Addendum to the Rieckhoff saga
Apparently, someone is interceding in this little battle between Paul Rieckhoff and reality, so I feel it’s incumbent on myself to provide this interloper with all of the facts. I tried to post as little of Paul’s file on the internet as possible because it seemed that he was not too receptive to that. I’m not a completely heartless being. But, Rieckhoff’s minions are bringing this down on him.
Here’s his citation for his Army Commendation Medal (ARCOM) for merit during his tour of Iraq. Notice the dates which span his service there; April 5, 2003 through January 28, 2004;
Now look at the dates on his DD214 for his service in Iraq in the last line in Block 18; April 4, 2003 through January 31, 2004;
Now, if you look at his letter, he says that his Bronze Star Medal (BSM) was awarded effective March 17, 2004. Since the Bronze Star is for merit and can only be awarded for service against an armed enemy, and since the ARCOM was already awarded for his entire service in Iraq, unless the BSM was awarded for the last three days of service in Iraq not covered by the ARCOM, it makes no sense that his unit would have given him the BSM for the same period for which they awarded the ARCOM, because a BSM for merit is just a super-ARCOM.
Now, the Army might have decided to upgrade the ARCOM to a BSM, but then the ARCOM wouldn’t be on his DD214, yet there it is and there’s the citation for the ARCOM. Rieckhoff admits that he’s never seen orders or a citation for the BSM.
And Michael Yon is going to defend Rieckhoff against my charges. Michael Yon doesn’t understand anything about awards, either. He spent only 4 years and 11 months in the Army (how much did you understand with a couple of years of service?) and none of it in combat and more than two years of that was as a student (yeah, I have Yon’s records, too). So when you read Yon’s defense of Rieckhoff tomorrow, remember that Yon’s experience in the matter is non-existent, since he’s never had to deal with combat awards.
But Yon is getting involved just so he can raise money again in a war against the Milkooks. But none of my fellow Milkooks so much as linked to the post I did on Rieckhoff. So, it’s just me, Mikey, all on my lonesome. Give me your worst. I guess he’s hoping for some of that IAVA money, because those Thai hookers ain’t comin’ cheap for a fat, old bald guy.
Category: Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Rieckhoff is a partisan POS. Jonn, please continue to bitch slap him and IAVA when ever they step on their dicks.
@52 – and you’re not?
The more you guys admit you hate his politics, the less likely anyone is going to take your “stolen valor” claims seriously.
If you hate his politics, then go after his politics. Demonstrate the intellectual, practical and effectual superiority of your political thoughts and ideas. If he’s a liberal, it shouldn’t be too hard to do.
@ 53 TruConserv, I’ve reread all 53 posts and except for a very few, no one is talking about SFBs politics. I, myself, could care less about his politics. As an honorably discharged Marine, I have a serious problem with people wearing awards they haven’t earned. What little bit of sh1t I wore, I EARNED! As for the patches, the Marines don’t do them but from what I’ve seen, my Army brethren take them very serious which means, so do I.
As for the “less likely anyone is going to take your ‘stolen valor’ claims seriously” it seams funny that the national media seams to take “This Ain’t Hell” very seriously. TAH outed “The Stuttering Singer”, among others, and have been credited with such.
Nice Try.
I been posting to Yon also…. You guys never mentioned
that America already had a infamous name for you assholes…I was calling you valor vultures and the rest of the world was calling you all MILKOOKS WoW…. who knew. Now I do… Oh… Boy the #1 blogger in your business is eating your asses alive. HaH… I think I might join forces with him to light your asses up in the jungle.
L @27: O6 level commanders have never been able to approve Bronze Star Medals. They can recommend approval, disapprove them on the whole, or downgrade the award and approve an ARCOM instead. Here’s MNF-I’s awards policy from 2004, for example: https://www.hrc.army.mil/site/Active/tagd/awards/Message_Reference_Index/Subfolder__126-150/130_MNF_I_Memo_04_01.pdf
The bottom line is that since OIF/OEF/OND began, only 2-star level commanders have been able to approve the BSM, or 1-stars serving in the 2-star role. In Kuwait, the lowest BSM approving authority is the Commanding General, 1st Theater Sustainment Command (before that it was the CG, 377th Theater Support Command, now also called a Theater Sustainment Command). In Iraq, the Multi-National Division Commanding Generals were the lowest echelon commanders authorized to approve the BSM (later became US Division).
Someone commented that no one would go to an SF unit without going to SFAS and SFQC including SERE, language, etc. Not necessarily in the Reserve Components. (Since 1994, SF units have only been in the Active Army and National Guard, but before then there were USAR units also). In the National Guard, candidates have an interview and/or preliminary assessment to see if they’re worth preparing. If they look like likely candidates, they begin to prepare for SFAS on their drills and on their own time in between. It looks like Rieckhoff wanted to do this but did not follow through. I’m waiting to hear from my 19th Group chums what the story really was. So far no one, including people who ought to, has any recollection of him. In 20th Group, our experience was that if we had 20 guys signed up for a tryout weekend, maybe 10-15 would show up Friday night, the others would flake. Maybe five more would quit in the first hour or so. Sunday afternoon we’d have three to five still standing, of whom a couple would have displayed character flaws when they thought no one was watching. The zero (yes, seriously) to four new candidates would then be put on a training team where their whole function was to get ready for SFQC. They’d normally be expected to do this within a year. They would be mentored by qualified SF NCOs (usually someone who was healing but still healthy enough to ruck the kids into the ground).Even with that preparation, our attrition in SFAS was 25%. (Attrition of active duty soldiers and 18X candidates was much higher). And then there is further attrition in SFQC, even though that’s not the purpose of the Q. That was one of the three paths to a National Guard ODA. (There are local variations, but I know the Texas unit, for example, does it much like we did). A soldier can qualify on active duty and then go to the NG at the end of his obligated service (O) or ETS (NCO). That’s what I did. The… Read more »
@55.
Go away, you old tickle monster.
@55 again.
Non sequitur question. What do you think about standards, gays in the Army and photo shopping phalluses on pictures?
I am curious as to your level of experience in such matters.
I’m just amused that he refers to Yawn as a milblogger.
Oh, sweet irony.
Like I said on the other thread about him; he was probably going to be assigned to as support for the RI SF Group. He was embellishing and nothing can hide that from the truth.