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The Truth:
 This
story of the 19 year old cheerleader and the 725 yard shot that killed
the Taliban is fiction. Both the story and the poster are
contrived.
The
young lady in the photograph is real and is in fact a U. S. Air Force
sniper and a hero in her own right. Senior Airman Polly-Jan Bobseine
is
a Journeyman in the 823rd Security Forces Squadron stationed at Moody
Air Force Base in Georgia. According to her bio,
Airman Bobseine joined the Air Force in 2003 and after completing her
training in security forces, volunteered for her current position in the
security forces. If the description on the photo had been true
then Bobseine would have been 13 when she joined the Air Force.
The minimum recruitment age is 17.
The Air Force named
Bobseine "Outstanding Airman of the Year" along with 11 other
non-commissioned officers in 2006. Bobseine's biography says
that she served in Iraq, not in Afghanistan where our men and women in
service are combating the Taliban.
Click
for biography.
Bobseine was deployed
in Iraq for 187 days of high-risk operations. Her bio says,
"Airman Bobseine discovered an improvised explosive device at an Iraqi
polling center and quickly evacuated and secured the area for explosive
ordnance disposal teams. While at Kirkuk AB, she was selectively chosen
for off-base operations and conducted more than 100 combat patrols
covering 63 square miles. She executed 12 traffic control points,
providing critical weapons trafficking deterrent. Her patrol discovered
a large munitions cache and provided security for EOD demolition."
A separate biography from the program of the Air Combat Command’s
Outstanding Airmen and First Sergeant of the Year Awards Banquet said
that Bobseine was home schooled and was already a marksman prior to
joining the Air Force. In 2000,she participated in a New York
State High-Power Rifle competition which earned her the title of Junior
Trap Champion.
Click
for program in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.
The original
untouched courtesy photo of Senior Airman Polly-Jan Bobseine behind an M-24 sniper rifle was taken
during weapons training as seen on a U.S. Air Force web site. The M-24
Sniper rifle has a maximum efficiency rating of 800 meters, meaning it can
hit a target at 875 yards.
Click for photo
There is no mention of
cheerleader in either of Bobseine's official Bios.
updated 05/21/09 |
