Jul 4, 2009 6:00 pm US/Pacific
Soldier Who Fought In Pink Boxers Home For The 4th
Beth Wagner
FORT WORTH (CBS) ―
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Army Spc. Zachary Boyd, of Fort Worth, Texas, was caught by a photographer exchanging gunfire with Taliban militants while in his boxer shorts on May 11, 2009.
CBS
He made the front of the New York Times dressed only in boxers, a t-shirt and a helmet while in combat.
Specialist Zach Boyd is from Fort Worth and is home on 'r&r' for the July 4 holidays, reports CBS station KTVT-
On Saturday he stopped first at his favorite ice cream store that's also in the spotlight.
"I was asleep and then got the call they needed our help so just rushed out there got my gear on and did my job.
In May, while fighting off a Taliban attack in Afghanistan, Zach was captured on film by an AP photographer.
That picture ended up on the front of the New York Times.
"Lots of laughter oh boy you might get in trouble for this one but it ended up being a good thing and helped out a lot."
Dressed in pink "I love New York" boxers the Fort Worth soldier never knew the impact of his wardrobe choice on the troops.
"Of course they gave me a hard time so that helped the morale around the strip a little bit."
And the impact on the world.
"People look me up on myspace, facebook, stuff like that from all over the world; China, Austria, different places like that people find me and ask me about it. A lot of support from all over the world
But why would this picture of a half clothed soldier inspire so many? Boyd's mother Sheree thinks she knows.
"The average soldier you usually only see the back of is really the kid next door and it brings a humanist and easy way for you to relate."
Take another look at the picture. Specialist Boyd is also wearing a red t-shirt from Woolley's Frozen Custard in Fort Worth. It's a comfort from home he missed while in the desert.
"When you're on patrol just sweating looking up at the ground looking up at the mountain seeing how much more you have to climb, you just want to be home sitting in a nice stool eating some frozen custard. "
Boyd took the t-shirt overseas in hopes of getting his photo on the store's wall with other travelling customers. Little did he know where his picture would show up.
"It was suppose to be a personalized sized maybe for the board not a worldwide thing."
On Saturday he gave his red t-shirt back to Woolley's, who said they will proudly display it at the store.
They rewarded Boyd with free frozen custard for life, along with four new t-shirts, including a pink one.
Boyd will return to his post at Fort Hood after the long holiday weekend. His boxers have been given to the First Infantry museum at Fort Riley, Kansas.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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