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As an actual member of 10th SFG who knew/ knows key members of 092 (the team Pogany was briefly attached to) I feel there has to be some type of rebuttal to this article. Pogany seems to be receiving attention for his over active imagination, and attempting to substantialize his emotional instability by dramatizing his actual war-time experiences.

Kelly Hornbeck did much more in his Army career than call Pogany a coward. He was a driven leader, a family man, a jack of all trades, and could have been doing a variety of things with his life other than serving as a Green Beret. He did so because he was a patriot, had a calling, and fulfilled that calling. A coward is one who has "Ignoble fear in the face of danger or pain". That is accurate in Pogany's case. Having been to Iraq, for much longer than two weeks, I can attest to what fear feels like. How you react to that fear defines you as a person. Hornbeck was tragically killed by an IED in Samarra, but it was long after Pogany had left, and to describe half of his head missing is another overstatement. Hornbeck received fatal brain trauma, but the article's description is an exaggeration.

The compound that Pogany was assigned to did not come under direct mortar fire at the time of his stay. He would have heard some explosions in the distance, and maybe some distant gunfire. The average firefighter in the U.S. who has worked a few car wrecks has seen much more "blood and guts" than did Pogany.

Ken Lehman had many problems in his life, some attributed to his war-time experiences, and some that were not. He received a severe head injury late in '06 after an ATV accident. He had many personal demons he was dealing with. He was suffering from depression. 10th group did not turn their back on Ken, he had been treated both psychologically and physically for his problems. To believe that he could have made a last minute difference in Lehman's life is a testament to Pogany's oversized ego, and desperate sense of drama to give himself some substance.

10th group is full of men who have felt the same fear Pogany did. They deal with it in various ways, but most of them lean on each other and do not let it consume them. If Pogany isn't boondoggling for attention these days by exploiting soldiers,or riding on their coat-tails, good for him. He's turning a corner.

Comment by russell — March 21, 2008 @ 05:33PM

Isn't it conceivable that any given wartime event could be an "experience" to one officer and a "trauma" to another? How dare any one of us judge another person's reactions to their own experiences? Some people may be able to compartmentalize their emotions and reactions enough to handle the "theater" as some euphemise it, while others may not. Let us also keep sight of the crucial role of permanent brain damage in this context: We're not talking about a few slackers but rather cases of traumatic brain injuries, documented by military doctors, that include injuries sustained in combat as well as in taking the antimalarial drug Lariam. These permanent brain lesions could very well mess with one's ability to buck up and tough it out. I feel we all owe Andrew Pogany a debt of gratitude: he deserves as much support and assistance in his mission as we owe every single soldier and servicemember who now or ever served in the military. Kudos to Pogany for fighting this good fight, not just on his own behalf but on others' as well; and kudos to Warner for telling his story. What I just read about Pogany revealed pure courage; cowardice has nothing to do with this story.

Comment by Rise Keller — March 23, 2008 @ 09:25PM

Thank you Russell (posted the comment above). It was very upsetting to read this article which did not accurately portray the circumstances regarding Kelly Hornbeck and Ken Lehman's lives. The description their deaths and the events that led to them were also extremely disrespectful to Kelly, Ken and those who knew them. Pogany briefly got a glimpse of 10th group. He cannot compare himself to any of the courageous members of 10th group and what they experienced throughout their deployment. To take their experiences and extreme pain, misrepresent them, and use them in a way that is meant to gain attention and support for himself is absolutely disgusting and wrong. I pray that everyone who reads this article will also read what you wrote so they may know the truth.

Comment by anonymous — April 16, 2008 @ 12:38PM

I am too a member of 10th Group, and also know and knew members of 0DA 092. Russel and anonymous your display of ignorance and lack of knowledge on the facts surrounding the Pogany case is what is absolutely disgusting and wrong. Pogany spent close to 4 + years with us in 10th Group. I would hardly call that a glimpse. Neither one of you represent the truth about Pogany, Kelly or Ken. The article never describes Kelly's of Ken's life much less misrepresent them. It is upsetting to me that both of you would continue to attack Pogany, who to my knowledge has never said anything bad about 10th Group. Even after COL R. and other prosecuted him for almost 2 years in an attempt to cover up the real truth about what happened to him. We all know what happened to Ken, and we all know that we didn't help him and protect him. I suggest that both of you stop what you are doing because all you are doing is bringing more attention to Group then we need. Let's keep our problems in house.

Comment by John — April 17, 2008 @ 07:39AM