Friday,
September 23, 2011
Alexandria,
VA
Today I am sending to the Secretary of the Army,
the attached letter calling for a review of all awards
of the Silver Star and Distinguished Service Cross in the
War on Terror, to determine if some should be upgraded to
the Medal of Honor.
Such a review has ample prcedent in Medal of Honor history,
and is needed to address the exceptionally low number (in
comparrison to wars past) of Medals of Honor awarded to the
warriors of todays wars.
This issue has
been raised before including in 2009 by “Army Times” (http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/03/military_medal_of_honor_032509w/)
and 2010 in “Stars and Stripes” (http://www.stripes.com/news/us/despite-criticism-medals-of-honor-still-scarce-for-current-wars-1.107202).
It has been a “hot button issue” for Congressman Duncan
Hunter (R/CA), himself a Marine Corps veteran of the current
wars. His office remains interested in the issue and is more
than happy to be interviewed on the subject. Other
Congressonal offices have indicated their support and I am
happy to provide contacts to those offices upon request.
In both of the
above referenced stories, while the Department of Defense
defended the low numbers of Medals of Honor awarded in the
current war by citing advances in technology that result in
fewer PERSONAL combat actions, I cited the case of Sergeant
First Class Alwyn Cashe whose heroism mirrors a similar WWII
Medal of Honor action. Cashe’s story is one of the most
complelling examples of sacrifician heroism and super-human
endurance I have ever heard of. He was posthumously awarded
the Silver Star for his heroic actions in 2005 and stood out
to me as the perfect example to me of a War on Terror heroe
denied his proper place among
America’s
greatest heroes.
Recently I
learned in fact, that Cashe’s former commanding officer and
the man who submitted him for the Silver Star, had himself
questioned the original award and determined Cashe’s Silver
Star should be upgraded. Colonel Brito has TWICE now,
recommended Cashe the the Medal of Honor and compiled an
awards packet that is unlike any I have ever seen. It is
also available to YOU upon request and includes not only
eyewitness statements of Cashe’s heroic action, but letters
from THREE Army General Officers, all recommending Cashe be
awarded the Medal of Honor.
While I have
absolutely no doubt that Cashe’s actions in 2005 are the
most compelling examples of a Medal of Honor action in the
current wars, I believe that awards packet serves a dual
purpose. I believe this information, including Colonel
Brito’s carefully worded but tacitly admitted fact, are the
“smoking gun” that endites the current military awards
systems that has denied not only Cashe, but probably many
other heroes in the current wars their proper recognition.
My friend, historian and author Barrett Tillman recently
noted, “If the awards & decorations process were a pony we'd
have to shoot it.” What is contained therein is evidence of
the problems in that system previously alluded to in “Army
Times” and “Stars and Stripes.”
The attached
letter sets forth some of this information, and I am happy
to provide more detailed informaion upon request. (Night and
weekend calls are welcomed). In addition to my letter, the
following is available upon request:
§
The Alwyn Cashe Awards Packet
§
A 2011 DoD report to Congress
addressing the low numbers of MOH in the War on Terrorism
(Obviously supportive of current practice but with a few
interesting items of note)
§
Contact with a spokesperson for
the Cashe family who can also facilitate comments from the
family, contact with one of the eyewitnesses, and additional
information
§
Congressional Offices prepared to
comment on the Cashe case specifically and/or my call for a
comprehensive review of these awards.
Because I am
mailing the letter today, it will probably be difficult to
get a response from the Secretary of the Army’s office until
early next week.
Thank you.,
Sincerely,
Doug
C. Douglas Sterner
300 Yoakum Parkway, #504
Alexandria,
VA
22304
(703) 717-9437