http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/...%20boxer&st=cse

Updated | 2:50 p.m., Friday, May 22. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has reassured Specialist Zachary Boyd, stationed in Afghanistan, that his military career is in no danger for having appeared on the front page of The New York Times dressed for combat in pink boxers and flip-flops. Quite the contrary.

Speaking in New York on Thursday at a ceremony aboard the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, Mr. Gates said:

Sometimes the public recognition isn’t always expected — or necessarily welcomed. Specialist Zachary Boyd recently was enjoying a well-deserved sleep when his post in eastern Afghanistan came under enemy attack. He immediately grabbed his rifle and rushed into a defensive position clad in his helmet, body armor, and pink boxer shorts that said “I Love New York.”

Unfortunately — or fortunately, depending on your perspective — an A.P. photographer was there for a candid shot, a photo which ran shortly thereafter on the front page of The New York Times. Boyd later told his parents that “I may not have a job anymore after the president has seen me out of uniform.”

Well, let me tell you, the next time I visit Afghanistan I want to meet Specialist Boyd and shake his hand. Any soldier who goes into battle against the Taliban in pink boxers and flip-flops has a special kind of courage. And I can only wonder about the impact on the Taliban. Just imagine seeing that — a guy in pink boxers and flip-flops has you in his crosshairs — what an incredible innovation in psychological warfare. I can assure you that Specialist Boyd’s job is very safe indeed.