Or as Yon would say a "milkook." This was a surprising but quick moving development which put me in a small club of very respected Veterans on the web. CJ Grisham and Troy Steward are some of the plankholders in the club of 14. But the real question anyone must ask is "why?" If you do a site search here, you'll find few if any other references to Yon, though I've been aware of him for some time.
This is the reason Yon originally stated for his decision to discredit me:
"Thank you for pointing out that you'll take a fraudulent "Uncle Jimbo" even when the truth stares you in the face. This shows that WOTN should be added to the category of quacks." January 21, 2011 at 07:13 PM
What does this new status mean to me and the readers here? To me, there is basically no impact at all. I wasn't prone to reading Yon, nor commenting. I don't have his book and don't plan to buy it. I will not ask readers here to stop reading his words, nor to begin harassing him. On the other hand, Yon has asked his readers to do an all out search for me, and to end any connection. You're adults, almost exclusively, so the choice is yours.
After almost a decade at war, "Uncle Jimbo" has never managed to make it to Afghanistan or Iraq. He's never been in combat, period. Yet he sells himself as a military guru. Uncle Jimbo is a faker.
Follow-up question: why was Uncle Jimbo's military career cut short?
Amazing how many people he has managed to fool.
Michael Yon, January 21, 2011 at 06:49 PM
Now, one should realize Uncle Jimbo is perfectly capable of defending himself and for the most part he lives his life without noting me, my works, or any agreements/disagreements he has with me. Jim and I have met once and I know more about him than he knows about me. He writes some funny stuff and he has done some intense stuff, but never have I seen anywhere that Jim claimed combat service. He did serve a career as a Special Forces Weapons Sergeant, which he neither hides, nor overly boasts about.
Blackfive and Uncle Jimbo provide commentary on a wide range of topics, many of which are outside the mission of War On Terror News. In most aspects where we cover the same topics, we agree, but they are certainly under no requirement to link here. Jim has a big ego and a humorous personality, and its a good thing. Blackfive and their authors are neither in alliance with me nor my enemies. They are others speaking out in defense of Our Troops. They've defended the honor of many Veterans and Troops.
Jim is not the only person in Special Forces I've known. And someone that serves that long on an ODA has some serious expertise about a number of things Military related. Many in Group were in combat that is not on any record.
An important detail when making accusations as did Yon is to consider the background record from which one is making it. Jim served an entire career and evidently was not ordered to combat. There's no dishonor in that. He served, ready for war and that is what was asked of him. Yon was discharged as an E5 having never served on an ODA or in combat, and there is nothing wrong with that, until one begins implying more than what the record supports.
Yes, he graduated the Q course and yes, he has taken pictures in a combat zone. But being a combat "journalist" does not make one a combat veteran, nor a military expert. A few years in the Army will provide some insight, but it does not afford one the position to question the expertise of a career in the Army Special Forces.
A while back, I had reason to wonder about Yon's background and had taken a look into, but the answers had brought up more questions than answers. I didn't publicly ask those questions or write anything up on the findings, because I saw no point in doing so. I asked those questions, but Yon was more interested in casting doubt on everyone else than clarifying anything related to him. Others in the room knew those answers, which Yon did not deny. Within hours, I began getting notifications that "Yon was looking for me." He was obsessed with finding my name and was asking everyone he thought might have the answer, rather aggressively.
The biggest question I had about Yon was why he was discharged as an E5. That is unheard of. He likes to tout his Special Forces tab, but the fact is that almost always comes with E6. That's the lowest rank (I know of) authorized on an ODA. A few SF babies (those that go straight into SF, rather than first through a conventional MOS) graduate the Qualification Course as E5's, but rarely do they not get promoted very quickly. Yon claims to be an SF baby, but evidently he never served on an ODA.
This is the story Yon did not dispute as to why:
"I'll start by noting that knocking a guys head into the floor killing him in a bar fight right after you graduate the Q course is not the best start for a career in SF. Then you get to spend most of the next year fighting manslaughter charges, then you get shipped overseas where you do 18 months? 2 years? probably doing inventory in the supply room. Then you are gone, leaving only a bad impression, and a warning I heard about how not to be that asshole who graduates the course and then goes out and acts the fool. Am I close, or dead on? Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong" In Comments at BlackFive.
Yon made no corrections and did not allege it was false. He continued to complain that he had not been disembedded from Canadian Troops and alluded that he had not been disembedded with UK or US Troops for "OPSEC violations," either.
What are all the details? I could research them, but the behavior of Yon at Blackfive was more educational than most research into him would provide. His behavior had the hallmarks of the worst 'journalists' in throwing out allegations against everyone that disagreed with him. Mostly, his questions were designed to bait people into giving information that he did not have and were aimed at identifying them for later character assassination. Whether a person stated a background or not, he alleged they were lying and idiots.
He accused everyone of failing to research, that only reading his site and buying his book qualified as "research." A quick look at his site stats showed his readership is less than 10% of what it once was. His self-promotion at Blackfive went beyond what is acceptable in any circle. Self-promotion is necessary if you believe in what you're writing, but stirring up a controversary, solely to cause discord and interest in your site with that kind of disrespect is beyond the pale.
Questioning the character of Veterans you don't know and have no other reason than their lack of praise for you is down right assanine. I don't know the users "Froggy," "FlyNavy," or "SenorLechero," but I've seen no reason to believe they aren't who they claim to be. Evidently, they have more personal knowledge of OPSEC violations or other misbehavior by Yon.
But when his obsession with finding me led to his harassment of others, I responded to his call to find me to his FB followers. When his allegations and baiting did not get the information he wanted, he decided to end the conversation, and ban me.
Yes, the entire affair was juvenile, but unfortunately, it was not in me to back down from a bully. It never has been, and unfortunately, Yon did not leave much room other than leave false allegations to stand or to refute them vigorously.
Evidently, he has stalked others and is particularly obsessed with Uncle Jimbo. He has put out a call to all of his readers to search me out, to find out my "name, rank, and social security number." Though he rails on others for not researching, he had to use his fan club to find the email address available on our site. It appears that most of his animosity towards other Veterans on the web is based in his animosity towards General McChrystal.
Yon has destroyed or attempted to destroy the careers of multiple people, including 2 Generals. He is currently requesting that his readers stalk me. And he has harassed people who he thinks know me. Readers here know that I don't ask for donations, that I in fact discourage donations to the site. I ask that anyone so compelled instead donate to Pro-Troop Non-Profits and list a few that have my confidence to efficiently use the donations for the right thing. So, this allegation and the way it is framed will demonstrate not only his character, but his style of casting doubt on the character of others:
If you are a Yon reader, this is your insight into how he will make allegations that have no bearing in truth. One could take this a bit further and note that Yon very prolifically requests that his readers pay his way. One might instead ask if he is scamming them. He has a rather extended vacation in Thailand, India and Nepal while promising that his next embed to Afghanistan will come "soon."
Given his current state of mind and his record of publishing information that should not be made public, I would hope the Military does not bow to his pressure. But that is not in my lane.
I also expect that he will throw out many possibilites for whom he thinks I am. I expect he'll get it wrong more than once, as he has a habit of fishing and baiting. And I'll tell you straight up my answer will be that I'll "neither confirm nor deny," but any actions taken by those individuals is their sole right.
If any of those reading this have been contacted by Yon regarding me, I apologize for his intrusion into your lives. He did not receive any email addresses from me and will not. I don't share email addresses with anyone (without express permission), and apparently he simply looked for any website listed in our blogrolls. He brought one fantastic lady to tears by putting her in the middle of what should have been a private dispute between he and Jimbo, but which he made public and in which made many new enemies.
If you choose to stop reading War On Terror News, at his bidding, it is your choice. If you continue to read Yon's work, that too is your choice. I will not ask anyone to ignore any source of information out there, but I also will not link to work I find untrustworthy and malicious.
CJ Grisham's Perspective on the event.
The list of the Banned by Yon Club: (as per Yon)
* Fred Schoeneman
* Beth Donovan
* Chuck Ziegenfuss
* Mrsg- N-Greyhawk
* MaryAnn Phillips
* C.J. Grisham
* Alexander Brent
* Stewart Nusbaumer
* Mary Parsons
* Cass McDonough (#15, as of 23 Jan)
* Jo Ellen Wilson Marlow
* Foxfier Sailorette
* Baboo Scmurf
* Howie Mantit
* WarOnTerrorNewsThe updated Banned by Yon list (according to MY on 26 Jan 2011)
Carrie Cos...tantini
Fred Schoeneman
Terri Cornwell Szendrodi
Beth Donovan
Hyun Kim
Laura Beaver
Chuck Ziegenfuss
Mrsg- N-Greyhawk
Troy Steward
Cory Kline
MaryAnn Phillips
Alexander Brent
Stewart Nusbaumer
Mary Parsons
Eric Pitzen
Aunty Brat
Cass McDonough #15
Jo Ellen Wilson Marlow
Foxfier Sailorette
Baboo Scmurf
Howie Mantit
Rolfe Sorensen
Waron TerrorNews #14(It should be noted that some people are upset that they've been banned but aren't the list)
The Tarnak Saga:
1) The Bridge Over the River Tarnak Looking at Fact and Fiction of the incident
2) From Tarnak Bridge to Bruhaha Looking at Yon's obsession for Menard
3) The Tarnak Scalp That Wasn't Looking at Yon's claims of scalping Menard
4) The Yon Conspiracy Over Tarnak: Looking at Yon's Conspiracy Theory Origins
5) Overview of the Michael Yon SagaDeviant Behavior
1) Yon OPSEC Violations: It can't be more blatant but some are in disbelief
2) Yon Publicizes Video of American Soldier Losing Legs.
3) Banned By Yon!
4) Yon's Attack on PTSD as insanity
5) The Banning of an Angel
Stumble It!
