC News first reporting in 2003 that his helicopter was fired on, Williams has repeated variations of the story on numerous occasions.
And at least a few veterans groups are not willing to accept Williams’ explanation.
“His embellishment shows he has no idea what the term ‘direct fire’ really means. Whatever personal or professional fallout that follows will and should be determined by the American public,” national spokesman for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Joe Davis told the Hill.
But Williams isn’t alone: At least one veterans group came to his aid Thursday.
“Brian Williams made a mistake. He has apologized and I accept his apology. All of us in the veterans community have seen the story. But more importantly, we have seen Brian’s years of tremendous dedication to our men and women in uniform — both as a reporter but also as a philanthropist and an advocate,” CEO and founder of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Paul Rieckhoff said in a Facebook post.
“This mistake is much less a reflection of who Brian is than his many years of selfless dedication to IAVA, the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, the Bob Woodruff Foundation and many other leaders in the … veterans community. He is a good man who cares deeply about our country and our veterans. Persecuting him over this mistake will do little to help our veterans and service members. I am confident that in years ahead, Brian will continue to dedicate himself to our vets — as he always has — and inspire others to do the same,” he added.
Similarly, some of the servicemen who originally objected to Williams’ story have since said they’ve moved on and accepted his explanation.
“I appreciate the timely response by Brian Williams to correct the story and set the record straight,” Lance Reynolds, a flight engineer who first called out Williams on Facebook, said Thursday. “I would not want to speculate on why the mistake was made. I personally accept his apology.”
And in reference to veteran furor over Williams’ retelling of the story last week, Krell added: “I can understand why [members of the 159th Aviation Regiment’s Chinook] take issue with it. I don’t think it was anything derogatory towards them. I agree [Williams] needs to apologize and get the record set straight, but I don’t take offense to it personally, no.”
It’s unclear whether NBC News executives plan to take action against Williams for repeatedly claiming he was shot down over Iraq.
