The politics of valor awards
Last year, we talked about Sergeant First Class Earl D. Plumlee, the hero of Forward Operating Base Ghazni. He stopped an insurgent assault on that base while braving enemy fire and treating the friendly victims of the assault. Plumlee was recommended by his commanders for the Medal of Honor, but the nomination died at the Army’s Human Resources Command and it was downgraded to a Silver Star Medal instead. Our buddy, Dan Lamothe at the Washington Post writes about what happened in the process that derailed the nomination;
In Afghanistan, the Medal of Honor recommendation received approval from senior officers that included then-Maj. Gen. Austin “Scott” Miller, now believed to be the three-star commander of Joint Special Operations Command; then.-Lt. Gen. Mark Milley, now the four-star Army chief; and Dunford, now the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The Army Human Resources Command’s awards branch received the nomination in January 2014. The issue was taken up by the service’s Senior Army Decorations Board afterward, with two three-star generals and the top enlisted soldier in the service, now-retired Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond F. Chandler, serving as voting members. Two of them recommended the Silver Star, while another saw the Distinguished Service Cross, one notch below the Medal of Honor, as more appropriate. Separately, a previous unnamed Medal of Honor recipient serving as a nonvoting adviser to the board also recommended the Silver Star.
One of the voting members said his decision not to recommend the Medal of Honor came down in large part to one thing: Plumlee’s rank. Then a staff sergeant, Plumlee was expected to be a leader once the Taliban attacked rather than “a private who would be seized by the moment and take extremely valorous and courageous action,” the board member told the inspector general, according to the report.
“One’s a leader. One’s a Soldier,” the member said, according to the report. “And so when I looked at the circumstances and, although the battle was ferocious and unfortunately a couple members were killed, I just thought that it wasn’t a sufficient level for the Medal of Honor based off of the individual and the circumstances and that, I just felt there was an expectation of a leader who did a phenomenal job, that there was something more that [the nominee] needed to have done in order to, in my mind, to make a recommendation for a Medal of Honor.”
So, basically, Plumlee had too much rank to get the Medal of Honor (he was a staff sergeant at the time of the battle). So apparently, E-6s and above are limited to Bronze Stars and Silver Stars for valor medals, despite the level of valor an NCO displays. Good old Ray Chandler sticking up for the NCO Corps.
Category: Army News
“So apparently, E-6s and above are limited to Bronze Stars and Silver Stars for valor medals, despite the level of valor an NCO displays.”
Absolute bullshit!
Wonder what the immortal Chesty Puller would think of that although politics stopped him from an MOH too
That’s not what they are saying. What they are saying is that as an SSG this guy should have taken charge of the fight going on around him and instead he reacts as a private, shooting back and treating people under fire, instead of getting junior enlisted around him to do this.
I know most guys here are not infantry, so let me explain to you a basic principle we live by in combat. We fight through first, and only then we treat the wounded. Another principle, leadership takes charge.
Once i became a squad leader, the first thing my Platoon Sergeant did to me was to take away my rifle during training so i would learn to fight my soldiers instead of fighting myself.
Leadership takes charge, that’s the bottom line.
And i say this as a Silver Star recipient, as an E4 SPC. 17 FEB 2008, Iraq.
You must be this guy: http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=5553
From a lowly personnel guy, thanks a million for what you did.
Great response. Thank you for your service and congratulations on being home safely! CSM
SSG is the lowest rank on a SF team. Thus the young SSG would have been one of the junior members of his team.
Too bad they didn’t use the same criteria for that phony bas-ard Gen McArthur!!! they couldn’t kiss his worthless ass fast enough!
BULL ???? !!!!!!!!
WORD!
Spoken in the correct language, however, SKIPPY, I would of added a few more piles of ????????????????????????
???????
Coming out of Lurker Status/Comment Retirement to ask, wasn’t there a Ranger SFC awarded the CMH for attempting to throw back a Taliban hang grenade that went off in his hand? Let me think, oh yeah! His name is Sergeant First Class Leroy Petry! Their logic is flawed.
Rank didn’t stop SGT Joe Hooper from getting the job repeatedly.
Let that person be named. If they feel that strongly about their opinion, then let them stop hiding.
This is horseshit!!
What the fuck is wrong with these guys? Seized by the moment like a private? Really? That’s the excuse?
So a guy who is the midst of a firefight with his squad helps to repel the assault and tends to his wounded trooper and that’s somehow not what an NCO is SUPPOSED to do?
I’m sorry the logic here is more than a little sketchy.
The bureaucratic mindset passes all boundaries around the Milky Way Galaxy…
All BS all the time…
As Pathetic and Stupid race down the stretch on this one, it’s a toss-up. As the two hit the wire, it’s too close to call. After a few minutes, a Dead Heat flashes on the tote board. Cripes.
Anyone know how the citation of Douglas MacArthur’s Medal of Honor begins? These are its first few words: “For conspicuous leadership….” I shit you not.
Yeah, that’s one that should have never been awarded. He spent his career up to then trying to get the same medal as daddy. He finally got it for getting on a PT boat and leaving the fight.
Ironically, MacArthur was recommended for one in the Mexico incursion in an exploit reminiscent of the greatCivil War locomotive chase, but it was downgraded (I think to a DSC?)
McArthur was an A.H. of the highest order, he spent his time prancing for the news media and aiming for the Presidency!!!
RADM Kidd’s:
“For conspicuous devotion to duty, extraordinary courage, and complete disregard of his own life, during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, by Japanese Forces on December 7, 1941. He immediately went to the bridge and as Commander Battleship Division ONE, courageously discharged his duties as Senior Officer Present Afloat until the USS Arizona, his Flagship, blew up from magazine explosions and a direct bomb hit on the bridge, which resulted in the loss of his life.”
MOH for doing his job.
$10 says its because he is a Green Beret, and because he was under investigation at the time (an investigation that later cleared him of wrongdoing). But I’d hazard a guess it is beret envy and a case of “He was just doing what SF does”.
On that basis (as well as having his entire command’s ass kicked by the Japanese) MacArthur’s MoH should be rescinded.
Semper Fi, Plumlee is in great company:
Semper Fi
So apparently COL Robert Howard’s MOH must have been awarded in error. After all, he was a SFC at the time, expected to lead from the front. Must be time to go back and reconsider every MOH awarded to E-5s and above and do some revocation. Are these “standards” for the award, or just another moving target?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_L._Howard
There is more at the article:
Another board member told the IG that he had concerns about the lack of detail in witness statements that were submitted on Plumlee’s behalf.
As the recommendation continued to make its way through the Army’s bureaucracy, the CID investigation of Plumlee became known, Army officials said. Some other commanders in Plumlee’s chain of command recommended against the Medal of Honor, but the soldier found an advocate in July 2015 in Lt. Gen. James C. McConville, who had just taken over as the Army’s deputy chief of staff for personnel, known as the “G-1.” Despite the decorations board calling for a Silver Star, he recommended a Medal of Honor.
So basically in the entire review process, it seems that there are only 2 people that believe that the MOH was an appropriate award.
Yet we are somehow focusing on the decision and thought process of one board member.
I could see the outrage if the rest of the board had voted for the MOH and only the one with “rank” opinion didn’t, but that isn’t what happened. There are always going to be differences of opinion and opinions on criteria for the MOH. If you take away those opinions, what you end up with a a checklist – something that a computer could decide. I am not for that at all.
To me, this seems to be an article by the Post to raise anger and outrage when there really shouldn’t be any.
His commanders in the theater recommended the MOH. The wienies at HRC denied it. That’s enough for me to be outraged.
Not sure you can pin this on HRC. Committee consisted of SMA and two three stars, and I’m pretty sure the Army G-1 wasn’t one of them (although he’s not HRC either). I’m sure we can find out through a FOIA who they were.
And one of the members of the board – albeit a non voting member – is a Medal of Honor winners himself.
He recommended the Silver Star as the award.
Is he a “weanie” too?
You damned right, who else should have ANYTHING at all to say about it? some fairy princess that wasn’t even there?…..the army SUCKS bigtime….but then what doesn’t now that the communists have a foothold in this country!!
This is deplorable. Now it seems the awards board is basing the criteria of awarding certain medals based on their feelings, but not on the facts of the case.
Fuggin’ doesn’t make sense.
SO WHOSE buckets of politics kept him from receiving the MoH? IMHO a special place in hell awaits their arrival, it’s right next to the sign saying “RESERVED FOR ‘HANOI JANE’ FONDA”.
Pretty sure Paul Smith was the rank of SFC when his last stand saw to it that he was awarded MOH for actions in Iraq…2003.
I once recommended two NCOs for Silver Stars. The recommendation came back denied. 1st Special Forces was circled in red with a hand written comment “Tough day but isn’t this what you people do?”
I never found the sonofabitch who did that. Good thing, I’d probably still be in prison.
Exactly! They see that Green Beret and automatically assume it’s all in a days work. Gone are the MSG Benevidez days. Its a sad commentary on the state of the HR system in the ranks. Don’t get me started on HRC, or how the 38 Series has been screwed over, starting with Rummy…
Wow… here are a few that are SNCO’s and living:
GIUNTA, SALVATORE A. Staff Sergeant
PETRY, LEROY A. Staff Sergeant
ROMESHA, CLINTON L. Staff Sergeant
The decorations board fucked this up… and I’m guessing Chandler probably left his balls at home when it came time for him to stand up and speak up for Plumlee.
It would be nice to see the Army take another look at this and do the right thing, but my guess is that it won’t happen until he’s passed on and this family pushes the matter.
“With the enemy tanks abreast of his position, 2nd Lt. [Audie] Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer which was in danger of blowing up at any moment, and employed its .50 caliber machine gun against the enemy. He was alone and exposed to German fire from three sides, but his deadly fire killed dozens of Germans and caused their infantry attack to waver.”
Isn’t that what a leader is expected to do?
Someone mentioned SFC Paul Smith. This is from his citation which, to me, reads a lot like Audie Murphy’s:
“Fearing the enemy would overrun their defenses, Sergeant First Class Smith moved under withering enemy fire to man a .50 caliber machine gun mounted on a damaged armored personnel carrier. In total disregard for his own life, he maintained his exposed position in order to engage the attacking enemy force. During this action, he was mortally wounded. His courageous actions helped defeat the enemy attack, and resulted in as many as 50 enemy soldiers killed, while allowing the safe withdrawal of numerous wounded soldiers.”
That was me; while in the final stages of 12B OSUT, our CO came and read the news of a fellow 12B (Smith) dying in the horrors of combat as a way to inspire that Sappers are also at the head of the fight and to instill in us a very real understanding that in the coming months some of us would be in the same situations. He was right, first days in country 3 months later I was subject to routine mortar attacks and sporadic pop-shots.
Sappers Forward!
Paul Smith’s name is the first thing that popped up in my head when reading this story, too.
How do you go from a MOH to Silver Star? I can understand the rigor that a MOH eval has to go through but surely a DSC would be warranted if it was really close?
BTW, my best friend (RIP) was awarded the DSC. He was a CPT.
ARSTAFF and/or HRC logic. It moves in mysterious ways.
This ‘leadership’ stuff is absolute bullshit. Same thing thing with the ‘that’s what they are expected to do’ approach. If those are two of the criteria, then rescind all Medals of Honor. And if they are not among the criteria, then the matter should be reconsidered inasmuch as at least one decision maker mistakenly thought they were.
I guess the dissenting vote expected him to order someone else to do it. (While there are different opinions about what leadership is or isn’t, one could argue he was taking action where others didn’t (couldn’t)).
Captain Street was awarded the MOH for leading the sub raid on Tokyo Harbor. Kind of his job.
SGM Ray Chandler probably voted to downgrade the MOH because he’s a leg and SSG Plumlee is airborne qualified.
I wish I hadn’t read this. Now I’m going to be pissed off all day
Let’s see how many on that board was actually in combat!!!
Exactly! I bet every one of them was a staff officers/SNCO fobbit who never left the wire but still rated a Bronze Star for DOING THEIR FRICKIN’ JOB.
I know what you mean, during my 24 years I witnessed numerous bronze stars given away like candy at a parade, so much so that when I was awarded one for my service in Iraq first thing I thought was “damn, what in the hell is this worth? Others have got this for not failing to breathe” total B.S.
Obviously lower enlisted only have to meet a lesser standard-which is why PFC Stephen Sanford got the MOH for his actions and became the only living MOH recipient for the war in Iraq.
http://www.blackfive.net/main/2007/05/army_pfc_stephe.html
As an officer, I tried to never say “lower enlisted.” They were “junior enlisted” to me. Not picking at you since many say it, including thise who hold the rank, but I would’ve never accomplished some of the most important tasks in my career without privates and specialists.
And as far as this award thing goes, it really boggles the mind. So junior soldiers can’t get the BSM or MSM as a wartime award for meritorious service, and a senior NCO has too much rank for the MoH? I don’t recall seeing a rank requirement in a DoD or Army publication.
“Show me a hero, and I’ll write you a tragedy.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald
Obama the asshat hates pinning our heroes with the MOH, so maybe he told them to slow down the flow a bit. He can only take so much being around real men before it gets him depressed.
Beret Envy.
Meanwhile, End of Tour awards are higher the higher up the food chain you go.
Had a kid that found UXO on a patrol, so when it was time, I put him in for ARCOM. Sorry, I was told, he is an E-4, downgraded to AAM.
BC must have run out of challenge coins…
Yep, called that earlier. It actually does exist, I have seen it firsthand. People get seriously vindictive when they see a Soldier walking about base with a beret on that is another color than basic black. They will legit say things like: “Wow, he’s an asshole, wearing that Maroon Beret on post like that…” “He MUST be a douchbag, look at that Maroon Beret!” “What a tool!” And other such things. As a Leg (soon to be sent to BAC)in an Airborne unit, I see it every time I am at my unit, and its kinda sad. You shouldn’t be mad at someone for having a different job/skill identifier than you. You should light a fire under your own ass and better yourself. Sadly, that is rarely the case with the Head Shed these days.
I am sure that some folks may react that way, but I do not think it is that prevalent. Green Berets are not that common, and they do get noticed. People are not being disrespectful(or envious) because everybody does not bite into their crotch, and pray for lock-jaw.
Or “well, I’d recommend PVT so and so for an ARCOM but he doesn’t have an AAM yet, so just recommend that”… or ‘recommend for at least one higher award than they deserve to allow for it always being downgraded at staff”.
Slick – or “Scratch a hero and I’ll show you a bum” – Pappy Boyington (look him up, youngsters)
What it sounds like they are saying is that there will be no future awards for valor because valor is the minimum expected of everybody. It’s part of the job.
Guess I can live with that, but I would suggest a few corollary rules to go with it – like no one gets “combat pay” because that is also part of the job; flag officers never get per diem for anything because going hither and yon is part of the job; and USAF quit moving furniture around because using Greyhound and Mayflower to move yourself, your family and your stuff should be at your own expense, since moving is just part of the job. Lots of other things could be added to that list.
The consequences of what happens when you let lesser men thousands of miles away from the action judge the valor of those actually in the fight.
And I say this as a former REMF leg pogue.
So an E6 has “too much rank” to get a Medal of Honor for going above and beyond, killing bodies and legitimately being in the shit…
While pretty much every single Army person over the rank of E8 and every Officer O-1 and higher gets a “Bronze Star” just for deploying and doing their job these days? (Meritorious, of course – but nobody ever mentions that when they talk about their ‘two bronze stars’ or list them on their resume)
WT actual F, Over.
Or see the Bronze Star on a license plate….Pfffft
Kilo3/7, Can you get me a Bronze Star then (SARC)? I was a E-8 deployed 4 times to Iraq and never got the Bronze Star! I did how ever get the Purple Heart (Desert Storm) and the ARCOM/V. But I agree on there being way to much politics in the awards process. I would like to see awards for valor in combat be sent to a board of five active or retire soldiers who have earned the award. They get the final say as to if the award is bestowed or not. Get the perfumed princes out of the mix. Also Raymond Chandler what maaroooon!! Hey SMA Chandler I am typing this with no PT belt on!!
I did say “over E-8”, haha. One of my guys is a recently separated O-2 who never left the FOB, has one. Our boss is a REMF O-3 who has two, same story. A certain CSM in the area has 2 and the closest he ever came to “outside the wire” was walking under the power lines on his way to the pizza hut at Bastion. Granted, I’m sure not all units are throwing them out like candy but from what these guys say, a lot of them certainly are. And this poor guy gets downgraded to a Silver Star because his rank is too high. SNAFU.
In 08-09 in Baghdad anyone over the rank of SGT. Got a Bronze star for deploying, while those of us who went out the wire and got hurt never even received a Purple Heart, instead they are shuffled off to Battalion and forgot about…. smh.
So if he says he got the MOH 10 years from now would you accuse him of stolen valor and write a humiliating story on him?