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- because I can't top the last one and still be family friendly. What's the deal with all the kiddy pron aficionados in the news these days? (For reasons other than kiddy pron.) I mean, the Ft Hood bomber and this guy, too.... Read More
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I don't know what I find the most disgusting:
kiddie pron
being a lawyer
being an ENVIRONMENTAL lawyer
big supporter of John F'ing Kerry
I really want to know more about his fake medal, and who awarded it and the details of how it was awarded. And, I want that compared to Kerry's awards as well, which I believe are also undeserved.
Pulling the medal, however, is merited by his actions as Paedophile. I'd pull any awards to Randy Cunningham as well, or any other war hero that compromised his integrity later.
Unfortunately, and like all human processes, the awarding of medals by the military, even awards for valor, are subject to various forms of corruption. During my own all-expense-paid tour of sunny Southeast Asia, one of our company's platoon leaders was put in for a Silver Star after having basically deserted, with his Platoon Sergeant and radio operator, the rest of his platoon when their platoon-size ambush was in turn ambushed. When the rest of the company found out about the pending award, the word went out that not many would be attending any award ceremony and those who did would not be highly thought of, a sub-optimal situation at best when co-located with a bunch of angry young men with automatic weapons or worse.
Admittedly, this was an extreme case but part of the infantry folk wisdom was that the higher the rank, the less that was required to earn an medal. One of the "jokes" was that a General flying over a battle in his helicopeter at 3000 feet, or so, would get put in for an award by his Lieutenant who was very impressed by the General's actions.
I don't agree with this, QM, even though I understand what's behind it. I, too, am usually disappointed and often angered when a supposed "hero" does something to tarnish not just his or her own reputation but that of everyone else as well by association.
However, these decorations (at least in an ideal world) have been awarded for specific actions at a specific time and place, when these individuals - despite whatever flaws they may have had then or may have in the future - rose to the occasion, displayed some true character, and did what they could to advance the mission. They earned the decorations, and should keep them.
Ultimately they are quietly admiting their award process failed. But I think there is too much dishonesty here. The review looks cooked up with the kiddie porn being the real reason.
If the review is not cooked up and the process really failed that's alarming and they need to do more than rovoke someone's award. Especially considering the money and time spent in this area. If it is cooked up then they have just devalued the award itself and will be tempted to cook it up whenever it suits.
That was, unfortunately, *not* a joke in a couple of cases.
I know of an O-5 who was awarded a DFC and the closest he got to the action I was involved in was line-of-sight -- at 5,000 feet, from three klicks away..
When I was in starting in '72, we all got the NDSM. In the Navy we called it the "Geedunk" medal. There were a couple of guys who had been to 'nam that had awards for valor under, shall we say, questionable circumstances. We called those guys "geedunk" heroes. We also called candy and soda "geedunk." so it tells you what value we placed on it.
Bill I heard several other stories about such high ranking heroes in 'nam. I haven't discussed 'nam much with either Col. Bob Blankenship or Bob Pope (two VHPA members down here), but I haven't been inclined to dig some of their war stories out of them. As a result so I haven't been able to try to confirm any of teh stories I've heard that i place in the apocryphal column.
If you run into Col. Blankenship at a reunion, you might want to tease him about where he went wrong. A grandson just graduated boot at Parris Island.
Until this last one, which only took, two.
I'm with King George V, who said in 1920, when the provision to revoke the Victoria Cross was itself revoked, "King George V felt quite strongly that there was nothing that a Victoria Cross recipient could do that was bad enough to warrant revoking it. In fact, he wrote that "Even were a VC to be sentenced to be hanged for murder, he should be allowed to wear his VC on the gallows".
Absent perhaps treason, on the day of the award, they stood tall and did what was needful. I don't think a valor award means you have to spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder in that regard.
Even a paedophile. We have all the needful tools to deal with that already.
/mild rant
We knew the NDSM (National Defense Service Medal) as the "Everybody Ribbon".
As to the revocation of awards, I had a machine gunner who got himself killed earning a Distinguished Service Cross. A couple CIDs showed up a couple of weeks later about a couple of packages he had sent home. Thankfully, they decided not to get off the bird. (The old I don't think we can guarantee your safety ruse.) Revocation never entered anybody's mind I knew. Done is done. Fraud though, would be a different matter.
God Bless!!
/This is my personal view, with a little bit of rant, thrown in for good measure.