Not a bad article but I believe they misrepresent the incident where Yon picked up the rifle. LtC. Kurilla was indeed down and was in danger of being killed. Two soldiers nearby were ineffective to put it kindly. It was a CMsgt Plumley "prepare to defend yourself" moment and not a "hmmm, here is a rifle" moment. Nor was it Geraldo with a gun since Yon is ex-Special Forces. I hope I would have the stones to do the same in a similar situation and I'd gladly take the pro-forma "talking to" at the end.
When I went through SF school, 19-year-old PFC Yon had been made a tac because he couldn't be sent to his unit (he had a court case pending).
At the time, I didn't like him. He was a little guy with a high-pitched voice and not a lot of self-assurance. Later he showed up at my unit (10th SFG[A], then at Ft Devens) and quickly established himself.
They say that your reputation starts in SF on the first day. When Yon left SF nobody wanted to see him go because he had established a real man's reputation.
I love it when a guy leaves the regiment and goes on to lead his civilian life in such a way that reflects well on the unit. But Mike Yon is not great because he was SF, SF is great because it's full of Mike Yons.
d.o.l
Criminal Number 18F