Ever since his 2003 speech in which he declared Islamists hate America because it’s a Christian nation, Jerry Boykin has risen to become this country’s most (in)famous “warrior for Jesus.” He’s currently the executive vice president of one of the religious right’s biggest heavyweights, the Family Research Council.
What many people don’t know is that Boykin spent 15 years as a member of the Army’s elite counter-terrorism unit, Delta Force, serving as its commander from 1992 to 1994. In 2008–not long after ending his 34-year Army career as a lieutenant general–he wrote an autobiography, “Never Surrender: A Soldier’s Journey to the Crossroads of Faith and Freedom,” in which he recounted his experiences as a member of Delta Force.
This weekend, The Washington Post learned that in January 2013, the Army reprimanded Boykin for improperly disclosing classified information in that book.
The reprimand, viewable here, was signed by then-vice chief of staff General Lloyd Austin. It states that Boykin disclosed highly sensitive information about “cover methods, counterterrorism/counter-proliferation operations, operational deployments, infiltration methods, pictures, and tactics, techniques and procedures” that could endanger current Delta Force operations.
Boykin included information on many of the Pentagon’s most sensitive operations of the late 20th century, such as the Iran hostage crisis, the capture of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega and the ill-fated 1993 mission to Somalia.
By publishing this information, the reprimand says, Boykin displayed “a gross lack of judgment” and “unprofessional behavior.” Despite this, Boykin didn’t submit his book for review by the Pentagon, as is common for many military personnel who write about potentially sensitive matters. According to the reprimand, Boykin was strongly advised to submit his book for such a review, but failed to do so.
Although the Army declined to pursue criminal action against Boykin, a reprimand like this one is a pretty severe sanction in and of itself.
Boykin claims the whole thing was a politically motivated frame-up, and that he was publishing publicly available information that had already been published elsewhere. He did say, though, he said he would not contest the reprimand since he is retired. He claimed that the Army initially had no issues with his book in a 2010 review, but only reopened the probe in 2012 after he publicly criticized several Pentagon policies, including expanding the role of women. However, The Post reports that soon after the book was published, Admiral William McRaven, then the commander of Joint Special Operations Command, which oversees Delta Force, told lower-ranking commanders to avoid Boykin?a pretty significant step, especially considering that Boykin was a former Delta Force commander. That should tell you what Boykin’s fellow soldiers thought about the revelations in that book.
Darrell Lucus is a radical-lefty Jesus-lover who has been blogging for change for a decade. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook.
edited by tw
