# Soldier in pink shorts
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soldier-in-pink-shorts/497443
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 24, 2009, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soldier-in-pink-shorts/497443 "2009-05-24T05:13:17Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Chickenwrangler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chickenwrangler)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2009, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soldier-in-pink-shorts/497443/1 "2009-05-24T05:13:17Z")
Army Specialist Zachary Boyd, 19, of Fort Worth, Texas, rushed from his sleeping quarters on May 11 to join fellow platoon members at a base in Afghanistan’s Kunar Province after the unit came under fire from Taliban positions.
A news photographer was on hand to record the image of Boyd standing at a makeshift rampart in helmet, body armor, red T-shirt and boxers emblazoned with the message: “I love NY.”
When the image wound up on the front page of the New York Times, Boyd told his parents he might [COLOR=“Red”]lose his job if President Barack Obama saw him out of uniform.[/COLOR]
Why would he worry about “loosing his job” I would have thought that when the alarm sounds you grab your gun and go. What kind of training do the guys get these days that they worry about “being out of uniform” as the enymy is over runnig their post. 😕
[http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090522/lf\_nm\_life/us\_afghanistan\_gates\_pink](http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090522/lf_nm_life/us_afghanistan_gates_pink)
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### Author:  [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2009, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soldier-in-pink-shorts/497443/2 "2009-05-24T05:14:36Z")
He was not being serious. Do you really think the President of the United States sits around wondering which enlisted Army personnel to court martial for shooting in their undies?
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### Author:  [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2009, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soldier-in-pink-shorts/497443/3 "2009-05-24T05:44:15Z")
> [@friedo](#):
>
> He was not being serious. Do you really think the President of the United States sits around wondering which enlisted Army personnel to court martial for **shooting in their undies**?
Shooting in their own undies is fine. But if they shoot in someone else’s, then DADT comes into play…
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### Author:  [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2009, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soldier-in-pink-shorts/497443/4 "2009-05-24T07:27:55Z")
It’s not the pink shorts that will get him into trouble, it’s that red shirt. Makes a nice target to aim at. I’m sure he wasn’t thinking about that, he was just joining the fight. Kudos to him.
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### Author:  [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2009, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soldier-in-pink-shorts/497443/5 "2009-05-24T10:25:42Z")
> [@jayjay](#):
>
> Shooting in their own undies is fine.
Soldiers can do that, but if you’re Plaxico Burress you’ll get arrested.
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### Author:  [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2009, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soldier-in-pink-shorts/497443/6 "2009-05-24T11:30:08Z")
> [@jayjay](#):
>
> Shooting in their own undies is fine. But if they shoot in someone else’s, then DADT comes into play…
I once shot a soldier in my undies. He bore a striking resemblance to Groucho Marx.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2009, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soldier-in-pink-shorts/497443/7 "2009-05-24T11:38:43Z")
A soldier from Texas is caught wearing pink “I Love NY” shorts and he’s worried about what Barack Obama will think? He’s going to have to explain himself to 24,000,000 Texans first.
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### Author:  [@Moonshiner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonshiner)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2009, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soldier-in-pink-shorts/497443/8 "2009-05-24T13:07:01Z")
Not only did he not lose his job, he got big kudos from the SecDef:
[“Any soldier who goes into battle against the Taliban in pink boxers and flip-flops has a special kind of courage,”](http://www.reuters.com/article/asiaCrisis/idUSN21294974) Gates said in remarks prepared for a speech in New York.
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### Author:  [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2009, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soldier-in-pink-shorts/497443/9 "2009-05-24T13:28:39Z")
Hey, at least he had his helmet on. Poor guy…he’s NEVER going to live this one down.
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### Author:  [@Rattlehead02](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rattlehead02)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2009, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soldier-in-pink-shorts/497443/10 "2009-05-24T13:59:08Z")
Poor guy? Something tells me he gets laid a lot thanks to this publicity! Hell, I’d do him and I’m a straight dude 🙂
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### Author:  [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2009, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soldier-in-pink-shorts/497443/11 "2009-05-24T14:26:02Z")
Yeah, I’ll second that the soldier’s just joking. Being out of uniform is a big deal in the military, but obvioulsy not in this situation. Thus the punchline.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2009, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soldier-in-pink-shorts/497443/12 "2009-05-24T14:31:39Z")
I don’t get the big flap over this guy. We routinely bailed out of the bunker in skivvies and flak jackets during ground attacks. Take time to get dressed and find yourself dead.
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### Author:  [@aerodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aerodave)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2009, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soldier-in-pink-shorts/497443/13 "2009-05-24T15:30:46Z")
> [@Chefguy](#):
>
> I don’t get the big flap over this guy. We routinely bailed out of the bunker in skivvies and flak jackets during ground attacks. Take time to get dressed and find yourself dead.
Yeah, but did you have pink underwear and a conveniently-located AP photographer? That’s why you’re not famous. 😉
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2009, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soldier-in-pink-shorts/497443/14 "2009-05-24T16:24:06Z")
I saw some criticism of him on some of the comments on newspaper sites, with some people suggesting that the soldier was ill-prepared or that the boxers might make it easier for the enemy to air at.
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### Author:  [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2009, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soldier-in-pink-shorts/497443/15 "2009-05-24T17:29:29Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#):
>
> I saw some criticism of him on some of the comments on newspaper sites, with some people suggesting that the soldier was ill-prepared or that the boxers might make it easier for the enemy to air at.
That’s just silly people speculating about things they don’t understand or have no experience with. They’re just trying to be critical for lulz. The soldier was sleeping. He wasn’t on shift. I suppose he should just stay awake for the 12 months he’s there?
As for easier to aim at…that’s just ridiculous. By that logic, we shouldn’t let white people in the Army at all. And from experience, I can tell you that these people aren’t really into the whole “aiming” thing anyway.
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2009, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soldier-in-pink-shorts/497443/16 "2009-05-24T17:31:45Z")
Some of those comments were from people who identified themselves as soldiers, some who said they were currently in the Middle East.
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### Author:  [@Gethsemane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gethsemane)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soldier-in-pink-shorts/497443/17 "2009-05-24T17:38:08Z")
Just my two cents, and not to criticize anyone, but it’s pretty easy to identify yourself as a soldier in the middle east in teh internets.
Not to mention that there are quite a few soldiers who actually are on active duty in the middle east who would still make those kinds of comments, and be just as wrong as someone sitting back in the world.
As a good friend of mine once said, stepping off the plane onto the baking tarmac does instantly make you 100% braver, it does not make you in any way smarter 🙂
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### Author:  [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2009, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soldier-in-pink-shorts/497443/18 "2009-05-24T21:33:22Z")
> [@Chefguy](#):
>
> I don’t get the big flap over this guy. We routinely bailed out of the bunker in skivvies and flak jackets during ground attacks. Take time to get dressed and find yourself dead.
I’ve seen pictures of WWII soldiers/sailors doing things like manning anti-aircraft guns buck naked :eek: ; time could be that critical they had to go straight from bed/shower to action stations.
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### Author:  [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2009, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soldier-in-pink-shorts/497443/19 "2009-05-24T21:47:09Z")
> [@Moonshiner](#):
>
> Not only did he not lose his job, he got big kudos from the SecDef:
> [“Any soldier who goes into battle against the Taliban in pink boxers and flip-flops has a special kind of courage,”](http://www.reuters.com/article/asiaCrisis/idUSN21294974) Gates said in remarks prepared for a speech in New York.
I came here to quote this, and to say that Robert Gates is much cooler than I thought. He also said he wanted to shake the soldier’s hand. I especially liked what he said next:
> [@](#):
>
> I can only wonder about the impact on the Taliban. Just imagine seeing that: a guy in pink boxers and flip-flops has you in his cross-hairs. What an incredible innovation in psychological warfare.
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### Author:  [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2009, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soldier-in-pink-shorts/497443/20 "2009-05-25T00:35:09Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#):
>
> That’s just silly people speculating about things they don’t understand or have no experience with. They’re just trying to be critical for lulz. The soldier was sleeping. He wasn’t on shift. I suppose he should just stay awake for the 12 months he’s there?
>
> As for easier to aim at…that’s just ridiculous. By that logic, we shouldn’t let white people in the Army at all. And from experience, I can tell you that these people aren’t really into the whole “aiming” thing anyway.
It’s not totally silly, though. I don’t know what his specific situation is, but if you’re in a forward position, there’s no such thing as not being on duty. You sleep in your uniform with your body armor, helmet, LBE and weapon close at hand.
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