From Pink Boxers To A Kilt

Zachary Boyd, a young soldier from Fort Worth, made international news a few weeks ago. He had just gone to bed at his military base near Pakistan, when some U.S. soldiers were attacked by the Taliban as they were returning to the base. Hearing the gunfire, Boyd grabbed a flak jacket, his helmet and his rifle, and ran to the barricades.

Along with other soldiers, he fired back at the Taliban as the returning soldiers scrambled back thru the barbed wire to safety. But what Boyd didn't know was that a photographer was snapping pictures of the fight. The photographer snapped a picture of Boyd firing at the enemy -- wearing a red T-shirt, a flak jacket and his pink boxer shorts. He hadn't bothered to put on his camouflage pants in his haste to aid his fellow soldiers.

The picture appeared in the New York Times, and became an internet sensation. He became an overnight hero known around the world.

The Scottish-American Military Society decided this young "Scottish Warrior" needed a uniform benefitting his heritage. They arranged for him to receive a kilt with all the accessories. The kilt's tartan (pattern) was that of the Stewart clan, of which the Boyds are a part. He was presented the Kilt at a ceremony honoring him last Saturday in Fort Worth.

This is a young man Texas can be very proud of, but he is not the only one. Far too many of our young men and women are fighting now in foreign wars. May they all return home safely very soon.