Dear Editor,
I just want to say that the article about Matthis Chiroux that ran in the Daily on Nov. 16 made my stomach turn. Did you even have anyone do background research? Maybe find out that he was in Afghanistan a couple weeks and didn't leave the base? Maybe look at the article and see it as a jumble of illogical nonsense? Oh, but it's OK! You ran a "counterpoint" about the nice veteran at Carmichael who talked about cooking for soldiers during Vietnam. As a member of Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps and a friend of quite a few veterans, I think you should at the very least publish an apology for such shoddy journalism.
Sincerely,
Charles Finn
Class of 2011
Dear Editor,
In response to the Nov. 16 Daily article about Matthis Chiroux:
The history and behavior of my son, Matthis, has been extremely hurtful to our family who has also suffered incredulous, untrue accusations by him. The Chiroux family has served honorably in our armed forces in every generation we have had the privilege of being U.S. citizens. Based on my son's extensive, sealed juvenile file and our long history with him, each and all statements of fact made by him should be viewed with serious reservation, and any opinions stated by him should be viewed against his factual experience and education. In deference to our family and our family's long service to our country, the greater community of veterans has come to refer to him simply as "Matthis," which is sufficiently unique, to minimize the repeated shame heaped upon the Chiroux family, again a sufficiently unique name.
To ensure correct record, while serving in the U.S. Army my son was stationed in Japan and Germany. As a journalist he was sent on assignment, measured in days, once to Palawan, in the Philippines, and once to Kabul, and was never in Iraq. To my knowledge, at no time was he ever in serious danger and therefore would have no direct experience to justify an opinion on the experience of combat soldiers and the aftermath of their service to our nation. Matthis was always neutral or positive about his service until after his discharge, when he was called back to active duty for assignment to Iraq as a journalist and refused to go. It seriously pains us when we see that he has persuaded another media outlet to allow him the use of their credible voice to spew his largely baseless rhetoric.
Matthis has said many times, "The truth must be heard." But time and time again I hear him distort and twist it. I love my son very much and I genuinely miss him, but will no longer tolerate him lying and distorting the truth. I am aware that my son is very charismatic and can be very charming, but there have been many instances in recent times when Americans, and rightly so, have said, "The parents must have known, they should have said something." I have.
Sincerely,
Robert C. Chiroux
