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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (Dec. 2, 2005) -- If it wasn’t for the selfless actions of Staff Sgt. Anthony B. Speich, ten Afghani troops and a Navy corpsman on the forward element of the Special Forces Operational Detachment, Company C., 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Combined-Joint Special operations Task Force Afghanistan, may have never been able to return home. Speich, a 36-year-old from Rapids, Wis., was awarded the Bronze Star with “V” Device during a ceremony here Dec. 2 for his actions in Afghanistan on the day of April 24, 2005. While leading those 11 men, Speich...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (Dec. 2, 2005) -- “ He led from the front,” said 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment Bn. commander Lt. Col. Craig S. Kaczynski during Capt. Patrick M. Rapicault’s Silver Star ceremony Dec. 2. Rapicault assumed command of Weapons Company, 2nd Bn. 5th Marines during his deployment to Iraq while they were in contact with the enemy on 24 September 2004. As company commander, Rapicault led his Marines through 50 firefights and 27 improvised explosive device ambushes between the time he took command of the unit and until he was killed Nov. 15, 2004. For...

TURIN, Italy - No, athletes at the Winter Games are not being rewarded with gold doughnuts — it just looks that way. The new medal design for the Olympics in Turin, unveiled Wednesday, features a hole in the center of the metal disc. While it may appear as though biathletes have been using them for target practice, the medals are actually meant to represent the open space of an Italian piazza, or city square. The medals have the Turin logo on one side and images from various sports and disciplines on the other. The red silk ribbon that goes around...

THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM, "the nation's highest civilian award," was established by Harry Truman in 1945 to recognize notable service in World War II. Eighteen years later, John F. Kennedy, prompted by White House aide Daniel Patrick Moynihan, decided to revive the moribund honor by awarding it to people of distinction--and not just U.S. citizens--who might otherwise remain unrecognized by the American government.The first class of recipients was supposed to get its medals on the Fourth of July, 1963, but for one reason or another, the White House ceremony was repeatedly postponed. By the time it was finally...

11/3/2005 - HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFPN) -- Sixty years after serving in the Army Air Corps, a 7th Fighter Squadron pilot received a Distinguished Flying Cross and an Air Medal. First Lieutenant James Costley, a P-38 pilot in World Word II, received the last of his military decorations in front of three generations of his family, friends and fellow military veterans at the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Two Harbors, Minn., on Oct. 25. Lt . Gen. Donald Hoffman, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisitions deputy director, and Brig. Gen. Kurt Cichowski,...

I have done two google searchs to find a bronze star with valor list for marines in Iraq. The closest I got was some stories on individual winners. Looking for a list for 2003-5.

Click here Veteran's Day Notice: How to Wear/Display MedalsThe official U.S. Order of Precedence (how to arrange the wear or display of military medals) is available for veterans who plan to wear their medals on Veterans Day: http://members.aol.com/warlibrary/display -- Roger Simpson, Public Information Officer (13105320634.com) The American War Library (amervets.com) 16907 Brighton Avenue Gardena CA 90247-5420 1-310-532-0634

Multi National Forces Iraq took a moment to recognize another hero of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Colonel H. Coffman Jr. Soundbites from Colonel H. Coffman Jr., Special Assistant for Iraqi Army Security Forces. Produced by 08-30-2005, American Forces Network Iraq. View Video (3.3 MB)

SHREVEPORT, La. - William Lawson looked every bit the retired Marine general this summer as he stood before a crowd of 200 people, demanding that a cemetery properly dispose of the American flags placed at the graves of veterans. He had on khakis, the Marines’ summer service uniform, complete with a general’s stars and row after row of medals, including the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Good Conduct Medal. He even wore an eyepatch. It turns out, however, that Lawson wasn’t a general at all — or even a World War II combat veteran. His 19 months in...

U.S. Has Record Gold Haul at Track Worlds By BOB BAUM,/AP Sports Writer Sun Aug 14,2005 The United States is bringing home a record haul of gold from the world track and field championships. It won't win one in the women's 1,600-meter relay, though. The U.S. team easily won its preliminary heat Saturday night but was disqualified for "multiple lane violations." The ruling did not say specifically where the infraction occurred. An appeal was denied. It was the second relay foul-up for the United States. The men dropped the baton on the first exchange of the 400-meter relay preliminary Friday...

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday medals should be awarded to British naval workers who saved a Russian mini-submarine and its seven crew. The British team piloted an un-manned underwater probe on Sunday that cut through fishing nets that had ensnared the AS-28 vessel 190 meters (625 feet) below the surface and saved the crew, whose air supply was dwindling. Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov met Putin on Wednesday to report on progress in an inquiry into the accident and suggested giving medals to the sailors involved. "I would like to reccomend the decoration of the servicemen --...

H. R. 3352 The Stolen Valor Act of 2005 HR 3352 IH 109th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3352 To amend title 18, United States Code, with respect to protections for the Medal of Honor, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 19, 2005 Mr. SALAZAR introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary --------------------------------------------------------- A BILL To amend title 18, United States Code, with respect to protections for the Medal of Honor, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Still in his Army greens, William Tallerdy barely had both feet back on American soil when a man came up to him, demanding to know if he was returning from Vietnam. Then, right there in the airport, the heckler punched the veteran in the face. Tallerdy exploded. The police and his relatives had to restrain him. Soon after, he threw out his war ribbons. That was 1967. "I was always proud of my military service," said Tallerdy, who is now 57 and lives in Cheyenne, Wyo. "It was just that people made me feel like scum." Tallerdy...

AUSTRALIAN troops who have served in Afghanistan or Iraq will be issued with campaign medals by the end of the year. Australian Defence Force personnel who served in Iraq or Afghanistan were entitled to receive the Australian Active Service Medal, which they received soon after the completion of their deployment, Veterans' Affairs Minister De-Anne Kelly said. "Service in Afghanistan and Iraq also entitles members to the award of a campaign medal for service on each deployment," she said. "The first issue of these campaign medals should occur before the end of 2005." The campaign medals were formally approved by the...

ABOARD USS BOXER, Aug. 1, 2005 —Two USS Boxer firemen earned medals for their actions to stop a potentially dangerous steam leak July 12 aboard the San Diego-based amphibious assault ship. With 900-degree steam running through the heart of Boxer at 720 pounds per square inch, Machinist’s Mate Fireman Patrick Clark, from Raleigh, N.C., and Machinist’s Mate Fireman Nicholas Shaw, from Coshocton, Ohio, prevented a major accident when they stopped the leak in Boxer’s aft main machinery room. “I wasn’t expecting something like this just for doing my job. I was only looking out for my safety and the safety...

I need the help of someone versed in military insignia. I'm trying to I.D. a ribbon lapel pin which I believe to be Army-issued, and one that could have been awarded in WWII. Unfortunately, I've not been able to find it in any of my Internet searches of merchants who deal in such things. The pin in question is red, with six white vertical stripes, three at each end. Can anyone tell me what this pin signifies? Thanks to anyone who can.

The final item in the Sept. 30, 1944 "Activity Report of Virginia Hall," American intelligence agent, was No. XV: "Were you decorated in the Field?" "No," she had typed, "nor any reason to be." The answer was typical of her matter-of-fact sense of duty. But William J. Donovan, known to a generation of spies as "Wild Bill," begged to differ. On May 12, 1945, Maj. Gen. Donovan, director of the U.S. Office of Strategic Services, informed President Harry Truman that Hall was, for her extraordinary heroism, to receive the Distinguished Service Cross -- second only to the Medal of Honor....

Retired Army Col. David Hackworth, a decorated Vietnam veteran who spoke out against the war and later became a journalist and an advocate for military reform, died Wednesday in Mexico, where he was receiving treatment for bladder cancer, his wife said. He was 74. "He died in my arms yesterday morning," his wife, Eilhys England, said Thursday. Hackworth, a syndicated columnist for King Features, advocated a streamlined military and improved conditions for troops.

New campaign medals recognize Iraq, Afghanistan service  Two new campaign medals announced this month recognize service members for their contributions in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Defense Department announced the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and Iraq Campaign Medal for military members who directly support Operation Enduring Freedom between Oct. 24, 2001, and a date to be determined in the future or Operation Iraqi Freedom between March 19, 2003, and some future date.The new campaign medals were established by presidential order for service members who have been assigned, attached or mobilized to units operating in these areas, officials said.Each military department will serve...

While running for Senate against Bill Weld in 1996, a lot of the same issues that dog Kerry now were part of the political landscape. To placate some concerns, John Kerry allowed reporter Charles Sennott of the Boston Globe to watch five hours of his homemade video that was taken while he was on the Meekong Delta in Vietnam. The article, which is entited: "The making of the candidates: JOHN FORBES KERRY" was published on page A31 of the Globe on 10/6/1996. In it, Kerry admitted that he had used a video camera while in combat and had reenacted many...

The story of Marine Staff Sgt. Robert Arellano's wound is not exactly heroic. He was sitting in a tent in southern Iraq when the 9mm handgun he was repairing went off, sending a bullet through his left leg. That's why his heart sank in spring 2003, when he heard that he would receive the Purple Heart as he recovered at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda. Protests to superior officers were brushed aside. "I told them I didn't think I deserved it," said Arellano, 38, of Oceanside, Calif. The thought of wearing a medal he didn't earn "was eating...

Revocation of medals adds insult to injuries Eleven Marines shamed by Purple Heart incident By Christian DavenportUpdated: 12:41 a.m. ET Feb. 8, 2005 The story of Marine Staff Sgt. Robert Arellano's wound is not exactly heroic. He was sitting in a tent in southern Iraq when the 9mm handgun he was repairing went off, sending a bullet through his left leg.That's why his heart sank in spring 2003, when he heard that he would receive the Purple Heart as he recovered at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda.Protests to superior officers were brushed aside."I told them I didn't think...

MIDI - HAZY SHADE OF WINTER (scroll to Bangles) Time, time, time, sign the 180 Form It won't go away...can you feel the firestorm John, you know it's the norm Sit right down, take a pen, fill it out Time to do it, Winter Soldier We heard your Band of Brothers crap Most men with whom you served know you got things you don't deserve They won't be your saps...you can't control this flap Sit right down, take a pen, fill it out Time to do it, Winter Soldier Your hopes, John, are going down SwiftVets wouldn't sing your...

This came with the following email: Photo Taken at 1st Marine Division Headquarters, Ar Ramadi, Iraq Please remember all of those young Marines that have given the ultimate sacrifice for their Country this holiday season.

I just read John Kerry's Silver Star citation and almost fell out of my chair. Having served at one time as an "awards and decorations officer", which is an additional duty assignment for staff officers, I know full well how these citations can be colored and worded to change an "oh no!" into a "attaboy." That is what happened with Kerry's situation. He probably would have been disciplined for endangering his boat and crew, but instead, because of his political connections, they gave him what is known as a "coverup award." One of the oldest tricks in the military book...

A Vietnam veteran questions how Kerry can cavalierly parade his Vietnam experience, considering service in Vietnam was a nightmarish experience that still brings back unpleasant flashbacks. [Zak became an anti-Kerry activist following the DNC convention, and wrote this moving piece for Intellectual Conservative.com at that time.] At age 57, I still relive Viet Nam every day. How someone else who has been there could be so cavalier about the subject is beyond me. I’ve never seen a “home movie” of Viet Nam before, until the Prince of Boston showed us his. This man, so proud of throwing his ribbons and...

In contrast to the ideals, opinions and feelings of today's "Hollywonk" the real actors of yester-year loved the United States. They had both class and integrity. With the advent of World War II many of our actors went to fight rather than stand and rant against this country we all love. They gave up their wealth, position and fame to become service men & women, many as simple "enlisted men". This page lists but a few, but from this group of only 18 men came over 70 medals in honor of their valor, spanning from Bronze Stars, Silver Stars, Distinguish...

The following is from an email I received. Thanks to the sender. This may have been posted before, but it's worth reading again. If you know a VET who is going to vote for Kerry, it may be worth printing this off for him/her to read. An Open Letter to Senator John F. Kerry >From Robert Bowie Johnson, Jr. October 19, 2004 Dear Senator Kerry, I never met my uncle Will. He was a lieutenant in the Navy during WWII. He was killed in action on his PT boat in the Pacific. For his fatal wounds, he received the Purple...

Here is a link to the kerry getting rid of his medal pictures.

Open Letter to Senator Kerry From a Veteran Sunday, October 24, 2004 Dear Senator Kerry, I never met my uncle Will. He was a lieutenant in the Navy during World War II. He was killed in action on his PT boat in the Pacific. For his fatal wounds, he received the Purple Heart posthumously. The first-captain of my West Point class took a bullet through the heart while leading a South Vietnamese airborne battalion into combat. For this fatal wound, he was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously. My senior-year roommate at West Point became a tunnel rat. A booby trap...

It's All About Character, Stupid! Written by the White Knight Wednesday, October 20, 2004 It is disingenuous for the media to characterize Kerry simply as an “Antiwar Protestor.” What Kerry did went far beyond protesting against the war -- Kerry supported the goals of the North Vietnamese. And, they honor him in their museums for his support to this day. George Mc Govern was a patriotic American against the war – but McGovern didn’t go to Paris 3 times and meet privately with high-ranking North Vietnamese leaders like Madame Binh. McGovern did not join Vietnam Veterans Against the War, a...

John Kerry, a Lifetime of Wasted Opportunities Written by Michael Ashbury Tuesday, October 19, 2004 Unlike the average American, John Forbes Kerry was born into a family of wealth and privilege. His mother, Rosemary Forbes, was a French national, and heiress to the Forbes family fortune. Her father James Grant Forbes was born in Shanghai, China. Family members, including her father were leading opium dealers in China during the Opium War accumulating a considerable fortune. With support of the Forbes wealth, John Kerry had the opportunity of the finest education being trained at boarding schools in Switzerland and Massachusetts, including...

<p>The Navy records posted on Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign Web site have stirred suspicion of wrongdoing among Internet bloggers, but authoritative sources say the documents show that the ex-Navy officer fulfilled his duty.</p> <p>One gap that remains is the Democratic presidential nominee's failure to sign a government Standard Form 180. It would authorize the Navy to release any personnel or medical record. At this point, it is thought that the remaining unpublished documents are limited to medical and college records.</p>

[snip] My experiences as a combat surgeon in Vietnam (Dec. 10, 1967 to Dec. 11, 1968) and also as a forensic consultant for the past two decades, however, lead me to the conclusion that Mr. Kerry's first Purple Heart award is his most serious problem. The recent revelation of the use of falsified documents (by CBS and Dan Rather) might not be the first time such a technique has been used. During Mr. Kerry's four-month tour in Vietnam, which he presents as his principal qualification to be president of the United States, his application for his first Purple Heart...

WRITTEN BY LT.COLONEL CHARLES WADE Wednesday, October 13, 2004 Even before the primary elections, President Bush’s military service was a political issue as was Senator Kerry’s military service which he touted and others questioned. Reporters continue to seek comment from candidates, political operatives, and pundits. It seems that everyone is an expert, and everyone has an answer. Some of the more interesting responses have come from Republican senators who typically begin by asserting that they honor Senator Kerry’s Viet Nam service, but… Honor: What is that all about? What virtues are honorable? More important, what virtues are both militarily and...

Few Americans have heard of David D. Smith, a low-key Baltimore businessman with a million-dollar salary. Or, for that matter, of his three brothers, Frederick, Robert and J. Duncan. But the four men, while shunning the media spotlight, have assembled the nation's largest collection of television stations, a family-run operation that reflects their conservative views and time and again has sided with President Bush. After the 2001 terrorist attacks, the Smiths' company, Sinclair Broadcasting Group Inc., ordered its local anchors to read editorials backing the administration against al Qaeda. Earlier this year, Sinclair sent a vice president who has called...

The Emperor Has No Clothes By: Brian Tracy John Kerry is neither a “war hero” nor a “patriot.” It is about time that someone pointed out that “the emperor has no clothes” and that Americans are being presented with a false choice. If you read the newspapers long enough, a series of facts emerge that appear undeniable and irrefutable. But no one seems to want to “connect the dots” for fear of offending the powers that be in the national media, such as CBS. Here is what we know. First of all, Kerry did not “volunteer” for service in Vietnam....

Since April 23rd, 1971, when John Kerry, then a Lt.(jg) in the US Navy, threw what he purported to be his medals, over a fence and into a trash can in Washington, his medals and his service in Viet Nam has been seriously questioned, and for good reason. Over the last few months, we have spoken to, written to and done research on men who served in World War Two, Korea and Viet Nam who had earned Bronze Stars, Silver Stars and Purple Hearts. To a man, the commendations for Bronze Stars and Silver Stars refer to heroism beyond belief....

Editor: I didn’t write this piece but I salute the man who did. He has said exactly what so many veterans have been thinking for so long. When I returned from Nam, my roommate in the 82d Airborne was SSGT Charles B. Morris, awarded the Medal of Honor while serving with the 173rd Airborne in Vietnam. I know firsthand it’s true that warriors like Charley are tormented in their dreams and cry out in their sleep as they re-fight their battles; yes that I know from bunking with him. But one thing I never heard him do was boast. Not...

New York, NY, Sep. 24 (UPI) -- John F. Kerry biographer Douglas Brinkley said the Democratic nominee is not the war hero people thought he was, the New York Times reported Friday. Brinkley made the admission as part of a larger point that the debates over Kerry's service in Vietnam and George W. Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard are not nearly as important as the ongoing debate about the U.S. role in Iraq, the issue Kerry appears to have chosen to end the campaign with. A noted historian, Brinkley, whose book on Kerry is cited as the...

http://www.johnkerry.com/about/john_kerry/military_records.html

So is John Kerry a war hero or a medal-grabbing phony? Each time that I've written about President Bush's dalliance with the National Guard, conservative readers have urged me to scrutinize the accusations against Kerry. After doing so for a week, here's where I come out: Did Kerry volunteer for dangerous duty? Not as much as his campaign would like you to believe. The Kerry Web site declares, "As he was graduating from Yale, John Kerry volunteered to serve in Vietnam - because, as he later said, 'It was the right thing to do.' " In fact, as Kerry was...

Navy: Awards properly approved No further investigation of Kerry's medals needed, officer says ROBERT BURNS Associated Press WASHINGTON - The Navy's chief investigator concluded Friday that procedures were followed properly in the approval of Sen. John Kerry's Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals, according to an internal Navy memo. Vice Adm. R.A. Route, the Navy inspector general, conducted the review of Kerry's Vietnam-ear military service awards at the request of Judicial Watch, a public interest group. Kerry's service in Vietnam has been a major issue in the presidential campaign in recent months. A group called Swift Boat Veterans...

The above link leads to a listing of "Documents Released" Below is what you will find for each candidate. President Bush The following documents reflecting President Bush's National Guard service were obtained by "60 Minutes." Memo, May 4, 1972: Subject: Annual Physical Examination (Flight). (.pdf format) Memo to file, May 19, 1972: Subject: Discussion with Bush, 1st Lt. Bush. (.pdf format) Memo for record, Aug. 1, 1972: Subject: Bush, George W. 1st Lt. 3244754FG Suspension of Flight Status. (.pdf format) Memo to file, Aug. 18, 1973: Subject: CYA (.pdf format) The following documents reflecting President Bush's National Guard service were...

The Navy's chief investigator has halted a formal investigation into questions about Sen. John Kerry's Vietnam combat decorations without answering key questions about the circumstances of those awards. "Our examination found that existing documentation regarding the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals indicates the awards approval process was properly followed," Navy inspector general, Vice Adm. R.A. Route said in a memo to Navy Secretary Gordon England. "In particular, the senior officers who awarded the medals were properly delegated authority to do so. In addition, we found that they correctly followed the procedures in place at the time for...

Washington, DC, Sep. 17 (UPI) -- Sen. John Kerry's truthfulness on discarding his war medals to protest the Vietnam conflict was targeted Friday by anti-Kerry veterans. Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the 527 advocacy group made up of Kerry's former Navy colleagues in Vietnam, said Kerry's conflicting accounts make him unrealiable and that the act itself was a betrayal of veterans and his country. "When John Kerry threw his medals away, he betrayed his fellow veterans, he betrayed his country, and he betrayed every American our armed forces have fought to protect, retired Adm. Roy Hoffmann, founder of the group...

                August 18, 2004   By Fax & FedEx   Hon. Joseph E Schmitz                                     ADM Vern Clark, USN Inspector General                                             Chief of Naval Operations Department of Defense                                     U.S. Navy 1000 Defense Pentagon                                    2000 Navy Pentagon Washington, DC  20301                                   Washington, DC  20350             VADM Albert T. Church III, USN                   Navy Department Board of Decorations Office of the Naval Inspector General               and Medals 1014 N Street SE, Suite 400                            2000 Navy Pentagon Washington Navy Yard                                    Washington, DC 20350-2000 Washington, DC  20374-5014     Re:      Request for Investigation, Determination and Final...

Two other citations omit any mention of the killing. One was signed by Admiral John J. Hyland, commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet, and the other was signed by Secretary of the Navy John Chafee. Both those citations say Kerry attacked his first set of ambushers and that "this daring and courageous tactic surprised the enemy and succeeded in routing a score of enemy soldiers." Later, 800 yards away, Kerry's boat encountered a second ambush and a B-40 rocket exploded "close aboard" Kerry's boat. "With utter disregard for his own safety, and the enemy rockets, he again ordered...

The Air Force has knocked down allegations by a Web site that said President Bush, when serving as an officer in the Texas Air National Guard, wore a ribbon he was not authorized to wear -- a military offense that could have led to a bad-conduct discharge from the service, if true. The original story was offered to United Press International during late August by operatives from Democrats.com, an Internet activist group whose founder had earlier this year served as a source for the Boston Globe and other media outlets on stories about Bush's service in the guard in the...

In an effort to push forward a Navy investigation, the public interest group Judicial Watch has made a supplemental filing to its complaint about John Kerry's official record, pointing out two of the three citations successively issued with the senator's Silver Star award were not signed by the secretary of the Navy, contrary to regulations. As WorldNetDaily reported, Judicial Watch learned last week that the Defense Department informed Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England of the group's formal request to investigate alleged military code violations in Kerry's Silver Star.