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thedrifter
03-09-07, 08:58 AM
NBC finds Longview soldier in war zone
By Amy M. E. Fischer
Mar 08, 2007 - 06:07:35 am PST

A Longview soldier stationed in Iraq shared his thoughts on the war during a brief interview with NBC News anchorman Brian Williams, who arrived in Baghdad this week.

Williams' arrival has caused a stir in the journalism world -- no other broadcast network anchor has entered the war zone since ABC's Bob Woodruff was injured in a roadside bomb blast in January 2006.

The veteran reporter returned to Iraq for his third visit because he wanted to see the situation firsthand after President Bush ordered a troop surge, the Associated Press reported.

In a short video clip posted at MSNBC's website, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Darrin Boughton, 34, tells Williams the war isn't "as action-packed as it looks" on TV.

"There's a lot of boredom, a lot of dead time. You have your occasional small-arms attacks," said Boughton, a convoy leader at Camp Victory who is three months into his year-long deployment.

Before joining the Army four years ago, the Kelso High School graduate served in the National Guard and the Marines.

When Williams asked how "invested" Boughton is in the mission and whether he feels a "sense of ownership," Boughton replied, "Yeah, actually. ... It grows on you. You start to feel more important, like you're doing good."

The video clip is one of several "Web exclusives from NBC Nightly News in the war zone" listed under the heading, "Baghdad Raw: Videos from Iraq." The caption above Boughton's segment misidentifies him as Korbie Boughton -- his wife.

Korbie and their 7-year-old daughter live in Fort Hood, Texas, where Boughton had last been stationed before his Dec. 16 departure for the Middle East.

"I worry every day," said former Longview resident Korbie Boughton, 31, thinking of her husband driving a Hummer, leading a convoy of VIPs through the war zone. "Of course I want him home, but I'm proud of what he's doing."

Boughton's parents, Donn and Judith Boughton of Longview, watched the video clip of their son with pride.

"I thought it was pretty awesome. I was impressed. ... It was nice to see him get some attention," said Donn Boughton, 62, who stays in touch with Darrin via email, instant messaging and video chats.

Having a child fighting overseas in an unpopular war is "nerve-wracking," said Donn Boughton.

"I'm kind of against the war, but I'm for him," the Longview dad said. "He's pretty much for everything that's going on. He's for the war. He's for helping the people over there. ... We're very, very proud of him, and every time we talk to him, we tell him to keep his head down. ... Every time you hear there's a soldier killed over there, you want to hear from your son. You want to know if it's him."


To watch the video clip on the Web, go to www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17465926/

Ellie