The indignities continue to pile on for disgraced NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams. Back in January, before his serial fabrications were uncovered, and he was suspended for 6 months, Williams hosted an awards ceremony to honor military veterans and their families. The show was scheduled to be broadcast by PBS over the Memorial Day weekend.
Since, then, however, Williams’ career fell apart. Worst of all, he told stolen valor lies about being shot down by enemy fire while riding in a helicopter over Iraq.
For obvious reasons, PBS has made the decision to edit Williams out of its Friday night broadcast. A videotaped introduction from First Lady Michelle Obama has been scheduled to take his place at the Lincoln Awards ceremony.
Before his Iraq lie was exposed by Stars and Stripes, Williams was a huge advocate for veterans and their families. The helicopter fable coupled with other suspicious military stories (including one about Seal Team 6) seems to have tarnished whatever goodwill Williams had earned among the men and women in our Armed Forces.
Rather than a selfless advocate, he now looks like a tourist; someone who used his close proximity and relationships with the military to puff himself up … and to do so by stealing valor that did not belong to him.