Navy corrects Chris Kyle’s DD214
Apparently, it’s big news that the Navy adjusted the number of valor medals that Chris Kyle earned and issued a corrected DD214 to his family, according to USAToday;
The Navy personnel form that Kyle signed and initialed when he left the Navy in 2009 credited him with two Silver Star and six Bronze Star medals with “V” device for valor…However, the Navy’s investigation of Kyle’s record, which began in 2012, determined that Kyle had commendations for one Silver Star and four Bronze Star medals with “V” devices.
Five valor medals is still five more than I have, and probably five more than most of the people who have made a stink about this non-issue. Kyle, himself wrote in his book what was on his initial DD214.
So, what’s the point of all of this? Should we dig Kyle up and slap his corpse? Is that what Greenwald and the grave robbers at The Intercept want? By the way, The Intercept wrote that he had one Silver Star and three Bronze Stars and they were wrong in the end.
Category: Navy
Chris Kyle is still a hero in my book.
I guess the “point of this” is the same as the Iwo Jima picture corrections.
Personally:
His book was written through somebody else. I don’t know that he read that entry in the book and approved it or not. I don’t know that they didn’t plan a correction on the next printing.
Chris was murdered by a coward that violated a trusted friendship.
Correct the record, but I see no evidence that Chris Kyle intentionally made or perpetuated false claims.
Since he can’t respond to any form of criticism in this matter, I don’t care to speculate any further and won’t think any less of him.
RIP
Indeed, an awful lot of buzzards are taking full advantage of the fact that he’s conveniently unavailable for comment.
I see no reason to dig deep to find fault with Kyle at all. He may or may not have told a few tall tales. What sailor doesn’t tell sea stories when he’s pounded down a few? Can we just let sleeping dogs lie?
I don’t see any tall tales. I see a truthful statement of what was on his DD-214 at the time he wrote it, and still on his DD-214 at the time he was murdered. The fact that the Navy saw fit to “correct” that DD-214 after his death is completely immaterial.
No winners in this.
Long complicated story, or so it seems.
Men died. Sad.
I think the guy was legit.
But there were mistakes, errors and possible embellishment(s) involved.
By Kyle, or others, who knows? I imagine it will shake out in the end.
Sad.
Once again, no winners on this one.
For the third time, sad.
Considering Chris Kyle’s service and the lives he saved, if the only award he had was the NDSM, he would still be the same hero in my book! I hold him in no less esteem for any correction of his records. By the way, even the corrected records still speak volumes to this man’s courage and service to our nation and his fellow warriors.
Bingo! Exactly. Many incredible heroes have never been recognized. Doesn’t lower the impact of their achievements one bit.
So he had an official DD-214 that said he had the awards that he claimed? Seems like the end of the controversy to me.
Shut the fuck up about military matters, Glenn Greenwald.
Except that excuse doesn’t fly for people with less, noteworthy for lack of a better word, careers in the military. Seems sort of hypocritical.
If I understand the situation, he reported what was on his paperwork. After he was dead, someone made a correction.
Are you seriously expecting his corpse to request a revision? Are you tryign to say he should not have stated what was on his official record?
If you have never seen how incredibly fouled-up military paperwork can become, it is entirely possible that he was recommended for and awarded items that never made it back to his commander for presentaion, or that arrived after he left.
I spent my entire tour cleaning up screwed up awards, bolluxed up by my predecessor. I can easily see somone like Kyle genuinely unaware of exactly what he had, without referring to his paperwork.
People get crucified for claiming stuff they cant back up with paperwork, not for stating what is on paperwork they have.
Sheesh….
I hear what you are saying but to be fair more than one of the phonies busted on this very site had careers to be envious of with official paperwork to back up even higher claims that weren’t true. They were called out.
Maybe he did it on purpose, maybe he didn’t. I didn’t know the guy personally but from everything I’ve read he didn’t seem to be lacking in the ego department so who knows…
That said he had a responsibility like everyone leaving the service to make sure his records were correct. At any time he could have looked into it and filed a 215; it’s quite easy. We aren’t talking minor dates here: we are talking about awards a lot of others died earning When he decided to attempt to make a career of his military exploits he had a second opportunity(see: obligation) to make sure what he claimed was correct.
I don’t know about you but I’d remember being awarded two Silver Stars….
In the end we have to hold them all to the same standard or you lose credibility pointing out the other embellishments in others careers.
“…more than one of the phonies busted on this very site had careers to be envious of with official paperwork to back up even higher claims that weren’t true.”
Since you have more than one from which to choose, name one in which there was no suggestion of fraud or outright fraud on the embellisher’s part. I don’t doubt you, of course, it’s just that I can’t recall one and I’ve been around here for years.
I served in peacetime, when nothing interesting was happening.
We had a few long-service NCOs who’s ribbon rack should have said “continued on back”. The were the sort with so many AAMs and ARCOMS that one would be hard pressed to remember them all. Top that off with some of the higher-speed non-combat sorts.
What if Kyle was the sort to not pay much attention to his own collection of bling? One of those NCOs I mentioned above was admonished for not updating his rack on his class A’s. He stopped pinning on the oak leaves. And yes, he tended to be a “just doing my job” type, not a “ME! ME! ME! Look at ME!” type.
Absent any evidence of intent to deceive, or intent to falsify on the part of Chris Kyle, let the dead rest. Plenty of real live able-to-reply liars (CoughHillary! Cough. Cough.) to spend time exposing.
A comparison to oak leaf clusters is those retardted campaign stars for the Iraq medal. I’ve never worn one, never will. Too complicated for this Infantyman to figure out.
You’re full of it. The phonies featured here LIE about what is on their DD-214s. Chris Kyle never lied about what was on his DD-214. No hypocrisy or excuses involved.
He printed awards he didn’t have in his book. If that’s not the definition of lying then what is?
And as far as not paying attention to his awards, come on. Were I awarded a Silver Star or two it would tend to stick in my mind. Especially, as pointed out, soldiers and sailors have more then an obligation to not claim\wear awards not earned.
It’s stolen valor when the person who does it isn’t a seal with a movie, but just a sailor telling tales after a few when he is. Give me a break.
Nobody wants to say what we all know is probably the truth: this is a case of a one time real life Badass who thought his past good deeds were a free ticket to being believed on anything. Again, it’s a Silver Star we are talking about. His ego got the best of him; just because he was killed\is dead means it should be forgiven. Case in point the stolen valor cases listed here that weren’t exposed until after death.
All the others exposed here have a responsibility to keep care of their records and not claim things that aren’t true….except him?
But then again they weren’t C list celebrities….
I retired in 2012 after enlisting in 1987. I never gave a shit about awards rarely wore class A’s. Went through all my records prior to my DD-214 review and was shocked at the number of ARCOMs and AAMs I’d accumulated. Some of us truly do not keep score on awards. Chris Kyle reported what was on his official 214. Was it in error? Apparently so. That doesn’t make it a lie. There’s a difference.
An excuse that may hold more water if we were talking about anything other than Silver\Bronze Stars. He clearly “remembered” enough to write a memoir of his exploits after all; yet wasn’t sure about a medal 2nd to the MOH.
I’m not convinced it was a simple error based on the medals in question, his past conduct\ego and the simple fact he was more valuable as a commodity having two Silver Stars. I think he got caught up trying to sell himself and lost perspective. Too bad he can’t be impeached on the subject now.
Bringing the truth go light is important but kicking a dead horse isn’t. The same I’d say about all stolen valor cases….when they stop doing it!
That horse has your boot prints all over it.
And that seems extremely hypocritical given the nature of this website and the number of phonies who will forever be displayed here.
Still awaiting that example, clong. And, while you’re coming up empty on that, how about the cite to the percentage of US prisoners who have, as you put it, some military experience. And you added another spoon of bullshit in yet another comment. It has to do with valor medals and the order of precedence. But, hell, you’re 0-2, so with that third swing and miss, you’re out anyway.
2/17 – Don’t feed the troll. The long and short of it is that this troll refuses to C the facts which might convince him of the truth. His mind is made up, and he cannot now find it so he can change it.
You know, you are missing the point that his 214 and his assertions matched. I have been out a while but it was not uncommon for some superior to state “I’ve put you in for such and so” and have the award, or a downgraded one, show up years afterward. Let’s try a hypothetical “Kyle, I’m poutting you in for XX for this” “OK, sir, thank”…Years later “Here’s your 214 Chief, looks like you did a helluva job – sign down at the bottom if it looks right” “OK, thanks, I’m gone”. At last in my years, such a scenario would be extremely likely…and if I was curious what my accurate count was, I would refer back to my 214. Is that embellishing? Or, even harsher, lying? I don’t think so.
And you know that Janos and his legal team will try to use this as an example of “Kyle’s lying and stretching of the truth”
Like the kills he claimed in Garland or NOLA?
The man was a lying sack of shit in addition to all his good work. The fact that this community which costantly states that someone’s servic was enough to be proud of till they started telling tales is willfully ignoring all the self aggrandizing lies Kyle told. Crying shame that a man who did so much so well had to tarnish it.
“That fireman saved 16 kids from a burning orphanage.”
“Yeah, well, I was in school with him and I know he cheated on a test!”
“That fireman saved 16 kids from a burning orphanage.”
“Yeah, well, there were 20 kids in that orphanage so I guess he came up short. He didn’t save them all.”
If you need my point explained, CMM451, I’ll be happy to explain it more plainly.
These are fair points. Those closest to him (wife, friends, fellow SEALS) described him as having a love for “tall tales”. Tall tales in court = lies.
He was in the Navy and I have never known a sailor who wasn’t a bullshitter. I do not see the value in disparaging Kyle, although I get that in our society, it is all the rage to turn heroes into slime and slime into heroes.
That’s what it boils down to. He had no need to make things up. A second Silver Star isn’t something that slips your memory one would think.
The navy looking into and correcting the docs was the right thing to do; Kyle certainly didn’t seem inclined to do it himself before writing his book. This could have easily gone the other way with the Navy finding out he had the medals ; the need to find out was the right instinct.
If someone is willing to look the other way due to his celebrity, well that’s a personal decision I suppose. Just know you are trading credibility for when you call out another embellishing case.
Blah, blah, blah. See my direct reply to you above? It’s at 5:46. How about serving up that one example from the multiple examples you had in mind.
Still looking Clong? Hitting the TAH archives? I though for sure that you would have a ready example to serve up, what with your authoritative statement and all.
The Navy Times headline: “Navy: SEAL Chris Kyle never earned a 2nd Silver Star.” First, he may well have earned multiple Silver Stars in the eyes of those whose Guardian Angel he was, but was officially recognized by Navydom with one. Second, the article’s author then says, “In an unusual move, the service has re-issued the DD-214 discharge paperwork to support the medals that the late Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Chris Kyle received during his 10-year Navy career.” The same article, further down, points out that “Navy officials say they found no evidence of any tampering with his original DD-214 and said reissuing the DD214 on June 14 fixed a discrepancy that had come to light. The service, officials say, reissues thousands of discharge papers every year.” “In 2015 alone the Navy corrected more than 3,800 DD-214s.” (Navy spokesman Ens. Marc Rockwellpate.) So, which is it? Was the move unusual as the Navy Times called it or was it common, as the Navy spokesman’s description suggest? I know which. My question is why does the Navy Times want to play games. Kyle’s DD214 showed the Silver Stars and Bronze Stars. For my money, the Navy fucked up and owes Mrs. Kyle an apology. End of story.
http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2016/07/08/chris-kyle-dd-214-silver-star-bronze-star-navy/86465044/
Good points. I’ve been wondering for a while why the media doesn’t like Kyle. The only time I’ve ever been called by the Washington Post for a quote is that one time I said that Kyle shouldn’t get the Medal of Honor.
Heroic veterans do not fit the agenda. Thus, the more heroic, the more they seek to destroy them.
Ted Kennedy can leave his girlfriend to drown in four feet of water, and no presstitute would say “boo”. Let someone with the Medal flick a booger on the gound, and it will be lead story for two weeks.
Why? It’s simple. He was everything they are NOT.
Even such military-oriented publications as Army Times and Navy Times are staffed by graduates of lefty journo schools. Those jerks are going to inject their viewpoint wherever they get the chance. It’s a sad truth that those bastards even influence the news agenda in the military community.
Chief Kyle didn’t do what he did for medals, he did it because he was devoted to his brother warriors. That’s all I need to know about the man.
And -that- is why some seek to destroy his memory.
Concur.
Well, Greenwald sure showed him!
What the difference between someone with two Silver Stars and one Silver Star? Not a FUCKING thing! They’re both heroes.
Not Greenwald is a different story. If he had been in situations 1/10th the intensity Kyle faced, he’d still be cleaning the shit out of his drawers.
Hoopla for an incorrect DD-214 for someone with Chris’ credentials? Piffle. Who gives a damn? That it is a national story just shows that veterans are still held in disregard despite today’s “thank you for your service” meme. I’ve come to the conclusion that anyone on the left who says “thank you for your service” are just saying it to show their “virtue” by speaking a phrase they have no belief in. Fuckheads. What is wrong with these assholes that keep trying to debase Chris’ gallantry and valor?
My DD-214 doesn’t show my NAM w valor device. The medal was presented to me after I returned to Reserve duty. I don’t care that it is not shown on the DD-214. Anyone else here have an incorrect DD-214? I wouldn’t be surprised if 10-20% are fouled up.
aGrimm – do as I did. Apply for your DD-215, it will show all that you deserve. I did (minor additions) and it only took a couple of weeks to receive. Those updates don’t compare to Chris’ DD-214, nor for most of the fine people that post herein.
I’m still praying for Chris’ family and those fine police officers in Dallas and elsewhere that lost their lives.
Nuff said.
God Bless America!
None of my schools are listed. Also, I missed out on a AAM because my section chief filled out everything on the wrong form.
Shaking my head……..I guess we all worked with incompetent asshole every now and then.
Chip…..do you have ANY recourse? I know it would piss me off big time!!
I was only in for two years and guess I got lucky.
Nah. No big deal. I earned one for Desert Storm. There are a lot of things that were overlooked. Our advance party team was ambushed by a platoon of Republican Guard. It might have even been a company. They hit everything but us. We jumped out of the back of our deuce 1/2. There were only 12-15 of us. One man in particular was firing AT-4s at them. We held them off long enough for a Big Red One unit to come and save us. The Iraqis did not do anything wreckless and rush us like you see in movies. The Iraqis quickly surrendered when they saw the 1st Infantry division’s armor. All of them. Not a single one of us was recognized for this action. Some of those same guys never even got a AAM. I had 3 1st SGTs relieved of duty. It was enough for me to decide I would not reenlist after my four year hitch.
Here, maybe the President and a great many Navy people got this wrong about Chris Kyle, too.
http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=307606
A mistake on a DD-214 that was later corrected? OK.
This is just not a news story. It happens every day. Mostly the mistakes are never corrected, and no one ever knows about it. Or cares.
Why, again, should this concern any of us?
Bingo, OWB!
For God’s sake, I didn’t get my 1968 issued DD-214 corrected with a DD-215 (sent it to Jonn because I felt I had to) until a few months ago.
Duh, on me!
I’m drinking whiskey…too bad it isn’t in Valhalla out of Glenn Greenwald’s skull.
Four Roses Bourbon here and when that runs out (shortly) Woodford Reserve! OH YES!
Jack Single Barrel here…a present. Free whiskey goes down smoother.
Give me your address and I’ll be there in 10.
Have you tried Gentleman Jack? Been in trouble with that one a few times. 🙂
If it’s free, it’s for me!
Oh yeah I’ve emptied a few bottles of gentleman Jack. Jack and Glenlivet and my usual fare
OK! I guess I’m not getting an invite so I just opened the Woodford! C’mon over! lol
It’ll be a tough wake up, but what the hell!! You only live once.
Have a good night, IDC!
I missed that (buzzzed), sorry. Of course, all are welcome at this harborsite.
Enjoy the Woodford!
As for the Woodford….you know I will.
Sleep well, my friend.
I can’t believe I can still find the keyboard on this damn laptop….lol.
SARC, Greenwald’s skull? I’d think the cumulative, residual sperm taste might be off-putting…
I have the means and the experience to thoroughly remove such residue.
(trust me, you don’t want to know)
Five more than I!
Time puts this story in their “Entertainment” section.
If there are this many mistakes in filling in simple forms on a computer, why aren’t there quite so many on the old-fashioned typed forms?
Oh. My. G……..
I spent my whole tour cleaning up prior awards that were screwed up (certificate but no orders, unsigned, etc) and processing new ones. The Army had swtiched to a new hand-written form, and, sadly, pennmanship was apparently not and Army value. Some of the recommendations looked like they might as well have been done in crayon. I was completely untrained and unqualified for the job, but I was the one handed the mailbag and typewriter, so I did what I could to Repair the FUBAR. (OK, also a word processor, Lexetron, one each.)
All it takes to screw up the whole award system is one lazy, stupid, and/or vindictive clerk. I strongly suspect one retiring E-7 did not get a retirement ARCOM as intended because he had “disciplinary” run-ins with a clerk. We were able to find the players from back about 1.5 years, and get it resubmitted, but I was out before it was fully resolved.
It is the equivalent of a clerk round-filing a promotion packet, or a medic losing a shot record. (Do -not- whizz off medics. Shudder….)
“Gee. SFC Hardaz turned my buddy in for an Article 15. He can kiss this award packet goodbye. Oops. I dropped it in the burn bag. Silly me.”
I suspect that if NCOs were still allowed to beat the daylights out of troublemakers, there would be much, much less of this crap going on.
Had a former CPO buddy who, at one point, was in charge of everyone’s personal files in the five-sided-asylum for the USN. Some officer wanted to assign him a known Blue Falcon, in order to get shut of him. My buddy’s response was “if you do, the only person’s file he will be responsible for is yours.”
The Blue Falcon was assigned somewhere else.
One way to look at it – those who are obsessing over Chris Kyle’s DD-214 are:
a) Easily marked as idiots.
b) Being kept from doing something else that might really do harm while obsessing here.