restricted to the combat zone or to the military culture, but that's another article). This struck me hard about six months ago in the den of a Vietnam Veteran I
had served with. This man had served two tours in Vietnam, including a year with aboard a patrol boat with an officer who received several of our nation's highest awards for heroism and gallantry in action. This former enlisted man had stood by that officer in the same combat,
exposed himself to the same risk, was part of the same team that
prevailed, and his officer left him behind with nothing but a Purple
Heart. To my mind this is a terrible injustice.
Since I belong to an association of those who served in Navy patrol boats in Vietnam, I decided to see if I could improve the situation. After all, the one mantra that was ingrained into me by my father, and by the traditions of my service, was that my number one responsibility as an officer is to take care of my men (or women, to be contemporarily correct). So, I did a bit of research and discovered that there is no statute of limitations on awards. I found the office in the Pentagon that deals with awards, and I got the guidance I needed. The process is simple. An officer in charge of a unit is fully authorized to recommend any member of his "command" for a military decoration. Thinking this information would be of us, I requested to have it published in our quarterly newsletter. That's when the fecal matter hit the fan. Not only was the information not well received by a surprising number of officers, it stirred up a backlash of resentment that shocked me. It was as if I was not |
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merely passing information to enable officers to fix what they may have forgotten, it was as if I was personally accusing them of deliberately avoiding their respons- ability. What I received was
not gratitude, what I received was anger and resentment. However, the enlisted folks "got it."
So, I send this message to all military officers. It is never too late
to do the right thing. If you feel you may have forgotten your men or women, you can still rectify that by contacting the office in your
service responsible for processing military awards. For those of us from the Vietnam era and before, time is running out. Just a year ago I helped a friend of mine facilitate the awarding of a Distinguished
Flying Cross to an 84-year old former B-24 tail gunner. I will never forget the look on that man's face as he joined the other members of his crew who had received the same medal nearly sixty years before.
I often recall the words of General George S. Patton in response to a member of the press. Struck by the magnificent display on the General's chest, the reporter commented, "You must be very proud of all your medals, General." "Son, these medals are not mine, I wear them for the men who earned them." Wade Sanders is a former deputy assistant secretary of the Navy, a decorated combat veteran and attorney practicing in San Diego. He can be reached at wade2000@cox.net. [Have an opinion on this analysis? Sound off here.] © 2003 Wade R. Sanders. All opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not |
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necessarily reflect those of Military.com.
FIVE MOST DANGEROUS THINGS IN THE ! The five most dangerous things the Marine Corps: A Private saying, "I learned this in Basic Training..." A Sergeant saying, "Trust me, sir..." A Second Lieutenant saying, "Based on my experience..." A Captain saying, "I was just thinking..." A Sergeant Major chuckling, "Watch this CRAP..." A MARINE'S STORY A Marine Named Archie Editor's Note: This is a personal recollection by Richard W. Williams, an enlisted Marine Corps infantryman who served in Vietnam in 1969, posted in the 1st Marine Division site at Grunts.net, a military history website. It has been slightly edited for grammar. By Richard W. Williams I was a grunt in India Company 3/5 in 1969. But this is not a war story. This is a story about the Espirit de Corps of the 1st Marine Division. I lived in Boca Raton, Florida. Prior to joining the Marines in 1968, I learned that there was a Marine who lived close by my home. I knocked on his door and his wife answered. I merely said I was considering joining the Marines and I understood her husband was a former Marine. I was hoping he'd let me ask him a few questions about what to expect. As any good Marine's wife she let me in and introduced me to her husband, "Archie." |
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