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2004-05-02 Fifth Column

Rangers Lead the Way in Exposing Author as a Fraud

In the Style section last summer we profiled a Los Angeles writer named Micah Ian Wright, whoâd just published a shrill antiwar poster book called "You Back the Attack! Weâll Bomb Who We Want!" In his book, he described himself as a veteran of combat, a former Army Ranger whose experiences during the 1989 invasion of Panama turned him into a peacenik. In interviews with The Post and other media, he played up that background.

Wright, it turns out, is a liar. He never served in the military -- and confessed that last week to his publisher, Seven Stories Press, after we insisted on evidence of his service. Pursuing a tip from real Rangers who'd never heard of Wright, we filed three Freedom of Information Act requests with separate Army commands -- and last month finally confirmed that Wright never served. "I feel awful about it. It was a lie that just grew and grew and grew," Wright, 34, told us Friday. He said mounting combat deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, including that of Ranger Pat Tillman, compound his sense of remorse: "I plan to make a public apology on my Web site [www.micahwright.com]."
This guy is a real piece of work. He used to scream at those who questioned his work by saying how heâd dodged bullets but that they were chickenhawks who had no right to talk about war...

Posted by RMcLeod 2004-05-02 6:09:50 PM|| || Front Page|| [11136 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 I hope he comes to feel even more "awful" - at the hands of real Rangers. Midnight roll-call, gentlemen.

Posted by .com 2004-05-02 6:27:52 PM|| 2004-05-02 6:27:52 PM|| Front Page Top

#2 He "feels awful" that he got caught.

With any luck, he'll get caught in a dark alley one night by some real Rangers.

Rangers lead the way! Hoo-rah!

Posted by Barbara Skolaut 2004-05-02 6:29:25 PM|| 2004-05-02 6:29:25 PM|| Front Page Top

#3 "I plan to make a public apology on my Web site.."

The only apology that is acceptable from this turd is a good old-fashioned seppuku.

Posted by Zpaz 2004-05-02 6:38:07 PM|| 2004-05-02 6:38:07 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 Here's his lame-ass apology. The smart-assery content dilutes the actual "I'm sorry" bit to the point of meaningless. I bet the s.o.b. was smirking as he typed it.

Posted by Dar 2004-05-02 6:39:18 PM|| 2004-05-02 6:39:18 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 Seems the WaPo still has standards. Had this been the NYT, it wouldn't have seen the light of day until the end of November.

Posted by Pappy 2004-05-02 7:48:14 PM|| 2004-05-02 7:48:14 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 im remind of my hero friend minigun who was presecuted beyond belief for his fancy fightin

Posted by HalfEmpty 2004-05-02 8:19:32 PM|| 2004-05-02 8:19:32 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 Make "a public apology", on his website? HUH? What does that mean? What's so public about that?

Posted by Halfass Pete 2004-05-02 8:50:26 PM|| 2004-05-02 8:50:26 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 It's now a heavily redacted 'apology', and the original was removed. Jim Treacher's blog has a copy of it.

Posted by Pappy 2004-05-02 10:01:46 PM|| 2004-05-02 10:01:46 PM|| Front Page Top

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