THE MEDAL OF HONOR

On this day in 1862 the Medal of Honor, highest military decoration awarded by the United States government, was first authorized by the U.S. Congress.

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed on a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes him- or herself "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his (or her) life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States." Because of the nature of its criteria, the medal is often awarded posthumously.





The Medal is often mistakenly referred to as the Congressional Medal of Honor, due to the requirement of an act of Congress; the official and correct title is Medal of Honor.

The first recipients were six Union soldiers who hijacked the General, a Confederate locomotive. Raid leader James J. Andrews, a civilian who was hanged as a Union spy, did not receive the medal. Many Medals of Honor awarded in the 19th century were associated with saving the flag, not just for patriotic reasons, but because the flag was a primary means of battlefield communication. During the time of the Civil War, no other military award was authorized, and to many this explains why some seemingly less notable actions were recognized by the Medal of Honor during that war. The criteria for the award tightened after World War I. In the post-World War II era, many eligible recipients might instead have been awarded a Silver Star, Navy Cross or similar award.

In 1916, a board of five Army generals convened by law to review every Army Medal of Honor awarded. The commission, led by Nelson Miles, recommended that the Army rescind 911 medals. This included the 864 medals awarded to members of the 27th Maine, 29 who served as Abraham Lincoln's funeral guard, six civilians (including Mary Edwards Walker, the only woman to have been awarded the medal), Buffalo Bill Cody, and 12 others whose awards were judged frivolous.

There has been some political controversy associated with Medal. Although her case was no different to the other five civilian recipients, Mary Edwards Walker's medal was restored posthumously by President Jimmy Carter in 1977. Critics of the restoration called it a political move, designed to curry favor with feminists. Buffalo Bill Cody's award was restored in 1989. This also drew criticism, as although his valor in scouting and Indian-fighting were legendary, he was not an actual member of the military.

The 20 Medals of Honor awarded for the action at Wounded Knee on December 29, 1890 are also controversial. This is significant, as it is the highest number of medals ever awarded for one battle in the history of the U.S. Army. Some Native Americans called for "the immediate rescindment of the twenty Medals of Honor awarded for actions contributing to the Massacre at Wounded Knee.

During the Vietnam War, 18 Medals of Honor were awarded to US Army Special Forces soldiers, eight of them awarded posthumously. This was the largest number of Medals awarded to a single unit during that conflict. Of those, Captain Humbert Roque "Rocky" Versace (July 2, 1937–September 26, 1965) was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions while a prisoner of war; he was the first member of the U.S. Army to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions performed in Southeast Asia while in captivity.


The Medal of Honor has not been awarded to any living persons in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, only posthumously. In addition, the percentage of persons receiving the medal in these wars has been significantly lower than in previous wars (one out of a million vs. one out of one-hundred thousand).

The Army Times published an article in March 30, 2009 suggested that because of the intense partisan politics in Washington, D.C. over these wars, the Bush Administration subjected potential Medal of Honor recipients to intense background checks so as to avoid scrutiny from political opponents. It was also suggested that Democrats did not want to submit names for the Medal because they were afraid of being seen as aggrandizing war. An Army Times editorial suggested, "Our heroes deserve to be recognized."

INDEPENDENCE DAY 2009

These photos of Marines in combat in Helmund Province, Afghanistan are from over the past three days as Operation KHANJAR (STRIKE OF THE SWORD) continues - S.L.

DAY 1 HELO INFIL

US Marines patrol with their Afghan National Army and Police counterparts during Operation KHANJAR.

US Marines pull security overwatch during Operation KHANJAR

A Marine pulls security on patrol during Day 3 of Operation KHANJAR.

US Marines on patrol, Day 3 of Operations KHANJAR

US Marines return to base on the third day of Operation KHANJAR.

Our thoughts & prayers are with our brave Marines, Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen in the combat zones overseas, as we celebrate Independence Day 2009.

US MARINES IN COMBAT

Infil.

Contact.

Movement under fire.

Marines "stack on the door" as they prepare to search a compound. These Marines are from Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, part of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade.

M240 MG support.

We will be think of these brave men as we enjoy the Independence Day weekend. Be sure to mention them in your prayers, and as you say grace over your Fourth of July cookout meal.

FACES OF WAR

Study the faces of these US Marines, in action in Afghanistan this Fourth of July weekend.

Marine Captain Eric Meador of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, RCT 2nd Battalion 8th Marines Echo Co. gives his Marines a "Hoo-ah Speech" before moving out on the start of Operation Khanjari, July 2, 2009.

Some of them are teenagers. All of them know what going into combat means.

Marines from 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade move onto the choppers.

The zippered pouch mounted on the front of his gear contains his NODs (Night Observation Device).

The 12-gage shotgun rounds identify this Marine's role as a door breacher.

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf" - George Orwell

Operation KHANJAR

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Helmand Province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Today, nearly 4,000 U.S. Marines and Sailors of Task Force Leatherneck, partnered with Afghan National Security Forces and supported by Task Force Pegasus, the Combat Aviation Brigade of the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division, conducted a near-simultaneous heliborne and surface insert into the central and southern Helmand River valley.

U.S. Marines from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, 1st Battalion 5th Marines wait at Camp Leatherneck to board helicopters for a night air assault in Afghanistan's Helmand province Thursday July 2, 2009. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

The rifle beside the Marine racking out against his gear in the middle foreground is a USN Mark 12 Mod 0/1 Special Purpose Rifle (SPR). Here’s another photo of it.

Towards the end of my time in operational units (2004) that weapon was introduced. Since then Marines began fielding the Special Purpose Rifle (SPR) to their Scout Sniper Platoons to be used by the observers to augment the current 8 sniper rifles with its own sub-minute of angle accuracy.

It’s impossible to tell if the helicopters in the background are CH-53 Sea Stallions or MH-53 Pave Lows. Pave Lows have a refueling boom protruding from the front end. The distinction is significant; CH-53’s are organic to the Marine Corps, MH-53’s are part of Air Force Special Operations. If they are Pave Lows, then these are MARSOF troops, the Marine Corps portion of USSOCOM, and they are participating in Joint operations.

Brigadier General Larry D. Nicholson is the Commanding General of Task Force Leatherneck. BG Nicholson was born in Toronto, Canada.

UPDATE AFGHANISTAN: GEN STANLEY McCHRYSTAL

STORMBRINGER already alerted on how General McChrystal’s politically correct instincts resulted in the Pat Tillman Silver star fiasco.

So what’s the deal with McChrystal’s initial command guidance to US and NATO forces in Afghanistan?

NEW US BATTLE RULE: NO FIGHTING NEAR AFGHAN HOMES

The top U.S. general in Afghanistan will soon formally order U.S. and NATO forces to break away from fights with militants hiding in Afghan houses so the battles do not kill civilians, a U.S. official said Monday . . .
. . . McChrystal will issue orders within days saying troops may attack insurgents hiding in Afghan houses if the U.S. or NATO forces are in imminent danger and must return fire, said U.S. military spokesman Rear Adm. Greg Smith.
"But if there is a compound they're taking fire from and they can remove themselves from the area safely, without any undue danger to the forces, then that's the option they should take," Smith said. "Because in these compounds we know there are often civilians kept captive by the Taliban."

General Stanley McChrystal has just broken a combination of Rules No 2 and No 3 of Sean Linnane’s 3 Rules of Leadership:

#1 Never Lie to the Troops

#2 Never tell a man to do anything you’re not willing to do yourself.

#3 Never Give an Order you know won’t be obeyed.

McChrystal's command guidance forces combat commanders and NCOs to modify their behavior, to seek loopholes – in military planning terms, this General Officer guidance is known as an artificial constraint.

General McChrystal's order basically outlines tactical guidance for the enemy: if you were the Taliban, where would you initiate all contact from now on?

This order will cause our forces to hesitate under fire, and in combat hesitation is fatal.

Essentially, we've just instituted the same self-imposed "no-fire" zones that assisted our Communist enemies in Vietnam.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who took command of international forces in Afghanistan this month, has said his measure of effectiveness will be the "number of Afghans shielded from violence," and not the number of militants killed.

I agree with one aspect of this sentence: in war, body count math is not a measure of victory.

WE OWE THEM NOTHING.

President Obama gave a speech to the 'Muslim World' today at Cairo University. He repeated the same "Blame America First" themes we heard during the "America Apologizes" European tour, predictably enough, and threw in some exaggerations. He compared the Nazi Holocaust against the Jews to the Palestinian refugees' (read: terrorists) situation - they serve as a willing foil to the Arab states against Israel.

Will somebody please remind me; why is it we need to reach out to the Muslim World? Why do they hate us? What are our transgressions against Muslim people?

A little review is in order:

We gave aid, arms & training to the Mujahadeen, gave them the edge required to liberate Afghanistan from the Soviets.

Millions of Muslims were liberated when the Soviet Union collapsed; entire Muslim nations emerged - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan - thanks in no small part to U.S. efforts during the Cold War. Thousands of Americans died in this forty-year endeavor.

In Kuwait we liberated millions from the rape & rampage of Saddam Hussein's forces. We took casualties along the way.

We fed the starving people of Somalia. American soldiers were killed and dragged through the streets.

In Bosnia we halted the brutal slayings of Muslims at the hands of the Serbs and the Croats, when the United Nations proved unable to do anything except accommodate the Serbs in the massacre of Srebrenica.

We liberated the Kosovars from their Serb oppressors. American soldiers came under fire; Americans were captured and brutalized by former Communists in Belgrade.

We liberated millions in Afghanistan, and Iraq, at great cost of American lives and treasure.

The United States is directly responsible for any and all advancement the Palestinians have made toward statehood over the past thirty years. And yet when the Twin Towers crashed to the ground killing thousands of Americans, the Palestinians danced in the streets.

WE OWE THEM NOTHING.

CHANGE OF COMMAND IN AFGHANISTAN

On Lt Gen McChrystal replacing Gen McKiernan - The situation is comparable to Lincoln’s search of a replacement for McClellan; there are a lot of officers out there who know their stuff on paper but putting it together under field conditions - even in training - is another thing altogether. Leaders who are able to field and lead forces against an enemy willing to stand and fight calls for very unique leadership capabilities. This is something I know about. LTG McChrystal has proven himself in this department: as commander of JSOC he got al-Zarqawi's scalp and nailed it to his lodge pole.

During spring of 2007 McChrystal led JSOC, attached forces and other government agencies in a series of highly effective covert operations in Iraq that coincided with the troop surge. McChrystal's forces employed a concept dubbed "collaborative warfare": a range of tools from signal intercepts to human intelligence to find, target, and kill insurgents. It has been suggested that it was this effort, not the well-publicized surge, that was responsible for the drop in violence in 2007–2008

McChrystal got egg on his face in the aftermath of the Pat Tillman Silver Star fiasco. Former professional football player Pat Tillman was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004; McChrystal approved a posthumous Silver Star for Tillman. The day after sending the paperwork forward, however, McChrystal apparently sent an urgent memo warning senior government officials not to quote the phrase "in the line of devastating enemy fire," in the citation because it "might cause public embarrassment" if Tillman had in fact been killed by friendly fire, as McChrystal suspected.

McChrystal was recommended for discipline by a subsequent Pentagon investigation but the Army declined to take action against him. I personally have a hard time forgiving him for this. A friend of mine, Brigadier General Gary Jones, took a hit on this when the US Army Special Operations Command made him one of the scapegoats, after the fact. Jones was retired but they let McChrystal walk. To me the whole thing smacks of officer CYA after-the-fact; why did McChrystal sign the citation if he suspected friendly fire?

As long as I stood in formation and wore jump wings on my chest – 25 years – the Army always told me the worst thing you can do is screw up a military funeral. You can screw up anything else and we’ll cover for you, but a veteran's funeral must be pulled off without a hitch. McChrystal was a key player in the Tillman tragedy of errors, so he must be pretty good for them to keep him around and now put him in charge of the main effort of the GWOT, or whatever it is we’re calling it these days.

To me, McChrystal is either a Ulysses S. Grant or he's a George Armstrong Custer. Grant climbed all the way to the top via a list of quantifiable achievements; Custer was a politician and a ticket puncher and we all know how that ended. Let's hope LTG McChrystal is the former not the latter.

SEAN LINNANE SENDS