Pride of Minnesota, take 4

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Late to an electrifying story with a strong local angle, the Star Tribune seems to have shortened Bob von Sternberg’s report on the hometown heroes of the Minnesota National Guard unit that fired the shot heard ’round the world this week. The original online version of von Sternberg’s story was posted yesterday; the current version reflects what the Star Tribune has published today inside the paper today. By contrast, the New York Post digs deeper and has a terrific follow-up story including an interview with David Ward, Power Line reader and father of Heather Ward, one of the eight soldiers holding the banner appealing to “Jon Carry”:

Word of what the failed presidential candidate said got to Ward and her fellow members of the Minnesota National Guard in Talil, Iraq, south of Baghdad. Quickly, they knew how to respond: with a sarcastic sign reading “Halp us Jon Carry – we r stuck hear n Irak.”
The picture spread with lightning speed. About 12 hours after it was taken, a former college roommate of a Minnesota guardsman e-mailed the shot to Milwaukee talk-radio host Charlie Sykes, who put it on his blog Web site.
David Ward said his daughter told him that while the picture was meant to be private, her unit is happy their message is getting across.
“When they saw and heard what Kerry said, they were just furious and they were sitting around and one thing led to another,” he said.
Ward said that his daughter was among those who came up with the plan for the sign – and when asked if she actually painted it, he chuckled and said: “Well, she said she had paint under her fingernails.”
The elder Ward said he completely approves of his daughter’s message.
“Kerry is a preening peacock and the best way to respond to him is with humor,” he said.
Ward said his daughter was particularly incensed by Kerry’s comments because her r

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