Is Army Playing Politics With Medals?

[darrels joy]

Is Army Playing Politics With Medals?

Posted by Sun Tzu Sep 13th 2011 at 12:18 pm in Afghanistan, Soldiers | Comments (60)

Swenson on the radio

Dan Lamothe has a troubling article over at the Marine Corps Times.

While Marine Cpl. Dakota Meyer is receiving the Medal of Honor for his bravery during an ambush in Ganjgal, Afghanistan, Army Captain William Swenson is getting nothing. Meyer and others who were there are outraged that Swenson has not received any commendation for his bravery on that day. Why? Lamothe makes a powerful case that Swenson’s criticism of the Army brass for failing to provide adequate fire support that day is the reason. Here’s an excerpt.

In a rocky mountainside trench, a Marine and a soldier worked in tandem under an avalanche of enemy fire to retrieve the bodies of a four-man training team killed in eastern Afghanistan.

Marine Cpl. Dakota Meyer and Army Capt. William Swenson already had braved enemy fire repeatedly during the Sept. 8, 2009, ambush in Ganjgal, an insurgent-held village in Kunar province’s Sarkani district. On a last, urgent dash into the village, Meyer charged through enemy fire alone and on foot to find the missing service members, and Swenson joined him in the chaos to load their bloody bodies and gear onto a Humvee and take them home.

On Thursday, Meyer is expected to receive the Medal of Honor during a White House ceremony. He will become the first living Marine in 38 years to receive the nation’s highest combat award, and at least the ninth member of Marine Embedded Training Team 2-8 to receive at least a Bronze Star with ‘V’ device for heroism in Ganjgal. Two other Marines — Capt. Ademola Fabayo and Staff Sgt. Juan Rodriguez-Chavez — each received a Navy Cross, second only to the Medal of Honor.

Swenson has received nothing. The lack of recognition raises questions whether Swenson’s angry criticism of Army officers, who repeatedly refused to send fire support that day, is the reason he has not been decorated.

It is “ridiculous” that Swenson hasn’t yet been recognized for his heroism, Meyer said. Swenson also repeatedly braved fire in the battle, working with the Marines to engage enemy fighters and evacuate U.S. and Afghan casualties from a kill zone, the Medal of Honor nominee said.


“I’ll put it this way,” Meyer said. “If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be alive today.”

Swenson, who left the Army in February, could not be reached for comment. During an investigation into what went wrong in Ganjgal, he blasted officers who failed to send the fire support he repeatedly requested on the battlefield, according to interview transcripts.

Be sure to read the whole thing here.

http://bigpeace.com/stzu/2011/09/13/...s/#more-159840

[darrels joy]

Outspoken Army Captain Denied a Decoration, Now Considered for Medal of Honor

Posted by Michael Angley Sep 20th 2011 at 11:06 am in Afghanistan, News, Obama, Soldiers | Comments (44)

We are all familiar with Marine Corps hero, Sergeant Dakota Meyer, who last week was awarded the nation’s highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor. President Obama presented it to him at a ceremony in the White House for his heroism in a 2009 firefight in Ganjgal, Afghanistan. During the fight, Sgt Meyer helped rescue 36 of his fellow servicemen, and recovered the bodies of four more.

What is less well known about that firefight is that there were other heroes. Riding in the Humvee with Sgt Meyer were Marine 1st Lt. Ademola Fabayo and Marine Staff Sgt. Juan Rodriguez-Chavez, both of whom received the Navy Cross in June. But there was also a fourth hero in the same Humvee that came under heavy fire. According to all accounts, this soldier assisted Sgt Meyer in rescuing their fellow men and in recovering the dead. But so far, he has received no decoration, not even the slightest recognition.



Army Captain William Swenson is that fourth hero, and now there is word that Marine Corps General John Allen has made a formal recommendation that Swenson receive the Medal of Honor. While this is wonderful news, what is more interesting about Capt Swenson’s case is why he was not recognized for his heroism until Gen Allen took personal interest in his story last month.

In an article about Capt Swenson, the Air Force Times comments: “It was not clear what caused the delay, or where the recommendation was in the approval process. Any recommendation would need to be approved by the Army, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and President Obama.”

But then the Times seems to answer its own confusion. Apparently Capt Swenson was an outspoken critic of the rules of engagement, his leadership, and the constant second-guessing he received from staff officers in various operations centers. In an interview following the firefight, Capt Swenson is quoted as having said:

“When I’m being second-guessed by higher or somebody that’s sitting in an air-conditioned TOC, why [the] hell am I even out there in the first place? Let’s sit back and play Nintendo. I am the ground commander I want that f—er, and I am willing to accept the consequences of that f—er.”

The Japanese have a saying that seems appropriate for Capt Swenson’s circumstances: “The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.” His outspokenness is likely the reason his heroism that day went unrecognized. The upper echelons in the military no doubt wanted to punish him for embarrassing them, no matter how correct his observations may have been. Rather than take a field commander’s concerns, investigate them, and fix what may be broken, the military chose to punish the complainer by a twisted crime of omission: denying him the honor he earned.


It’s encouraging that Gen Allen is now taking an interest in Capt Swenson’s lack of decoration. He certainly deserves the proper accolades that a grateful nation can give him, and it’s never too late to recognize a hero. Just like Sgt Meyer who earned his Medal of Honor in the same firefight in 2009, Capt Swenson deserves the same honor. It’s time for the Army, the DoD, and the White House to make this right.

http://bigpeace.com/mangley/2011/09/...r/#more-161700

[reconeil]

To answer Sun Tsu's initial question of: Is Army Playing Politics with Medals?,...of course politics or even sort-of campaigning or grovelling for medals occurs. Senator JFKerry's Vietnam Medals history pretty-much proves such.

However, and getting much more current and about Greatest of Medals of all for Valor and/or The Medal of Honor,...the only POLITICS normally occuring for awarding That Biggy (or not) is determined (or not) by America's Civilian Commander-In-Chief & his Top Civilian Political Appointees.

Fortunately for obvious Unsung Heroes, some admirals & generals not fearful of civilian ruling elite repercussions actually speak-up about such. If not, no Americans would ever even know.

Neil