HONORING SERVICE
My friend Charles Oliver cites a Georgia case to demonstrate that Pfc. Lynch isn't being first-named by reporters just because she's female:
Diego Rincon, an Army private from Conyers, was recently killed in Iraq, and all the local TV types keep referring to him as "Diego," not "Private Rincon. I think they just have trouble seeing people that young-looking as soldiers.
A lot of them certainly look like kids to me--let's face it, wars are fought by the young and immortal-feeling--but calling them by their military titles is an important sign of respect for their service. They are acting as adults and should be treated as such by reporters.
Come to think of it, if you're old enough to be a POW, shouldn't you be old enough to drink without a fake I.D.?