Better Late Than Never
A 3 1/2 year old injustice has finally been corrected. Unfortunately, another apparent injustice still remains.
The Army has announced that SFC Kenneth Westbrook will receive the Silver Star – unfortunately, posthumously. It will be awarded to his next-of-kin sometime this spring.
SFC Westbrook was WIA during the Battle of Ganjgal on September 8, 2009. He died of complications from his wounds a month later at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He was on his last deployment prior to retirement.
For those who may have forgotten: this the same action for which Sgt. Dakota Meyer, USMC, was later awarded the MoH. The battle also resulted in the award of 2 Navy Crosses and the award of at least 9 BSMs w/V device.
RIP, SFC Westbrook. This old soldier salutes you.
SFC Westbrook had been recommended for the Silver Star by CPT William Swenson. Why the award was not approved earlier was not made public.
And speaking of CPT Swenson . . . .
There is still no update on the status of CPT Swenson’s MOH recommendation relating to the Battle of Ganjgal. The Army reportedly recommended approval some time ago. One account indicates the recommendation was forwarded to the White House sometime in July of last year.
I guess we’ll have to simply keep waiting. But eight months does seem to me to be more than enough time to make a decision.
Category: Real Soldiers
The Prez can’t make that decision, it’s above his pay grade.
They need to wait until right before mid-term elections. You know, so they can show they are patriots and stuff.
Baracka will act on CPT Swenson’s recommended MOH, right after they get done lining up the acts for Moooooooochelle’s 50th birthday party. And he plans his next golf outing. Give him a break, woncha?
@2 You nailed it. It will get approved as soon as the administration needs some good press to distract from whatever its newest scandal is.
We Vets are a MUCH Lower priority than B. Hussein 0bama & Co.’s golf trips and vacations they’ll make a decision ONLY if it doesn’t interfere with “important” things, like golf trips, etc. or media publicity stunts!