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Author Topic: Obama to Present Marine With Medal of Honor in September  (Read 2649 times)

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Offline BlueStateSaint

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Obama to Present Marine With Medal of Honor in September
« on: August 13, 2011, 08:10:06 AM »
Okay, gang, this one's a good thing. 


Obama to Present Marine With Medal of Honor in September, White House Announces



Published August 12, 2011| FoxNews.com

WASHINGTON -- President Obama will present the Medal of Honor to Kentucky-native Dakota Meyer, who will be the third living person and the first Marine to receive the commendation for actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, the White House announced Friday.

Meyer, a former active-duty Marine Corps corporal, will receive the Medal of Honor on Sept. 15 for his courageous actions while serving in Afghanistan in 2009, the White House said.

Meyer, 23, enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 2006 and served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. According to the Marine Corps Times, Meyer repeatedly braved enemy fire while trying to save fellow members of his embedded training team during an attack in eastern Afghanistan.

His other military decorations include a Purple Heart.

According to the White House statement, the requirements for a Medal of Honor "must involve great personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his or her comrades and must have involved risk of life."


He seems to have survivor's guilt.  Hopefully, he can get some help for that.  I'm pretty sure that other Marines would both agree with his sentiments, and give Sgt. Meyer the ultimate respect.

:saluteusmc:



Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/08/12/obama-to-present-marine-with-medal-honor-in-september-white-house-announces/#ixzz1UujFZILZ
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Offline NHSparky

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Re: Obama to Present Marine With Medal of Honor in September
« Reply #1 on: August 13, 2011, 08:12:52 AM »
2 1/2 years after the fact?  And he's been out for over a year.

Better late than never, but this political Mickey Mouse crap has gotta stop.
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Offline rich_t

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Re: Obama to Present Marine With Medal of Honor in September
« Reply #2 on: August 13, 2011, 01:46:31 PM »
Quote from: NHSparky on August 13, 2011, 08:12:52 AM
2 1/2 years after the fact?  And he's been out for over a year.

Better late than never, but this political Mickey Mouse crap has gotta stop.

Doesn't the investigation/review for a CMH typically take a fair amount of time?
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Offline FreeBorn

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Re: Obama to Present Marine With Medal of Honor in September
« Reply #3 on: August 13, 2011, 04:04:44 PM »
This is good to see. I just hope the whole thing remains what it should be and isn't politicized for Lord Zero.

I've heard there has been some discontent form veterans groups over the past several years about the low number of combat decorations awarded to our troops. No doubt they are facing perils every bit as treacherous as in wars past and likewise achieving battlefield successes that deserve to be recognized. However it seems those duly deserved laurels have not been forthcoming at a level that they should be.

Our previous conflicts were heavily covered by the media nonstop all the way through. Maybe I'm completely wrong about this but it seems to me that since our current Resident of the United States assumed office "Bush's wars" were nothing the media was interested in covering anymore. One might get the impression for lack of coverage that we aren't even involved in Iraq anymore. Has there been a concerted effort to ignore the fact that we have tens of thousands of troops in daily combat? The lack of recognition would seem to bare that out.
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Offline Skul

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Re: Obama to Present Marine With Medal of Honor in September
« Reply #4 on: August 13, 2011, 04:39:54 PM »
Cool. HT, to ya, Dakota.
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Offline thundley4

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Re: Obama to Present Marine With Medal of Honor in September
« Reply #5 on: August 13, 2011, 05:15:27 PM »
Not to take anything away from this young man, but does it seem like Obambi is presenting a lot of these medals?
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Offline NHSparky

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Re: Obama to Present Marine With Medal of Honor in September
« Reply #6 on: August 13, 2011, 08:15:20 PM »
Quote from: rich_t on August 13, 2011, 01:46:31 PM
Doesn't the investigation/review for a CMH typically take a fair amount of time?

Fair is one thing.  This is extreme.  And there have been cases where the CMH has been awarded DAYS after the act for which the recipient was nominated.
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Offline Skul

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Re: Obama to Present Marine With Medal of Honor in September
« Reply #7 on: August 14, 2011, 12:57:40 AM »
Quote from: thundley4 on August 13, 2011, 05:15:27 PM
Not to take anything away from this young man, but does it seem like Obambi is presenting a lot of these medals?
No, he earned it.
Don't go there. I don't give a crap who's in the WH.

Quote from: NHSparky on August 13, 2011, 08:15:20 PM
Fair is one thing.  This is extreme.  And there have been cases where the CMH has been awarded DAYS after the act for which the recipient was nominated.
No such thing as CMH. Period,
Sorry Sparks.


The guy earned the award. Leave it at that. No politics.
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Offline NHSparky

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Re: Obama to Present Marine With Medal of Honor in September
« Reply #8 on: August 14, 2011, 10:01:41 AM »
Quote from: Skul on August 14, 2011, 12:57:40 AM
No, he earned it.
Don't go there. I don't give a crap who's in the WH.
No such thing as CMH. Period,
Sorry Sparks.


The guy earned the award. Leave it at that. No politics.

Yes, the CMH is an abbreviation for Congressional Medal of Honor.  Yes, it is more correctly recognized as the Medal of Honor, but if you really want to pick the fly shit out of the pepper...

And YES, there has been much politicizing over the award.  Always has been, and is so now.  Nobody said he wasn't deserving of it, but Congress and the Pentagon have taken their sweet damned time over recent awards, not to mention they've been notoriously stingy with awarding higher decorations (Silver Star and above.)

Consider that after Somalia, the award to the families of MSgt Gordon and SFC Shugart took place within six months of their sacrifice.  The SHORTEST time period since has been 18 months, and in some cases, has taken over three years.  Until SSgt Guinta, there had been NO living MOH recipient since Vietnam.  Nearly 40 years since Vietnam, only 11 have been awarded for actions including Somalia, Afghanistan, and Iraq (none were awarded for Desert Shield/Storm).  Compare this with the nearly 60 LIVING recipients from the Vietnam era.
  
So, politicizing the award?  Yeah, I think there's some of that.  My point being, is an award should be TIMELY.  This in fact is anything but, and I place the blame for that solely on the awards process and the Pentagon.
« Last Edit: August 14, 2011, 10:05:20 AM by NHSparky »
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Offline Eupher

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Re: Obama to Present Marine With Medal of Honor in September
« Reply #9 on: August 15, 2011, 08:45:39 AM »
As I recall from previous conversations with those who have been in both Iraq and the 'Stan, at least within the Army, the burden of proof for decorations has become much more pronounced.

For example, the PH now requires not just a wound, but proof that the wound was generated by hostile fire. Comments I've heard suggest that previously, mortar or grenade fragments that caused wounds weren't all that different from a scratch sustained while changing a HMMV tire, so the Army got pretty picky about the recipient providing the proof.

Ditto for the Combat Action Badge. The criteria are specific and the review process is draconian.

All of this bureaucracy takes time. And certainly the MoH review process is the longest of all.

I'd be the first to agree that the MoH is politicized. Anyone looking at Douglas MacArthur's MoH for fleeing Bataan and winding up in Australia can testify to that. Today is no different than 70 years ago.

Let it go, Sparky. Marines, in particular, have to jump through mucho hoops to wind up with their decorations. This guy is deserving and we should be grateful for his service and his sacrifice.
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Offline RightCoast

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Re: Obama to Present Marine With Medal of Honor in September
« Reply #10 on: August 15, 2011, 09:08:21 AM »
Quote
As the award citation includes the phrase "in the name of Congress", it is sometimes erroneously called the Congressional Medal of Honor; however, the official title is simply the Medal of Honor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medal_of_Honor
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Offline NHSparky

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Re: Obama to Present Marine With Medal of Honor in September
« Reply #11 on: August 15, 2011, 10:53:50 AM »
Quote from: Eupher on August 15, 2011, 08:45:39 AM
As I recall from previous conversations with those who have been in both Iraq and the 'Stan, at least within the Army, the burden of proof for decorations has become much more pronounced.

For example, the PH now requires not just a wound, but proof that the wound was generated by hostile fire. Comments I've heard suggest that previously, mortar or grenade fragments that caused wounds weren't all that different from a scratch sustained while changing a HMMV tire, so the Army got pretty picky about the recipient providing the proof.

Ditto for the Combat Action Badge. The criteria are specific and the review process is draconian.

All of this bureaucracy takes time. And certainly the MoH review process is the longest of all.

I'd be the first to agree that the MoH is politicized. Anyone looking at Douglas MacArthur's MoH for fleeing Bataan and winding up in Australia can testify to that. Today is no different than 70 years ago.

Let it go, Sparky. Marines, in particular, have to jump through mucho hoops to wind up with their decorations. This guy is deserving and we should be grateful for his service and his sacrifice.

Again, I never said he wasn't deserving of the award.  I am a bit pissed at the bureaucracy of the awards system.
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Offline Eupher

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Re: Obama to Present Marine With Medal of Honor in September
« Reply #12 on: August 15, 2011, 11:19:45 AM »
Quote from: NHSparky on August 15, 2011, 10:53:50 AM
Again, I never said he wasn't deserving of the award.  I am a bit pissed at the bureaucracy of the awards system.

I understand your point -- my point is, the bureaucracy is a part of the process that has always been there to one degree or another, not to mention the politics.

Just recently has the bureaucracy gotten more draconian, within the Army at least.
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Offline dutch508

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Re: Obama to Present Marine With Medal of Honor in September
« Reply #13 on: August 15, 2011, 11:24:54 AM »
Quote from: rich_t on August 13, 2011, 01:46:31 PM
Doesn't the investigation/review for a CMH typically take a fair amount of time?

it does. Nothing on barry for this one, kids.
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Offline NHSparky

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Re: Obama to Present Marine With Medal of Honor in September
« Reply #14 on: August 15, 2011, 11:34:58 AM »
Quote from: dutch508 on August 15, 2011, 11:24:54 AM
it does. Nothing on barry for this one, kids.

Meh--yes and no.  I only say yes because he can direct SecDef to streamline and expedite the process, but otherwise, you are correct.
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