Joseph R. Chenelly
Encyclopedia
Joseph R. Chenelly was the first U.S. Marine
combat correspondent
to step into enemy territory after September 11, 2001
, documenting American military action and providing it for broadcast throughout the international media.
and Afghanistan
right after the terrorist attacks in the United States. Then he built on that momentum with frontline reporting from Kuwait
and Iraq
as that war began in 2003. Chenelly was on the ground for the start of both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. After gaining more attention with a few controversial articles from Washington, he jumped back into the spotlight for a few seconds while reporting from the Louisiana Superdome
and flooded streets of New Orleans as a civilian reporter in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
.
As part of the first conventional U.S. ground force to enter Afghanistan, he was the first to provide combat footage of Operation Enduring Freedom, the first to report from inside a coalition detention facility in Afghanistan
, the first to report an Iraqi man
had given American forces information about where U.S. Army prisoner of war Pfc. Jessica Lynch
was being held, the first to report that the other American prisoners of war had been rescued, and he was the first to report FEMA
and the National Guard had pulled out of the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina
.
Chenelly is now the assistant national director of communications for the Disabled American Veterans
in Washington, D.C.
Forward deployed during 9/11 as a member of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit
(Special Operations Capable), Chenelly was in Darwin, Australia, when the infamous terrorist attacks rocked the United States.
After a brief stop in East Timor
to provide humanitarian relief, Chenelly and the 15th MEU(SOC) steamed north toward Pakistan, arriving off the Pakistani coast days before Operation Enduring Freedom began.
Early October 7, 2001, Chenelly was on one of the first helicopter lifts from the into Pakistan’s Pasni
Airfield. From there, his detail headed north to Jacobabad
, Pakistan. When the first bombs began dropping on Afghanistan, later that same day, Chenelly was with a Marine security element protecting an airbase in Jacobabad
. He was documenting the Marines’ actions as they worked with Pakistani military forces, providing a secure airstrip and hangar for American jets and combat search and rescue
teams in place in case their services were needed in or over Afghanistan.
After several weeks in Pakistan, Chenelly was among the initial wave of Marines November 25, 2001, using CH-53E Super Stallion
helicopters refueled in mid-flight to conduct the longest amphibious landing in modern military history, traversing more than 400 miles (643.7 km) from the Indian Ocean
to establish a forward operating base, dubbed Camp Rhino
, in southern Afghanistan. Camp Rhino was the United States' first base in Afghanistan and was used to launch several follow-on operations, including route interdictions outside of Kandahar
.
Chenelly documented the initial seizing of Camp Rhino
, which was a desert outpost believed to have been built for use as a drug distribution hub. In the first hour of dawn the morning Camp Rhino was secured, a platoon of Marines raised an American flag in a fashion reminiscent of the famous World War II
flag rasing at Iwo Jima. The Marines raising the flag were with the 1st Platoon of 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit
. Photograph and video taken by then-Sgt. Chenelly were sent to media outlets and broadcast worldwide soon after. Around the same time, Brig. Gen. James Mattis
, who had just been put in charge of newly stood-up Task Force 58 that included the 15th MEU, told reporters the Marines now "own a piece of Afghanistan." The photos, video and general's comments did not sit well with the U.S. State Department
, which immediately stated the United States had no intention of owing any part of Afghanistan. A directive was sent from the Pentagon
to all troops in Afghanistan, ordering the Marines to no longer raise American flags in Afghanistan.
Chenelly photographed and video recorded a firefight between suspected Taliban fighters and a Marine Force Recon
team. The Marines, along with a sniper located next to Chenelly, killed at least four suspects in the recorded fight. The Marines then called in airstrikes on other enemy forces headed their way, kiiling an estimated 60 more. The video, along with many of Chenelly’s photographs taken in Afghanistan, appeared on television news broadcasts and in various forms of print and electronic publications.
Chenelly quickly became a primary source of visual coverage for the international press corps in covering the operations of the only U.S. conventional force on the ground in Afghanistan.
In the wee hours of December 13, 2001, as a de facto member of Task Force 58, Chenelly was a part of the raiding team that secured Kandahar International Airport.
After spending Christmas and New Year’s at the airport, during which Chenelly was highlighted in a nationally televised “Christmas with the Troops” piece, the 15th MEU(SOC) turned the airport over to the 26th MEU(SOC) and the incoming U.S. Army
’s 101st Airborne Division
.
Once back aboard ship and headed for the states, several media organizations keyed on the video Chenelly shot while in country. The footage was used extensively by NBC and CNN.
In late 2002, after hearing some of his fellow veterans of operations in Afghanistan were then in Kuwait readying to invade Iraq, Chenelly asked to be recalled from the Individual Ready Reserve
and sent to Kuwait
for the military build-up in progress at the time. The Marine Corps
granted his wish, assigning him to I Marine Expeditionary Force’s Public Affairs Office (Forward) at Camp Commando in Kuwait.
Chenelly put his civilian career on hold, which at that point was a staff writer position with the famed Leatherneck magazine
. Several news organizations he had contact with after his tour in Afghanistan asked Chenelly to send them personal reports from the Middle East
. He did, earning several awards for writing with first-person accounts of the build-up prior to the kickoff of the war with Iraq and then the first months of the invasion.
Chenelly was among the first units to drive into Iraq
, through a then-abandoned UN
checkpoint that had controlled the tense lines between Iraq and Kuwait after the first Gulf War. Chenelly moved northward as part of the IMEF’s forward headquarters, establishing different camps several times in the first week of the war.
In early April, Chenelly was the first to interview and write about Mohammed Odeh al-Rehaief
, an Iraqi lawyer from Nasiriya, who helped U.S. forces carry out the raid that freed the 19-year-old U.S. Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch
April 2, 2003. [2]
About two weeks later, Chenelly was the first to write about the rescue of Army CWO David Williams, CWO Ronald Young, Sgt. James Riley, Specialists Edgar Hernandez, Joseph Hudson and Shoshana Johnson
, and Pfc. Patrick Miller
. He was the first to photograph the rescued soldiers and interview Marines who took part in the rescue.[3]
Chenelly left Iraq in June and active duty soon after.
, Chenelly was among the first mainstream news reporters to feature military members blogging from Iraq and Afghanistan. His work was credited with sparking intense media interest in these Milblogs and eventually led to the U.S. Army’s regulations governing soldiers blogging while on active duty.
In September 2005, as a staff reporter for Army Times
, Chenelly reported from New Orleans in the tragic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
. His dispatches from the Louisiana Superdome
hours after the storm passed through were standard, a number of National Guardsmen were on hand to provide general security. But as the hours passed, the levees broke and the articles posted to the weekly newspaper’s Web site showed the rapid decline in the security and living conditions, eventually slipping all the way to a state of near anarchy where the guardsmen were being shot at and the Federal Emergency Management Agency
evacuated its staff.
Brig. Gen. Gary Jones, then the commander of the Louisiana National Guard’s joint task force, was quoted by Chenelly as saying "combat operations" were about to start in New Orleans and that the operation was going to make the city look like "Little Somalia
," referring to the African nation American forces deployed to in the 1990s to try to quell serious unrest. The quotes caused a firestorm among non-traditional news outlets, such as blogs, and with the Lousianna's governor's office.
Chenelly also reported eye-witness accounts and quotes from soldiers saying the National Guardsmen and some rescue helicopters had taken fire from civilians running the streets of the flooded, lawless city. The reports were widely criticized by conspiracy-theorists who believed the government was fabricating such reports.
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
combat correspondent
War correspondent
A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories firsthand from a war zone. In the 19th century they were also called Special Correspondents.-Methods:...
to step into enemy territory after September 11, 2001
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, documenting American military action and providing it for broadcast throughout the international media.
Introduction
Chenelly gained prominence within the military journalism community by being at the forefront of several of the more significant events concerning the U.S. military post-9/11. He was the first military reporter in PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
right after the terrorist attacks in the United States. Then he built on that momentum with frontline reporting from Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
as that war began in 2003. Chenelly was on the ground for the start of both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. After gaining more attention with a few controversial articles from Washington, he jumped back into the spotlight for a few seconds while reporting from the Louisiana Superdome
Louisiana Superdome
The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, previously known as the Louisiana Superdome and colloquially known as the Superdome, is a sports and exhibition arena located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA...
and flooded streets of New Orleans as a civilian reporter in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
.
As part of the first conventional U.S. ground force to enter Afghanistan, he was the first to provide combat footage of Operation Enduring Freedom, the first to report from inside a coalition detention facility in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, the first to report an Iraqi man
Mohammed Odeh al-Rehaief
Mohammed Odeh al-Rehaief is an Iraqi attorney who helped the United States armed forces rescue prisoner of war Jessica Lynch from a hospital in Nasiriyah. As reward for his assistance, the U.S. government granted him humanitarian asylum on April 28, 2003...
had given American forces information about where U.S. Army prisoner of war Pfc. Jessica Lynch
Jessica Lynch
Jessica Dawn Lynch is a former Private First Class in the United States Army Quartermaster Corps. Lynch served in Iraq during the 2003 invasion by U.S. and allied forces. On March 23, 2003 she was injured and captured by Iraqi forces but was recovered on April 1 by U.S...
was being held, the first to report that the other American prisoners of war had been rescued, and he was the first to report FEMA
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
and the National Guard had pulled out of the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
.
Chenelly is now the assistant national director of communications for the Disabled American Veterans
Disabled American Veterans
The Disabled American Veterans, or DAV, is an organization for disabled veterans that helps them and their families through various means. It currently has over 1.2 million members...
in Washington, D.C.
Military career
Chenelly, who was born in 1976 in Rochester, NY, joined the United States Marine Corps at the age of 21.Operation ENDURING FREEDOM
15th Marine Expeditionary Unit
The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit is one of seven Marine Expeditionary Units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit is a Marine Air Ground Task Force with a strength of about 2,200 personnel...
(Special Operations Capable), Chenelly was in Darwin, Australia, when the infamous terrorist attacks rocked the United States.
After a brief stop in East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
to provide humanitarian relief, Chenelly and the 15th MEU(SOC) steamed north toward Pakistan, arriving off the Pakistani coast days before Operation Enduring Freedom began.
Early October 7, 2001, Chenelly was on one of the first helicopter lifts from the into Pakistan’s Pasni
Pasni
Pasni, the Weaning Ceremony is one in hundreds of celebrations in Nepal in which a child is first fed rice. Although centuries old tradition, modern science has established the fact that child's digestive system is capable of processing solid food when they are approximately 6 months old...
Airfield. From there, his detail headed north to Jacobabad
Jacobabad
Jacobabad or Yaqubabad is the capital city of Jacobabad District, Sindh, Pakistan. The city is also the administrative centre of Jacobabad Taluka, an administrative subdivision of the district, the city is subdivided into 8 Union Councils...
, Pakistan. When the first bombs began dropping on Afghanistan, later that same day, Chenelly was with a Marine security element protecting an airbase in Jacobabad
Jacobabad
Jacobabad or Yaqubabad is the capital city of Jacobabad District, Sindh, Pakistan. The city is also the administrative centre of Jacobabad Taluka, an administrative subdivision of the district, the city is subdivided into 8 Union Councils...
. He was documenting the Marines’ actions as they worked with Pakistani military forces, providing a secure airstrip and hangar for American jets and combat search and rescue
Combat search and rescue
Combat search and rescue are search and rescue operations that are carried out during war that are within or near combat zones.A CSAR mission may be carried out by a task force of helicopters, ground-attack aircraft, tankers and an airborne command post...
teams in place in case their services were needed in or over Afghanistan.
After several weeks in Pakistan, Chenelly was among the initial wave of Marines November 25, 2001, using CH-53E Super Stallion
CH-53E Super Stallion
The Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion is the largest and heaviest helicopter in the United States military. It was developed from the CH-53 Sea Stallion, mainly by adding a third engine, a seventh blade to the main rotor and canting the tail rotor 20 degrees. Sailors commonly refer to the Super...
helicopters refueled in mid-flight to conduct the longest amphibious landing in modern military history, traversing more than 400 miles (643.7 km) from the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
to establish a forward operating base, dubbed Camp Rhino
Camp Rhino
Forward operating base Rhino, also known as Camp Rhino, was the first US land base established in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. It was located in the Registan Desert, southwest of Kandahar.-History:...
, in southern Afghanistan. Camp Rhino was the United States' first base in Afghanistan and was used to launch several follow-on operations, including route interdictions outside of Kandahar
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
.
Chenelly documented the initial seizing of Camp Rhino
Camp Rhino
Forward operating base Rhino, also known as Camp Rhino, was the first US land base established in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. It was located in the Registan Desert, southwest of Kandahar.-History:...
, which was a desert outpost believed to have been built for use as a drug distribution hub. In the first hour of dawn the morning Camp Rhino was secured, a platoon of Marines raised an American flag in a fashion reminiscent of the famous World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
flag rasing at Iwo Jima. The Marines raising the flag were with the 1st Platoon of 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit
15th Marine Expeditionary Unit
The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit is one of seven Marine Expeditionary Units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit is a Marine Air Ground Task Force with a strength of about 2,200 personnel...
. Photograph and video taken by then-Sgt. Chenelly were sent to media outlets and broadcast worldwide soon after. Around the same time, Brig. Gen. James Mattis
James Mattis
James N. Mattis is a United States Marine Corps general and the current commander of United States Central Command. Having replaced David Petraeus on August 11, 2010, he previously commanded United States Joint Forces Command from November 9, 2007 to August 2010 and served concurrently as NATO's...
, who had just been put in charge of newly stood-up Task Force 58 that included the 15th MEU, told reporters the Marines now "own a piece of Afghanistan." The photos, video and general's comments did not sit well with the U.S. State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
, which immediately stated the United States had no intention of owing any part of Afghanistan. A directive was sent from the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
to all troops in Afghanistan, ordering the Marines to no longer raise American flags in Afghanistan.
Chenelly photographed and video recorded a firefight between suspected Taliban fighters and a Marine Force Recon
United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance
The Force Reconnaissance Companies , are one of the United States Marine Corps's special operations "capable" forces that provide essential elements of military intelligence to the command element of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force ; supporting the landing or joint task force commanders, and...
team. The Marines, along with a sniper located next to Chenelly, killed at least four suspects in the recorded fight. The Marines then called in airstrikes on other enemy forces headed their way, kiiling an estimated 60 more. The video, along with many of Chenelly’s photographs taken in Afghanistan, appeared on television news broadcasts and in various forms of print and electronic publications.
Chenelly quickly became a primary source of visual coverage for the international press corps in covering the operations of the only U.S. conventional force on the ground in Afghanistan.
In the wee hours of December 13, 2001, as a de facto member of Task Force 58, Chenelly was a part of the raiding team that secured Kandahar International Airport.
After spending Christmas and New Year’s at the airport, during which Chenelly was highlighted in a nationally televised “Christmas with the Troops” piece, the 15th MEU(SOC) turned the airport over to the 26th MEU(SOC) and the incoming U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
’s 101st Airborne Division
101st Airborne Division (United States)
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
.
Once back aboard ship and headed for the states, several media organizations keyed on the video Chenelly shot while in country. The footage was used extensively by NBC and CNN.
Operation IRAQI FREEDOM
Individual Ready Reserve
The Individual Ready Reserve is a category of the Ready Reserve of the Reserve Component of the Armed Forces of the United States composed of former active duty or reserve military personnel, and is authorized under...
and sent to Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
for the military build-up in progress at the time. The Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
granted his wish, assigning him to I Marine Expeditionary Force’s Public Affairs Office (Forward) at Camp Commando in Kuwait.
Chenelly put his civilian career on hold, which at that point was a staff writer position with the famed Leatherneck magazine
Leatherneck Magazine
Leatherneck Magazine of the Marines is a magazine for United States Marines. It was first published as a newspaper by off-duty Marines at Marine Corps Base Quantico in 1917, and was originally named The Quantico Leatherneck...
. Several news organizations he had contact with after his tour in Afghanistan asked Chenelly to send them personal reports from the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. He did, earning several awards for writing with first-person accounts of the build-up prior to the kickoff of the war with Iraq and then the first months of the invasion.
Chenelly was among the first units to drive into Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, through a then-abandoned UN
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
checkpoint that had controlled the tense lines between Iraq and Kuwait after the first Gulf War. Chenelly moved northward as part of the IMEF’s forward headquarters, establishing different camps several times in the first week of the war.
In early April, Chenelly was the first to interview and write about Mohammed Odeh al-Rehaief
Mohammed Odeh al-Rehaief
Mohammed Odeh al-Rehaief is an Iraqi attorney who helped the United States armed forces rescue prisoner of war Jessica Lynch from a hospital in Nasiriyah. As reward for his assistance, the U.S. government granted him humanitarian asylum on April 28, 2003...
, an Iraqi lawyer from Nasiriya, who helped U.S. forces carry out the raid that freed the 19-year-old U.S. Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch
Jessica Lynch
Jessica Dawn Lynch is a former Private First Class in the United States Army Quartermaster Corps. Lynch served in Iraq during the 2003 invasion by U.S. and allied forces. On March 23, 2003 she was injured and captured by Iraqi forces but was recovered on April 1 by U.S...
April 2, 2003. [2]
About two weeks later, Chenelly was the first to write about the rescue of Army CWO David Williams, CWO Ronald Young, Sgt. James Riley, Specialists Edgar Hernandez, Joseph Hudson and Shoshana Johnson
Shoshana Johnson
Shoshana Nyree Johnson is a Panamanian former United States soldier, and was the first black female prisoner of war in the military history of the United States. Johnson was a Specialist of the U.S. Army 507th Maintenance Company, 5/52 ADA BN, 11th ADA Brigade. During a gun fight that led to her...
, and Pfc. Patrick Miller
Patrick Miller
Patrick Miller was a Private First Class during the 2003 invasion of Iraq with the US Army's 507th Maintenance Company, serving as a mechanic, becoming a POW. For his actions leading up to his capture, he was awarded the Silver Star for valor...
. He was the first to photograph the rescued soldiers and interview Marines who took part in the rescue.[3]
Chenelly left Iraq in June and active duty soon after.
Post-military Career
As a staffer with Army TimesArmy Times
Army Times is a weekly newspaper serving active, reserve, guard and retired United States Army personnel and their families, providing news, information and analysis as well as community and lifestyle features, educational supplements, and resource guides.Army Times is published by the Gannett...
, Chenelly was among the first mainstream news reporters to feature military members blogging from Iraq and Afghanistan. His work was credited with sparking intense media interest in these Milblogs and eventually led to the U.S. Army’s regulations governing soldiers blogging while on active duty.
Hurricane KATRINA
Army Times
Army Times is a weekly newspaper serving active, reserve, guard and retired United States Army personnel and their families, providing news, information and analysis as well as community and lifestyle features, educational supplements, and resource guides.Army Times is published by the Gannett...
, Chenelly reported from New Orleans in the tragic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. His dispatches from the Louisiana Superdome
Louisiana Superdome
The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, previously known as the Louisiana Superdome and colloquially known as the Superdome, is a sports and exhibition arena located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA...
hours after the storm passed through were standard, a number of National Guardsmen were on hand to provide general security. But as the hours passed, the levees broke and the articles posted to the weekly newspaper’s Web site showed the rapid decline in the security and living conditions, eventually slipping all the way to a state of near anarchy where the guardsmen were being shot at and the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
evacuated its staff.
Brig. Gen. Gary Jones, then the commander of the Louisiana National Guard’s joint task force, was quoted by Chenelly as saying "combat operations" were about to start in New Orleans and that the operation was going to make the city look like "Little Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
," referring to the African nation American forces deployed to in the 1990s to try to quell serious unrest. The quotes caused a firestorm among non-traditional news outlets, such as blogs, and with the Lousianna's governor's office.
Chenelly also reported eye-witness accounts and quotes from soldiers saying the National Guardsmen and some rescue helicopters had taken fire from civilians running the streets of the flooded, lawless city. The reports were widely criticized by conspiracy-theorists who believed the government was fabricating such reports.