- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 160
What an amazing story! And he was only 21! Love to hear about these stories.
USMC Medal of Honor holder Dakota Meyer (medal, marriage, merged)
- Thread starter midget-boyd91
- Start date
- Reaction score
- 3
- Points
- 430
The more I read about this guy, the more I think that we need more people like him in this world.
A truly class act all the way. He should inspire all, not just those in the military.
After judge rules that FDNY application extension could hurt minorities, Marine bows out
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/lawyer-says-marine-offered-fdny-application-deadline-extension-but-wont-accept-it/2011/09/27/gIQAV7h20K_story.html
The judge had been willing to grant a 24-hour application extension for Sgt. Dakota Meyer, who saved the lives of 36 people during an ambush in Afghanistan two years ago. Meyer missed the FDNY’s application deadline because he was busy with official Medal of Honor commitments and ceremonies, said Keith Sullivan, his attorney.
But when the city offered to reopen the application process to the public, Brooklyn Judge Nicholas Garaufis refused, saying a brief extension would create a risk of “adverse impact” on minority groups who are under-represented in the ranks of the FDNY. Instead, the judge agreed to grant Meyer a one-day exception because he is “one exceptional individual.”
That didn’t seem fair to Meyer, who charged five times in a Humvee into heavy gunfire in the darkness of an Afghanistan valley to rescue comrades under attack from Taliban insurgents.
A truly class act all the way. He should inspire all, not just those in the military.
After judge rules that FDNY application extension could hurt minorities, Marine bows out
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/lawyer-says-marine-offered-fdny-application-deadline-extension-but-wont-accept-it/2011/09/27/gIQAV7h20K_story.html
The judge had been willing to grant a 24-hour application extension for Sgt. Dakota Meyer, who saved the lives of 36 people during an ambush in Afghanistan two years ago. Meyer missed the FDNY’s application deadline because he was busy with official Medal of Honor commitments and ceremonies, said Keith Sullivan, his attorney.
But when the city offered to reopen the application process to the public, Brooklyn Judge Nicholas Garaufis refused, saying a brief extension would create a risk of “adverse impact” on minority groups who are under-represented in the ranks of the FDNY. Instead, the judge agreed to grant Meyer a one-day exception because he is “one exceptional individual.”
That didn’t seem fair to Meyer, who charged five times in a Humvee into heavy gunfire in the darkness of an Afghanistan valley to rescue comrades under attack from Taliban insurgents.
- Reaction score
- 1,471
- Points
- 1,260
Re: "After judge rules that FDNY application extension could hurt minorities, Marine bows out"
There are many interested in joining:
FDNY reports 61,439 members of the public applied this year ( closed 20 Sept. ) for the general open-competitive list:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/events/2011/092011a.shtml
"You must not have reached your 29th birthday by July 15, 2011 to be eligible to take the Firefighter Examination."
Points are awarded for NYC residency, and family "legacy".
But first:
FDNY's 3,000 paramedics and EMTs who wish an occupational transfer to firefighter are called before the above "off the street" applicants on the general open-competitive list:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/community/ems_ff_promo_042607.shtml
The last recruitment was in 2006. His attorney said, "He will apply for the exam when it's given again in four years."
There are many interested in joining:
FDNY reports 61,439 members of the public applied this year ( closed 20 Sept. ) for the general open-competitive list:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/events/2011/092011a.shtml
"You must not have reached your 29th birthday by July 15, 2011 to be eligible to take the Firefighter Examination."
Points are awarded for NYC residency, and family "legacy".
But first:
FDNY's 3,000 paramedics and EMTs who wish an occupational transfer to firefighter are called before the above "off the street" applicants on the general open-competitive list:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/community/ems_ff_promo_042607.shtml
The last recruitment was in 2006. His attorney said, "He will apply for the exam when it's given again in four years."
- Reaction score
- 1,259
- Points
- 1,160
Mods: This subject is also at: http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/102566/post-1075497.html#msg1075497
Marine hero sues contractor
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Marine-hero-sues-contractor-2313081.php#photo-1813540
San Antonio Express News - Wednesday, November 30, 2011
A U.S. Marine given the nation's highest award for valor is suing a military contractor he says ridiculed his Medal of Honor, called him mentally unstable and suggested he had a drinking problem, thereby costing him a job.
Dakota Meyer received the Medal of Honor in September, two years after the young corporal saved 36 lives during a six-hour ambush in Afghanistan.
He's the third living recipient of the award for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan. After the medal was approved, President Barack Obama waited to call until Meyer's lunch break because the 23-year-old worried about taking a call on the job.
In a defamation lawsuit filed in San Antonio, Meyer alleges that his former employer, BAE Systems OASYS Inc., ruined his chances at landing a new job by telling a prospective employer that he was a poor worker during a three-month stint earlier this year.
A BAE Systems manager said Meyer “was mentally unstable, that Sgt. Meyer was not performing BAE tasks assigned and that Sgt. Meyer had a problem related to drinking in a social setting,” according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, seeks unspecified damages.
BAE Systems spokesman Brian Roehrkasse told the Associated Press on Tuesday that the company was grateful to Meyer for his bravery but strongly disagreed with his claims. He called Meyer's actions in Afghanistan “heroic” x and wished him success.
Lawyers for Meyer did not return a phone message Tuesday.
Meyer was working construction in his home state of Kentucky when he was awarded the Medal of Honor. In September 2009, Meyer was just 21 when, defying orders from his commanders, he charged five times in a Humvee into heavy gunfire and provided cover for his team, allowing many to escape likely death. He killed at least eight Taliban insurgents.
According to the lawsuit filed Monday, BAE hired Meyer in March but the relationship quickly soured. Meyer said he became dismayed in April upon learning BAE had pursued sales of weapons systems to Pakistan, and sent an email to his supervisor expressing his disapproval.
Meyer wrote that it was “disturbing” how U.S. troops were being issued outdated equipment when better, advanced thermal optic scopes were being offered to Pakistan.
“We are simply taking the best gear, the best technology on the market to date and giving to guys that are known to stab us in the back,” Meyer wrote in the email, according to the lawsuit.
Roehrkasse, the BAE spokesman, said it's the State Department and not BAE that makes the decision on which military-related products can be exported.
“In recent years, the U.S. government has approved the export of defense-related goods from numerous defense companies to Pakistan as part of the United States' bilateral relationship with that country,” Roehrkasse said.
Meyer claims his supervisor began berating and belittling him after sending the email, at one point allegedly taunting him about his Medal of Honor by calling it Meyer's “pending star status.”
That supervisor, Bobby McCreight, also is named in the lawsuit and still is employed by BAE. Roehrkasse said McCreight is a former decorated Marine sniper.
Meyer resided in Austin during his employment with BAE Systems OASYS Inc., while McCreight, his supervisor, was business development director for BAE Systems OASYS in San Antonio.
“In business development, they were able to work remotely,” Roehrkasse explained, adding he did not believe Meyer ever worked in San Antonio.
BAE Systems operates at least two offices in San Antonio, one at Port San Antonio and another on the Northwest Side on Silicon Drive. Most BAE Systems personnel in San Antonio, however, work at the city's military installations, Roehrkasse said.
On Oct. 11, McCreight appeared at a Washington news briefing on BAE Systems' thermal imagers, or weapon sights. BAE Systems acquired OASYS Technology LLC, based in New Hampshire, in October 2010.
The lawsuit, filed in 166th District Court, states the lawsuit was filed in Bexar County because that is where the alleged defamation occurred.
Meyer resigned from BAE in May. He then tried obtaining a job at a former employer, San Diego-based Ausgar Technologies, but the lawsuit claims the opportunity fell through after McCreight characterized Meyer as a poor employee during a conversation with a manager who had to approve new hires.
“Bottom line, it was determined that ..... you were not recommended to be placed back on the team due to being mentally unstable and no performing on OASYS tasks assigned,” according to an email from an Ausgar manager included in the lawsuit.
Valerie Ellis, an administrator at Ausgar, said the company had no comment when reached Tuesday.
Meyer is represented by the DeShazo & Nesbitt L.L.P. law firm in Austin, while McCreight is represented by the San Antonio law firm of Davis, Cedillo & Mendoza.
Express-News Business Writer David Hendricks contributed to the Associated Press report.
Marine hero sues contractor
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Marine-hero-sues-contractor-2313081.php#photo-1813540
San Antonio Express News - Wednesday, November 30, 2011
A U.S. Marine given the nation's highest award for valor is suing a military contractor he says ridiculed his Medal of Honor, called him mentally unstable and suggested he had a drinking problem, thereby costing him a job.
Dakota Meyer received the Medal of Honor in September, two years after the young corporal saved 36 lives during a six-hour ambush in Afghanistan.
He's the third living recipient of the award for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan. After the medal was approved, President Barack Obama waited to call until Meyer's lunch break because the 23-year-old worried about taking a call on the job.
In a defamation lawsuit filed in San Antonio, Meyer alleges that his former employer, BAE Systems OASYS Inc., ruined his chances at landing a new job by telling a prospective employer that he was a poor worker during a three-month stint earlier this year.
A BAE Systems manager said Meyer “was mentally unstable, that Sgt. Meyer was not performing BAE tasks assigned and that Sgt. Meyer had a problem related to drinking in a social setting,” according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, seeks unspecified damages.
BAE Systems spokesman Brian Roehrkasse told the Associated Press on Tuesday that the company was grateful to Meyer for his bravery but strongly disagreed with his claims. He called Meyer's actions in Afghanistan “heroic” x and wished him success.
Lawyers for Meyer did not return a phone message Tuesday.
Meyer was working construction in his home state of Kentucky when he was awarded the Medal of Honor. In September 2009, Meyer was just 21 when, defying orders from his commanders, he charged five times in a Humvee into heavy gunfire and provided cover for his team, allowing many to escape likely death. He killed at least eight Taliban insurgents.
According to the lawsuit filed Monday, BAE hired Meyer in March but the relationship quickly soured. Meyer said he became dismayed in April upon learning BAE had pursued sales of weapons systems to Pakistan, and sent an email to his supervisor expressing his disapproval.
Meyer wrote that it was “disturbing” how U.S. troops were being issued outdated equipment when better, advanced thermal optic scopes were being offered to Pakistan.
“We are simply taking the best gear, the best technology on the market to date and giving to guys that are known to stab us in the back,” Meyer wrote in the email, according to the lawsuit.
Roehrkasse, the BAE spokesman, said it's the State Department and not BAE that makes the decision on which military-related products can be exported.
“In recent years, the U.S. government has approved the export of defense-related goods from numerous defense companies to Pakistan as part of the United States' bilateral relationship with that country,” Roehrkasse said.
Meyer claims his supervisor began berating and belittling him after sending the email, at one point allegedly taunting him about his Medal of Honor by calling it Meyer's “pending star status.”
That supervisor, Bobby McCreight, also is named in the lawsuit and still is employed by BAE. Roehrkasse said McCreight is a former decorated Marine sniper.
Meyer resided in Austin during his employment with BAE Systems OASYS Inc., while McCreight, his supervisor, was business development director for BAE Systems OASYS in San Antonio.
“In business development, they were able to work remotely,” Roehrkasse explained, adding he did not believe Meyer ever worked in San Antonio.
BAE Systems operates at least two offices in San Antonio, one at Port San Antonio and another on the Northwest Side on Silicon Drive. Most BAE Systems personnel in San Antonio, however, work at the city's military installations, Roehrkasse said.
On Oct. 11, McCreight appeared at a Washington news briefing on BAE Systems' thermal imagers, or weapon sights. BAE Systems acquired OASYS Technology LLC, based in New Hampshire, in October 2010.
The lawsuit, filed in 166th District Court, states the lawsuit was filed in Bexar County because that is where the alleged defamation occurred.
Meyer resigned from BAE in May. He then tried obtaining a job at a former employer, San Diego-based Ausgar Technologies, but the lawsuit claims the opportunity fell through after McCreight characterized Meyer as a poor employee during a conversation with a manager who had to approve new hires.
“Bottom line, it was determined that ..... you were not recommended to be placed back on the team due to being mentally unstable and no performing on OASYS tasks assigned,” according to an email from an Ausgar manager included in the lawsuit.
Valerie Ellis, an administrator at Ausgar, said the company had no comment when reached Tuesday.
Meyer is represented by the DeShazo & Nesbitt L.L.P. law firm in Austin, while McCreight is represented by the San Antonio law firm of Davis, Cedillo & Mendoza.
Express-News Business Writer David Hendricks contributed to the Associated Press report.
- Reaction score
- 3
- Points
- 430
It appears that the public affairs people may be guilty of an unsportsman-like conduct (embellishment) penalty.
Marines promoted inflated story for Medal of Honor winner
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/marines-promoted-inflated-story-for-medal-of-honor-winner/2011/12/14/gIQAlhYwuO_story.html
WASHINGTON — With Dakota Meyer standing at attention in his dress uniform, sweat glistening on his forehead under the television lights, President Barack Obama extolled the former Marine corporal for the “extraordinary actions” that had earned him the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor.
Obama told the audience in the White House East Room on Sept. 15 that Meyer had driven into the heart of a savage ambush in eastern Afghanistan against orders. He’d killed insurgents at near-point-blank range, twice leapt from his gun turret to rescue two dozen Afghan soldiers and saved the lives of 13 U.S. service members as he fought to recover the bodies of four comrades, the president said.
But there’s a problem with this account: Crucial parts that the Marine Corps publicized and Obama described are untrue, unsubstantiated or exaggerated, according to dozens of military documents McClatchy Newspapers examined.
However, the reporter investigating says that the honour was still deserved.
What’s most striking is that all this probably was unnecessary. Meyer, the 296th Marine to earn the medal, by all accounts deserved his nomination. At least seven witnesses attested to him performing heroic deeds “in the face of almost certain death.”
Marines promoted inflated story for Medal of Honor winner
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/marines-promoted-inflated-story-for-medal-of-honor-winner/2011/12/14/gIQAlhYwuO_story.html
WASHINGTON — With Dakota Meyer standing at attention in his dress uniform, sweat glistening on his forehead under the television lights, President Barack Obama extolled the former Marine corporal for the “extraordinary actions” that had earned him the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor.
Obama told the audience in the White House East Room on Sept. 15 that Meyer had driven into the heart of a savage ambush in eastern Afghanistan against orders. He’d killed insurgents at near-point-blank range, twice leapt from his gun turret to rescue two dozen Afghan soldiers and saved the lives of 13 U.S. service members as he fought to recover the bodies of four comrades, the president said.
But there’s a problem with this account: Crucial parts that the Marine Corps publicized and Obama described are untrue, unsubstantiated or exaggerated, according to dozens of military documents McClatchy Newspapers examined.
However, the reporter investigating says that the honour was still deserved.
What’s most striking is that all this probably was unnecessary. Meyer, the 296th Marine to earn the medal, by all accounts deserved his nomination. At least seven witnesses attested to him performing heroic deeds “in the face of almost certain death.”
- Reaction score
- 1,259
- Points
- 1,160
To add to the above. Note highlights.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2017017845_medalwinner15.html
Medal of Honor story inflated by the Marines
The Marine Corps promoted an inflated story for Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer, according to dozens of military documents.
By Jonathan S. Landay, McClatchy Newspapers
Editor's note: Correspondent Jonathan S. Landay was embedded with Dakota Meyer's unit and survived the ambush that led to the former Marine's Medal of Honor.
WASHINGTON — With Dakota Meyer standing at attention in his dress uniform, sweat glistening on his forehead, President Obama extolled the former Marine corporal for the "extraordinary actions" that earned him the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor.
Obama told the White House audience Sept. 15 that Meyer had driven into the heart of an ambush in eastern Afghanistan against orders. He had killed insurgents at near-point-blank range, twice leapt from his gun turret to rescue two dozen Afghan soldiers and saved the lives of 13 U.S. service members as he fought to recover the bodies of four comrades, the president said.
There's a problem with this account: Crucial parts that the Marine Corps publicized and Obama described are untrue, unsubstantiated or exaggerated, according to military documents.
Sworn statements by Meyer and others who participated in the battle indicate he didn't save the lives of 13 U.S. service members, leave his vehicle to scoop up 24 Afghans on his first two rescue runs or lead the final push to retrieve the four dead Americans. Moreover, it's unclear from the documents whether Meyer disobeyed orders when he entered the Ganjgal Valley on Sept. 8, 2009.
Statements also offer no proof the Kentucky native "personally killed at least eight Taliban insurgents," as the account on the Marine Corps website says. The driver of Meyer's vehicle attested to seeing "a single enemy go down."
Most striking: All this probably was unnecessary. Meyer, 23, by all accounts deserved his nomination. At least seven witnesses attested to heroic deeds "in the face of almost certain death."
Braving withering fire, he repeatedly returned to the ambush site with Army Capt. William Swenson, of Seattle, and others to retrieve Afghan casualties and the dead Americans. Meyer suffered a shrapnel wound in one arm and was sent home with combat-related stress. His commander, Lt. Col. Kevin Williams, commended him for acts of "conspicuous gallantry at the risk of his life ... above and beyond the call of duty."
But an assessment by this McClatchy correspondent, who was embedded with the unit and survived the ambush, found the Marines' official accounts of Meyer's deeds — retold in a book, countless news reports and on U.S. military websites — were embellished. They're marred by errors and inconsistencies, ascribe actions to Meyer that are unverified or didn't happen and create precise detail out of the jumbled recollections of the Marines, soldiers and pilots engaged in battle.
Medal pressure
The approval of Meyer's medal — in an unusually short time — came as lawmakers and active and former officers pressed for the awarding of more Medals of Honor because of the relatively few conferred in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Ten have been awarded since 2001, seven posthumously.
Meyer is the first living Marine since the Vietnam War to be awarded the honor, first bestowed in 1863.
The process for awarding the medal — designed by Navy rules to leave "no margin of doubt or possibility of error" — involves reviews by commanders at every level of the nominee's chain of command and then by top Pentagon officials. Nominating papers — known as a "medal packet" — typically comprise dozens of sworn witness statements, maps, diagrams, a draft citation and a more detailed account of the deeds.
Senior Marine Corps officials conceded the pressure to award more medals, and to do it quickly. One Marine official said the service felt it deserved the decoration after having served in the toughest, most violent areas of Afghanistan and Iraq.
The Marine Corps said it stands by Meyer's citation. Asked to explain individual discrepancies and embellishments, the Marines drew a distinction between the citation and the account of Meyer's deeds that the Marines constructed. They described that account as "Meyer's narrative of the sequence of events," which Marine officials said they didn't vet.
Hours before this report was published, the Marine Corps inserted a disclaimer into its official online account of Meyer's actions. The Web page now says the summary "was compiled in collaboration" with Meyer and Marine Corps Public Affairs.
Use of narrative hit
A prominent historian of military medals, Doug Sterner, expressed disbelief at the idea that the Marine Corps would publicize an account of a complex battle based solely on the recipient's recollections.
"Give me a break," Sterner said. "A recipient is responsible for writing his narrative? I have never heard of such a thing."
The Marine officials, who requested anonymity, acknowledged portions of the narrative were changed from the account Williams submitted. They said the changes occurred between July, when Obama approved Meyer's nomination, and the September ceremony. Inaccuracies were written into the citation and the narrative of Meyer's deeds, although the narrative contained far more errors and exaggerations.
The president's version drew on materials the Marine Corps provided, but it was written in the White House, the Marine officials said. There's no indication Obama knew he was narrating an embellished story to an audience of several hundred Meyer relatives, top officials, lawmakers and service members.
White House officials said Obama's remarks were based primarily on "extensive documentation provided by the Department of Defense and the Marine Corps," including testimony from Meyer and other witnesses. It also relied on news reports and a 2011 book, "The Wrong War: Grit, Strategy, and the Way Out of Afghanistan," by Bing West. However, the book's account of the battle is riddled with inaccuracies.
Sterner said errors in citations always had haunted recipients and many Medal of Honor winners had been cited for things they didn't do. He added that mounting pressure to find a living recipient made mistakes almost inevitable."Did this man deserve the Medal of Honor? If the answer to that is yes, then the details of the citation become secondary," he said. "But we do need to keep the record as accurately as we possibly can."
The fallout could obscure Meyer's genuine acts of heroism and threaten a book contract, speaking engagements and other deals that have lifted him from the obscurity of rural Greensburg, Ky., to fortune and national renown, including famously having a beer with Obama the day before the ceremony.
Meyer declined to comment Wednesday.
McClatchy Newspapers found that the claim Meyer saved the lives of 13 Marines and U.S. soldiers couldn't be true. Twelve Americans were ambushed — including this correspondent — and of those, four were killed. (One wounded American died a month later.) Moreover, multiple sworn statements affirm McClatchy's firsthand reporting that it was the long-delayed arrival of U.S. helicopters that saved the American survivors.
Holes in the story
No statements attest to Meyer killing eight Taliban as recounted on the Marine Corps website. The driver of Meyer's vehicle, Staff Sgt. Juan Rodriguez-Chavez, reported seeing Meyer kill one insurgent.
No sworn statements — including one Meyer gave to military investigators five days after the battle — refer to him leaping from the Humvee's turret to rescue 24 wounded Afghan soldiers on his first two runs into the valley. Rodriguez-Chavez attested to nine Afghan soldiers getting into the Humvee by themselves while Meyer stayed in the turret.
Four sworn statements, including Rodriguez-Chavez's, undermine the claim that he and Meyer drove into the valley against orders. And documents indicate Swenson led the final drive to retrieve the fallen Americans, taking command of Meyer's Humvee after ditching his bullet-riddled Ford Ranger. Meyer rode in the back seat.
The inflated versions of events were prepared at the Marine Corps' Public Affairs office by a special working group, an official said. The group consulted Meyer's former commander, Williams, as it drafted the citation, but it didn't confer with him for the account posted on the Marine Corps website, the official said.
The Marines excluded Williams — who was shot and wounded in the left arm and received a Bronze Star for valor — from Meyer's ceremony. Also excluded was Capt. Ademola Fabayo, who was awarded the Navy Cross, the nation's second-highest award for valor, for his role in Ganjgal. Williams and Fabayo declined to be interviewed for this article.
Seattle Times staff contributed to this report.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2017017845_medalwinner15.html
Medal of Honor story inflated by the Marines
The Marine Corps promoted an inflated story for Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer, according to dozens of military documents.
By Jonathan S. Landay, McClatchy Newspapers
Editor's note: Correspondent Jonathan S. Landay was embedded with Dakota Meyer's unit and survived the ambush that led to the former Marine's Medal of Honor.
WASHINGTON — With Dakota Meyer standing at attention in his dress uniform, sweat glistening on his forehead, President Obama extolled the former Marine corporal for the "extraordinary actions" that earned him the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor.
Obama told the White House audience Sept. 15 that Meyer had driven into the heart of an ambush in eastern Afghanistan against orders. He had killed insurgents at near-point-blank range, twice leapt from his gun turret to rescue two dozen Afghan soldiers and saved the lives of 13 U.S. service members as he fought to recover the bodies of four comrades, the president said.
There's a problem with this account: Crucial parts that the Marine Corps publicized and Obama described are untrue, unsubstantiated or exaggerated, according to military documents.
Sworn statements by Meyer and others who participated in the battle indicate he didn't save the lives of 13 U.S. service members, leave his vehicle to scoop up 24 Afghans on his first two rescue runs or lead the final push to retrieve the four dead Americans. Moreover, it's unclear from the documents whether Meyer disobeyed orders when he entered the Ganjgal Valley on Sept. 8, 2009.
Statements also offer no proof the Kentucky native "personally killed at least eight Taliban insurgents," as the account on the Marine Corps website says. The driver of Meyer's vehicle attested to seeing "a single enemy go down."
Most striking: All this probably was unnecessary. Meyer, 23, by all accounts deserved his nomination. At least seven witnesses attested to heroic deeds "in the face of almost certain death."
Braving withering fire, he repeatedly returned to the ambush site with Army Capt. William Swenson, of Seattle, and others to retrieve Afghan casualties and the dead Americans. Meyer suffered a shrapnel wound in one arm and was sent home with combat-related stress. His commander, Lt. Col. Kevin Williams, commended him for acts of "conspicuous gallantry at the risk of his life ... above and beyond the call of duty."
But an assessment by this McClatchy correspondent, who was embedded with the unit and survived the ambush, found the Marines' official accounts of Meyer's deeds — retold in a book, countless news reports and on U.S. military websites — were embellished. They're marred by errors and inconsistencies, ascribe actions to Meyer that are unverified or didn't happen and create precise detail out of the jumbled recollections of the Marines, soldiers and pilots engaged in battle.
Medal pressure
The approval of Meyer's medal — in an unusually short time — came as lawmakers and active and former officers pressed for the awarding of more Medals of Honor because of the relatively few conferred in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Ten have been awarded since 2001, seven posthumously.
Meyer is the first living Marine since the Vietnam War to be awarded the honor, first bestowed in 1863.
The process for awarding the medal — designed by Navy rules to leave "no margin of doubt or possibility of error" — involves reviews by commanders at every level of the nominee's chain of command and then by top Pentagon officials. Nominating papers — known as a "medal packet" — typically comprise dozens of sworn witness statements, maps, diagrams, a draft citation and a more detailed account of the deeds.
Senior Marine Corps officials conceded the pressure to award more medals, and to do it quickly. One Marine official said the service felt it deserved the decoration after having served in the toughest, most violent areas of Afghanistan and Iraq.
The Marine Corps said it stands by Meyer's citation. Asked to explain individual discrepancies and embellishments, the Marines drew a distinction between the citation and the account of Meyer's deeds that the Marines constructed. They described that account as "Meyer's narrative of the sequence of events," which Marine officials said they didn't vet.
Hours before this report was published, the Marine Corps inserted a disclaimer into its official online account of Meyer's actions. The Web page now says the summary "was compiled in collaboration" with Meyer and Marine Corps Public Affairs.
Use of narrative hit
A prominent historian of military medals, Doug Sterner, expressed disbelief at the idea that the Marine Corps would publicize an account of a complex battle based solely on the recipient's recollections.
"Give me a break," Sterner said. "A recipient is responsible for writing his narrative? I have never heard of such a thing."
The Marine officials, who requested anonymity, acknowledged portions of the narrative were changed from the account Williams submitted. They said the changes occurred between July, when Obama approved Meyer's nomination, and the September ceremony. Inaccuracies were written into the citation and the narrative of Meyer's deeds, although the narrative contained far more errors and exaggerations.
The president's version drew on materials the Marine Corps provided, but it was written in the White House, the Marine officials said. There's no indication Obama knew he was narrating an embellished story to an audience of several hundred Meyer relatives, top officials, lawmakers and service members.
White House officials said Obama's remarks were based primarily on "extensive documentation provided by the Department of Defense and the Marine Corps," including testimony from Meyer and other witnesses. It also relied on news reports and a 2011 book, "The Wrong War: Grit, Strategy, and the Way Out of Afghanistan," by Bing West. However, the book's account of the battle is riddled with inaccuracies.
Sterner said errors in citations always had haunted recipients and many Medal of Honor winners had been cited for things they didn't do. He added that mounting pressure to find a living recipient made mistakes almost inevitable."Did this man deserve the Medal of Honor? If the answer to that is yes, then the details of the citation become secondary," he said. "But we do need to keep the record as accurately as we possibly can."
The fallout could obscure Meyer's genuine acts of heroism and threaten a book contract, speaking engagements and other deals that have lifted him from the obscurity of rural Greensburg, Ky., to fortune and national renown, including famously having a beer with Obama the day before the ceremony.
Meyer declined to comment Wednesday.
McClatchy Newspapers found that the claim Meyer saved the lives of 13 Marines and U.S. soldiers couldn't be true. Twelve Americans were ambushed — including this correspondent — and of those, four were killed. (One wounded American died a month later.) Moreover, multiple sworn statements affirm McClatchy's firsthand reporting that it was the long-delayed arrival of U.S. helicopters that saved the American survivors.
Holes in the story
No statements attest to Meyer killing eight Taliban as recounted on the Marine Corps website. The driver of Meyer's vehicle, Staff Sgt. Juan Rodriguez-Chavez, reported seeing Meyer kill one insurgent.
No sworn statements — including one Meyer gave to military investigators five days after the battle — refer to him leaping from the Humvee's turret to rescue 24 wounded Afghan soldiers on his first two runs into the valley. Rodriguez-Chavez attested to nine Afghan soldiers getting into the Humvee by themselves while Meyer stayed in the turret.
Four sworn statements, including Rodriguez-Chavez's, undermine the claim that he and Meyer drove into the valley against orders. And documents indicate Swenson led the final drive to retrieve the fallen Americans, taking command of Meyer's Humvee after ditching his bullet-riddled Ford Ranger. Meyer rode in the back seat.
The inflated versions of events were prepared at the Marine Corps' Public Affairs office by a special working group, an official said. The group consulted Meyer's former commander, Williams, as it drafted the citation, but it didn't confer with him for the account posted on the Marine Corps website, the official said.
The Marines excluded Williams — who was shot and wounded in the left arm and received a Bronze Star for valor — from Meyer's ceremony. Also excluded was Capt. Ademola Fabayo, who was awarded the Navy Cross, the nation's second-highest award for valor, for his role in Ganjgal. Williams and Fabayo declined to be interviewed for this article.
Seattle Times staff contributed to this report.
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
- Reaction score
- 30,823
- Points
- 1,160
A good example of why we should implement specific training programs to help people get this kind of stuff right.
I'm not sure that they do in the US, but if we run courses to teach us how to throw people in jail, we should also run courses to teach people how to properly award MoH's or VCs.
I'm not sure that they do in the US, but if we run courses to teach us how to throw people in jail, we should also run courses to teach people how to properly award MoH's or VCs.
- Reaction score
- 63
- Points
- 530
The problem here was the USMC.They wanted a living Medal of Honor recipient and they got one.I am not disparaging Sgt Meyer because this thing snowballed at a level alot of paygrades higher up the food chain.It just makes the Marine generals look bad because thats where the recomendation ended up.The package could have been downgraded to a Silver Star or Navy Cross,but it wasnt.At the end of the day there is sometimes command influence in these decisions.No writing class required draftandbarmy.
FJAG
Army.ca Legend
- Reaction score
- 13,219
- Points
- 1,160
Ganjgal was an interesting incident involving significant disputes as to what really happened and who did what.
Several army officers who worked at a supporting TF TOC were reprimanded for negligent leadership, while another army officer who was there, who acted heroically but was critical of senior army leadership had his MoH submission "lost" within the army chain of command.
Meyer wrote a book - Into the Fire: A Firsthand Account of the Most Extraordinary Battle of the Afghan War which is highly critical of the army officers who failed to provide support and also questions why Capt Swenson still hasn't got a MoH some three years later.
Lots of good lessons in this one.
Several army officers who worked at a supporting TF TOC were reprimanded for negligent leadership, while another army officer who was there, who acted heroically but was critical of senior army leadership had his MoH submission "lost" within the army chain of command.
Meyer wrote a book - Into the Fire: A Firsthand Account of the Most Extraordinary Battle of the Afghan War which is highly critical of the army officers who failed to provide support and also questions why Capt Swenson still hasn't got a MoH some three years later.
Lots of good lessons in this one.
FJAG
Army.ca Legend
- Reaction score
- 13,219
- Points
- 1,160
This in from CNN:
Bristol Palin and Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer engaged
By Emanuella Grinberg, CNN
Updated 6:39 PM ET, Sat March 14, 2015
(CNN)Wedding bells are on the horizon for Bristol Palin and 2011 Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer.
Meyer, 26, proposed to Palin, 24, Friday night at a Rascal Flatts concert in Las Vegas, Palin said on her blog.
"The lead singer, Gary LeVox, dedicated 'Bless the Broken Road' to us, and then Dakota got down on one knee and proposed!" she wrote. "It's amazing to see what happens when you place everything in life in God's hands."
Friends and well-wishers congratulated the couple on the news. As one person said in a comment on Meyer's Instagram, "This is so 'MERICA that my mind is blown right now."
Meyer received the nation's highest military honor for braving enemy fire in 2009 to recover 36 American and Afghan troops in Afghanistan. He was the third living recipient -- and the first Marine -- to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Palin, the oldest daughter of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, has stayed in the public eye since her mother's failed vice presidential bid through appearances on "Dancing with the Stars" and a Lifetime show about raising her son, "Bristol Palin: Life's a Tripp."
She also released a best-selling memoir in 2011, "Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far." She was previously engaged to Tripp's father, Levi Johnston.
The couple met last year when Meyer visited Alaska to film "Amazing America," Sarah Palin's show on Sportsman Channel, Bristol Palin said in her blog post.
"He met Tripp during that time, and I've seen him in a few places where our paths have crossed since. He's visited us in Alaska, and I've visited his wonderful family in Kentucky," she wrote. "He's wonderful with Tripp and I'm so proud to be marrying him."
The couple shared news of their engagement on social media.
"I'm definitely the luckiest guy ever," Meyer said in an Instagram of the pair tagged #shesaidyes.
:cheers:
Bristol Palin and Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer engaged
By Emanuella Grinberg, CNN
Updated 6:39 PM ET, Sat March 14, 2015
(CNN)Wedding bells are on the horizon for Bristol Palin and 2011 Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer.
Meyer, 26, proposed to Palin, 24, Friday night at a Rascal Flatts concert in Las Vegas, Palin said on her blog.
"The lead singer, Gary LeVox, dedicated 'Bless the Broken Road' to us, and then Dakota got down on one knee and proposed!" she wrote. "It's amazing to see what happens when you place everything in life in God's hands."
Friends and well-wishers congratulated the couple on the news. As one person said in a comment on Meyer's Instagram, "This is so 'MERICA that my mind is blown right now."
Meyer received the nation's highest military honor for braving enemy fire in 2009 to recover 36 American and Afghan troops in Afghanistan. He was the third living recipient -- and the first Marine -- to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Palin, the oldest daughter of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, has stayed in the public eye since her mother's failed vice presidential bid through appearances on "Dancing with the Stars" and a Lifetime show about raising her son, "Bristol Palin: Life's a Tripp."
She also released a best-selling memoir in 2011, "Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far." She was previously engaged to Tripp's father, Levi Johnston.
The couple met last year when Meyer visited Alaska to film "Amazing America," Sarah Palin's show on Sportsman Channel, Bristol Palin said in her blog post.
"He met Tripp during that time, and I've seen him in a few places where our paths have crossed since. He's visited us in Alaska, and I've visited his wonderful family in Kentucky," she wrote. "He's wonderful with Tripp and I'm so proud to be marrying him."
The couple shared news of their engagement on social media.
"I'm definitely the luckiest guy ever," Meyer said in an Instagram of the pair tagged #shesaidyes.
:cheers:
- Reaction score
- 1,471
- Points
- 1,260
Still not too late to join the FDNY as originally planned. ( Reply #21 )
2011: "Meyer missed the FDNY’s application deadline because he was busy with official Medal of Honor commitments and ceremonies, said Keith Sullivan, his attorney."
"His attorney said, "He will apply for the exam when it's given again in four years."
•Be at least 17 ½ years of age by the end of the application period and not have reached your 29th birthday by the beginning of the application period.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/community/ff_eligibility_requirements_080106.shtml
2011: "Meyer missed the FDNY’s application deadline because he was busy with official Medal of Honor commitments and ceremonies, said Keith Sullivan, his attorney."
"His attorney said, "He will apply for the exam when it's given again in four years."
•Be at least 17 ½ years of age by the end of the application period and not have reached your 29th birthday by the beginning of the application period.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/community/ff_eligibility_requirements_080106.shtml
OldSolduer
Army.ca Relic
- Reaction score
- 14,824
- Points
- 1,140
Pretty cool. His mother in law ain't too bad looking either.
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