Sirs,

It isn't really my place to judge the awards of those over me, I limited my focus to making sure that the soldiers under me were recognized for their actions, the men of Troop F, 4th Cavalry (3rd BDE - 1st Infantry) (look at http://www.phantomtroop.com/SignOnSanDiego.html for background on the unit) were pulled out of some good fighting in the city of Salman Pak, and given less than a week to refit and head to Fallujah, we had been living north east of Baghdad in the town of Baqubah, deployed south about an hour and a half to recon Salman Pak, and then sent to join the Marines in Fallujah. (http://www.phantomtroop.com/Fallujah.html) and
(http://www.phantomtroop.com/Anyett.html). For the most part we were able to make sure that our soldiers got what they deserved, the only real complaint that I have is that after the mission, once we got back to Germany, we learned about what our chain of command would receive for their actions. Take a look at the citations in this article - (http://www.military.com/NewContent/0..._Honor,00.html) - and see if they are justified to you?



I didn't think that you could get a Silver Star (a valor award) for the actions of your soldiers. My favorite award citaiton includes the phrase "On the fourth day, he volunteered his troops in an 18-hour effort to clear 60 houses, battle enemy fighters literally room-to-room, killing 25 insurgents".



Just a quick comment. All in all I would have to say that the Army contributed a hell of a lot to the Marine effort there. Sgt. Brian Petterson, just one example, was serving as a HUMVEE gunner while we were probing into the southern edge of the city, the vehicle hit an emplaced anti-tank mine and knocked him out of the turret, without hesitation he check on his own injuries, checked the crew, and used an MRE spoon begin a hasty clearing around the vehicle. SPC Martin Reyna and Akil Ellis exposed themselves countless times to enemy fire while they climbed on to roof tops in the eastern side of the city, near the clover leaf to disarm 57mm rockets which had been left and wired on roof tops. These are just a few examples, of some decent work which was acknowledged.



Name withheld

4th Bde., 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)

http://www.sftt.org/main.cfm

I have to second the question of this troop, since when do officers get medals and awards for the actions of their troops? This is a shame and in my opinion belittles the value of these medals and defames the men who have truly earned them.

No, that's not right.

You don't get an award for volunteering your troops to do a job for you.

Really? He got the award only for volunteering his troops? I don't think that's the whole story. It seems to me that Cpt. Mayfiled did a good deal more than just volunteer his troops. Read this and see what you think.

Capt. Kirk Mayfield

Troop F, 4th Cavalry

At the beginning of the attack on Fallujah, Mayfield occupied an attack-by-fire position on the northeast edge of the city. From there he spent eight hours directing artillery, mortar and direct fire against an entrenched enemy platoon while himself under constant small-arms, grenade, sniper and mortar attack. His unit ultimately destroyed the enemy position, killing 30 insurgents just before the main attack. Once the assault began, he maintained his position ahead of the force and continued to direct fire against the enemy. His unit killed 75 insurgents during the first 30 hours of battle.

Early in the battle, his unit opened a key highway and cut off the line of retreat for the insurgents. On the fourth day, he volunteered his troops in an 18-hour effort to clear 60 houses, battle enemy fighters literally room-to-room, killing 25 insurgents.

SOURCE


Or maybe it was Cpt. Sims, may he rest in peace, that this guy is questioning? Read this form the same source.

Capt. Sean P. Sims

2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment (posthumous)

Sims planned and executed the task force's main attack against entrenched enemy forces, then held position under constant fire to establish a foothold in northeast Fallujah. He led a 14-hour house-to-house fight, frequently leaving the safety of his Bradley fighting vehicle, then led a fight to seize, then hold Highway 10 against constant enemy counterattack. His company killed more than 40 enemy fighters, destroyed 35 homemade bombs and a dozen weapons caches.

He was shot and killed while clearing a building in Fallujah Nov. 13.

You can read the accounts of Captains Johnson and Fowler, as well as that of Lt. Gregory. Tell me, which one of these men doesn't deserve their awards?

Who is it that this man is complaining about? I don't see it.

Something I noticed was the tone he took. At first it was humble and respectful, something I think would be concurrent with a letter of such nature written to a superior officer. But later it becomes more demanding and less respectful. Could this be someone who is not really a member of the 101ST?

In this war, it's not uncommon for a high ranking officer to receive a medal for going above and beyond because they now lead instead of watch from a safe distance. Most captains and above are very careful that their men don't walk into a problem area so they do the honors of sticking their head up first. As for a Presidential Unit Citation, everyone in the unit receives one. It travels with the Unit just as mine did with the 47th ADA which formed from a WWII Field Arty group attached to an infantry company. Medals still have to be approved by people who know all the facts.

This is from a credible source which verifies the source before it publishes something so I believe the author is a troop with the 101st, but it would seem a disgruntled one.

Much like previous wars where you have troops I met in later years who served with MacArthur who worshipped the man and troops like my grandad who thought the man the biggest coward he ever met. If this troop did not personally witness the actions of the officer he questions without naming names it stinks. My personal opinion after doing a bit more reading in some other places is that this might be the case of a barracks rumor spread around with people only knowing half the facts to begin with (ie the quote about volunteering his troops) and then it gets more and more self-righteous as it goes building indignation till someone fires off the letter I quoted to begin with.

But I think it cannot be denied that there are now and always have been some officers who receive questionable citations and awards and it is popular amongst the troops to rip on them as a whole for it. Its part of the American ethos and I suspect in other military cultures as well. Officers are generally, though not accurately, thought of as pretty boys who don't get down in the mud and mix it up with the grunts.

We have a culture that says these things must be "earned" and if someone feels as though it wasn't for some reason or other, true or flase in its reasoning, it will foment dissent. I know of people who have turned down awards and medals because they felt they didn't earn them or do anything special. My grandpa turned down two purple hearts during WWII because he felt them an insult. (Which of course one of them was because it was owing to the "tetherball" grenade incident.)

So an attack on the author's credibility is not the issue as I see it but what's in the air at his unit. What's going on in THAT chain of command? None of us know without being there but something like this letter is a red flag. And that is the purpose behind publishing the letter. The site it is on is one that tries to draw attention to problems so they get fixed, no for people to piss and moan about.

I think a lot of WWII vets have the same opinion of Gen MacArthur and nicknamed him "dugout Dug" but there were just as many who thought him a great leader.

If you ever read anything about Oliver North, he also turned down a third purple heart that would have been his ticket out of Vietnam. He was back with his outfit as soon as he healed. You've got to admire that kind of guy.

Make sure you read the last paragraph about the Lt. Col. who recieved the Star.

Lt. Col. Peter Newell:

Newell deployed a 550-soldier mechanized task force on 72 hours' notice to Fallujah in November 2004, leading a continuous 12-day attack in the heavily fortified Askari district. His forces overwhelmed resistance in the first 14 hours, ultimately killing 330 enemy fighters, capturing 48 others, destroying 38 weapons caches, two roadside- bomb factories and one car-bomb factory while becoming the first battalion in the division to achieve its objective.

On Nov. 12, Newell was caught in an ambush following an 11-hour night attack. Narrowly escaping enemy fire, he left his tracked vehicle and personally assisted in the evacuation of a mortally wounded officer.

Look up LTC Erik Kurilla and the 1-24 Infantry Regiment.

Thats leadership by example - from a field grade officer.

The fact that in his letter he gets disrespectful is the worst of it IMHO.