Medal of Honor awarded for race?

[Guest TankerHC]

Let me ask you this. Why, when the rules changed to allow exceptions based on racial inequality, and the Generals and Congress were up in arms stating that it would reduce the significance of the award and make it too easy, why have you not even considered that? It seemed to me, as I recall, there were thousands of people up in arms about that. It came down to one specific person, WWI Vet, the military said no, some in Congress said no, the President and others in Congress and the Senate said yes. 

 

I ask that because it has done some of the things those Generals and Congressman said it would do. The Medal was used for Political reasons, one of the warnings of the Congress was  that we would see mass awards. That in no way reduces anything they dead or the significance of the medal.

 

But it is my point. I am fed up with the politicizing of everything. Tradition, gone. Replaced with Politics. 

[Guest TankerHC]

Every MoH ceremony has been like that since I was old enough to watch them.  Lots of fan fare; the way it should be.  It is a big deal, and I get a warm fuzzy when it is made a big deal.  I also like to hear about people who have been wronged in the awards process be vindicated.  Doesn't matter to me why they got screwed initially; getting screwed is the problem.  So there were MoH submittals on guys that got denied due to race.  There are also submittals that got denied because the GO in the CoC was a douche and didn't like the guy.  Both are criminal as far as I'm concerned, and I like it when stuff like that gets fixed.

 

Right now I know a few guys who should have a minimum of a Silver Star.  They had their awards downgraded for stupid reasons.... really stupid reasons.  If those reasons happened to be racial I don't suppose it would piss me off any more or less.  I would just want to see a wrong righted. 

 

The press is of no consequence in this.  They are gonna latch on to racial aspects of stories because divisive news sells more clicks on their website.  Got it, the press sucks.  I don't see Obama giving this any more or less attention than any other MoH ceremony he has done.  I've watched all the ones that I could.  In this case there were 24 all getting awarded simultaneously.  That would be significant no matter the circumstances.

 

At any rate, the award itself was not exclusionary.  Obama had nothing to do with who got what and when.  His only say in the matter would have been when the ceremony took place, and even then, that would be his schedule guy that figures all that stuff out.  In regards to an MoH ceremony, the President is of no consequence.  The recipient is going to get it one way or the other, and the President will always, ALWAYS, be the less significant character in the room.

 

You and I must have not been in at the same time. The Medals that were awarded while I was in were done in a quiet ceremony in the White House. 

[TMF]

Let me ask you this. Why, when the rules changed to allow exceptions based on racial inequality, and the Generals and Congress were up in arms stating that it would reduce the significance of the award and make it too easy, why have you not even considered that? It seemed to me, as I recall, there were thousands of people up in arms about that. It came down to one specific person, WWI Vet, the military said no, some in Congress said no, the President and others in Congress and the Senate said yes. 

 

 

Rule change?  What rules changed???  These guys simply had their cases reviewed.  They weren't the only ones in the 2002 NDAA that did.  They reviewed hundreds and found 24 that had their MoH downgraded to a DSC due to errors or prejudice.  No rules changed whatsoever.  This has been going on back when you were still playing cops and robbers.  There have been over 50 more since 1980 who have had their cases reviewed and awarded the MoH.  What is different????  Seriously? 

 

Is your problem with this the reason why they were orginially denied?  That shouldn't matter.  Of the other 50 who received their belated MoH's in the past 30 years there were a string of reasons why their was denied or downgraded.  The reason why shouldn't matter; it should just matter that it was.

 

So to be clear, for the 50 other people who were awarded belated MoHs in the past 30 years under other presidents are cool, but the 19 who had theirs denied because they were black, hispanic or Jewish shouldn't have?  Is that what I'm getting?

[TMF]

You and I must have not been in at the same time. The Medals that were awarded while I was in were done in a quiet ceremony in the White House. 

 

They've always been publicized by the White House.  Every. Single. One.