MOH Awardee Suing BAE Systems.
Dunno quite what to make of this?
Decorated Marine Sues Contractor
Two months ago, Dakota Meyer was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama for his service in Afghanistan, the military’s most prestigious award. On Monday, Sgt. Meyer alleged that a defense contractor has called him mentally unstable and a problem drinker, ruining his chances for a job in the defense industry.
(…)
Soon after joining BAE, Sgt. Meyer learned it was trying to sell advanced thermal optic scopes to Pakistan, according to the suit. In an email to his supervisor, identified as Bobby McCreight, Sgt. Meyer voiced his objections to the sale, the lawsuit states.
“We are taking the best gear, the best technology on the market to date and giving it to guys known to stab us in the back,” Sgt. Meyer wrote to Mr. McCreight, according to the lawsuit. “These are the same people killing our guys.”
While in the Marines, Sgt. Meyer had served along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Many in the military who have served on the border have said in interviews they view Pakistan as an unreliable ally, as likely to help Taliban insurgents as they are to aid American troops.
The story gets uglier:
In the suit, Sgt. Meyer said that after he voiced his criticism, Mr. McCreight began “berating and belittling” him. The supervisor criticized Sgt. Meyer for making a trip with their BAE division president and made sarcastic remarks about Sgt. Meyer’s nomination for the Medal of Honor, allegedly ridiculing his “pending star status,” the suit says.
My money is on the Marine, but the dancing is gonna be something to watch.
h/t John Gresham on FB
Category: Geezer Alert!, Politics
BAE, a British company, can’t win the PR battle on this. It’s spokesman is trying, though. He wished Meyers “success and good fortune in his endeavors.” Sure, pal, that’s believable inasmuch as Meyers is endeavoring to publicly lay your company out! The offer of settlement is forthcoming, you can bet. But that settlement offer will be enhanced with a mums-the-word provision so we may never know what actually happened and why. But that’s Meyers’ call and he seems to be very good at handling himself when the pressure is on, don’t ya think?.
‘Pending star status’? Sgt Meyer already was more than a star!!! BAE can only lose this suit. BAE should shitcan Bobby McCreight as well. Let him get a job he’s more suitable to … like making coffee at the 7-11 on the corner. You’re correct, this is gonna get interesting … Semper Fi, Sgt Meyer
BAE is definitely using the kid gloves on Sgt Meyer. PR doesn’t matter to them. They can always have one of their Congressmen or Senators introduce an amendment stripping Meyer of all honors, bennies, and such.
Most folks thought BP, another British company, was toast after its spilling oil into the Gulf. Several sizeable donations to the re-election campaigns of Obama and Dem Senators and voila: BP is the go-to oil company for the WH.
Considering how entrenched they are within our Department of Defense, I’m willing to bet that this quickly becomes a dead issue and nothing further is said. Unfortunate. I would love to see Sgt. Meyer bankrupt the company.
BAE hired a warrior with Honor.
When SGT Meyer called bullshit on the chickenhawks out to make a buck off men with honor they realized (or his boss realized anyway) just how different the warrior class is from themselves.
The only thing they can do is smear the SGT, and hide behind lawyers, for they have an empty nutsack.
Concur with all the above.
BAE cannot win this PR battle. They might be able to get an armistice, but if this hits the MSM in any meaningful way. BAE is going to be the one tap dancing in front of the cameras. Especially so if Myers starts explaining that they are trying to sell top-flight gear to our shadow enemy.
I view Pakistan, at this time, as no more than a money & equipment laundering operation for Islamic Terrorists.
They are a group of politicals and corporates taking on a warrior who has the most prestigious award that our country can bestow… yeah, let’s see them win.
I’m willing to bet that Sgt Meyer was hired by BAE only because of his pending star status. Defense contractors are always hiring former military personnel whom they can trot out to impress the contracting officers and improve their appearance in the bidding process. Normally, however, those former military types are flag officers or at least field grade officers who already know how to go along to get along. Sgt Meyer did exactly what I would expect any Marine NCO to do, and what I naïvely hope former officers would do and that was to speak up when he saw something untoward going on.
Bravo to Sgt Meyer; unfortunately, he didn’t fill the arm-candy role that BAE had planned for him.
Kudos to Meyer. I dare any one of them to make the bullshit stick. There truly is something wrong with the way people operate at less than honest, especially when taking on a veteran who risked his life for these shit for brains as well as our own only to be ridiculed.
Duty,Honor,Country…Meyer…heads above.
Semper Fi
@#* – Top? You’d be correct about that….
Its a shame no one’s said this before. How many NODs may have ended up in the folks hands that REALLY don’t like us.
The abcnews version of the story has the following:
“After leaving active duty in May 2010, Meyer worked at Ausgar Technologies, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business in California, until April 2011.
“He exhibited a maturity for his age and an insightful capability to get the job done and provide recommendations to improve on what we are doing. I was very impressed while he was working for us. He was an outstanding employee,” Tom Grant, a retired military naval officer and a senior program manager at Ausgar Technologies, told ABC News.
When asked about the allegations of mental instability and a drinking problem, Grant said, “While Meyer was working for me, I never saw evidence of either of those issues.” ”
http://abcnews.go.com/US/medal-honor-marine-fighting-allegations-mentally-unstable/story?id=15048090
BAE looked at this like, Ira Hayes=Dakota Meyer. And, somewhere down the line, McCreight will end up pimping coffee for 7-11 or Dunkin Donut, or he’ll be so buried in some BAE facility that he’ll punch out of work for the day, and by the time he gets to his car, in an off company lot, it’ll be time to come back to work.
This will never see a jury, and there will be a non-disclosure clause in the settlement.
[…] Posted on November 29, 2011 7:30 pm by Bill Quick This ain’t Hell, but you can see it from here » Blog Archive » MOH Awardee Suing B… The story gets uglier: In the suit, Sgt. Meyer said that after he voiced his criticism, Mr. […]
@13: so basically you’re saying they thought he’d be a poster boy that’ll fade slowly, and end up face down in a ditch completely forgotten?
I say again, WHY HASN’T THIS BEEN DONE BEFORE
Well – its certainly making all the news outlets now. Fox, Huff Post, and a bunch of others have picked the story up.
Here’s the deal: Doesn’t matter that the military has to approve the sale. BAE likely was lobbying hard to ‘make another sale’ to meet their projections. And Dakota Meyer thought and stated to his boss that he thought it was wrong. Granted we haven’t seen the entire email – but what was quoted was, IMO, not out of line in a work environment.
The biggest part of this whole mess is how Meyer’s boss at BAE handled the situation after that email was sent. And it is THAT that is and should be the entire issue. How Meyer’s boss responded, and the trackable data of that is a nightmare no one in HR/Legal/Corporate ever ever wants for their company. Judging by only what has been reported – Meyer’s boss has landed BAE in one hell of a mess!! Sarbannes-Oxley could come into play with this mess for all I know . . .
I’m sure we’ll never know the entire story. However, I also wouldn’t be surprised if there was a quiet settlement, with a non-disclosure, and BAE loses quite a bit ofl traction the company might have had regarding future sales with the gov’t concerning that particular technology . . .
Improve
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” (Edmund Burke)
Looks like a good man did something.
If it saves one “Good Guy” life, it’s worth it.
We need a few more “Good Men” among us.
[…] 1st, 2011 Seems that the BAE has some previous issues in the past besides the current fiasco with Dakota Meyer. Thanks to DC for the […]
FYI guys, BAE has admitted guilt and paid fines to the British government of almost half a BILLION dollars for illegal sales of advanced weaponry in the last few years. They just paid in May another $80 million to the US State Department for illegal exports. They’re dirty as hell.
Sniper instructor Bobby Creighton’s got to know who he’s standing up for when he smears SGT Meyer. Kick ass Dakota.
Proof that civilians think character is for annoying losers who need it to succeed.
I would like to see BAE back up their claims of Sgt. Meyer being mentally unstable and a problem drinker. Willing to bet they don’t have a shred of tangible evidence and that this McCreight character was some admin pogue that was relegated to some training post, never being deployed, much less thrown into combat. A warrior never sells out another warrior.
Holy Hanna, that was quick! BAE settled with MOH Winner USMC Sergeant Dakota Meyer the other day. Big time congrats to him! The terms of the settlement are sealed but you can bet Sergeant Meyer and his family are going to enjoy a fine Christmas. Chalk one up for the good guys. As for the BAE knucklehead who attempted to discredit Sergeant Meyer, I’m guessing his Christmas will not be so good. The job market is rather tight just now.
Not that it matters, but if anyone here has business with BAE, you might wait a few weeks and then call BAE and ask to speak Bobby McCreight and see whether the response is:
A. Mr. McCreight is not available right now and won’t be later;
B. Thank you. I’ll transfer your call to the loading dock;
C. I’m sorry, I am not at liberty to confirm or deny whether Mr. McGreight is available, but I’ll take a message; or
D. Who?