Lt Col. Vindman has a Purple Heart and a Combat Infantryman Badge. Everything below those are just participation awards.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Vindman
Having noted that, it is still important to note that it is not his job to make policy, just carry out the wishes of the President.
If he disagrees, transfer to somewhere else or resign his commission.
Exactly...Resigning his commission would be preferable.
He is no John Kerry
I have been looking into this knucklehead since his name first surfaced. Using his Wikipedia page, his opening statement, the transcript of his testimony, comments by others who knew him. What follows is my opinion and not necessarily verified, but I am confident that this is correct.
He graduated from college in 1999 and was commissed from ROTC as an Infantry 2LT. After the usual training at Ft Benning, including Airborne School and Ranger School. Standard fare. He was then assigned to Korea for one year where he was a rifle platoon leader and an anti tank platoon leader. The second job usually goes to a Lieutenant who did well as a rifle platoon leader.
He was then reassigned to Ft. Lewis, WA where he was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, almost certainly to the 1st Bn, 5th Infantry (Bobcats). This brigade was the second in the Army to convert to a Stryker Brigade and would be considered a prestigious assignment for a Lieutenant.
In October, 2004 he deployed to Iraq with the rest of his brigade. He should have been a Captain by this time. In November, he was wounded in action by a roadside IED. He was not evacuated, so the wound must have been minor. At this time, his battalion was employed in the 2d Battle of Fallujah. The rest of the brigade was not involved. The Bobcats were attached to the 2d Bde, 1st Cavalry Division and were part of the blocking mission south of the city. The battalion received the Navy Commendation Award and this award was worn by LTC Vindman when he testified. The rest of the 1st Brigade, 25th Division did not receive this award.
Vindman redeployed in October 2005 along with the rest of brigade. He was most likely a staff officer at this time, rather than a company commander. He did not receive a Bronze Star for this deployment, something that most successful company commanders would have received. My guess is that he became a company commander after the redeployment to Ft. Lewis when considerable turnover would have occurred.
Shortly after their return, the Brigade was redesignated as the 2d Cavalry Regiment (Stryker) and was alerted for deployment to Germany. Vindman wears the insignia of the 2d Cavalry Regiment as his Regimental affiliation. Significantly, he does not deploy with the Regiment when it is sent to Iraq. He is apparently out of command and prepared for a reassignment. He would have gone to Ft. Benning for his Career Course, and likely then sent to graduate school (Harvard) in preparation for his next assignment as a Foreign Area Officer.
At this point, his Infantry career was over even though he continued to wear the crossed rifle insignia. I’m sure that he wanted to make this move and I’m sure that the Army thought that he would be must more valuable to the Army as a native Ukrainian speaker than as an Infantry Officer.
Reading between the lines, Vindman did whatever was required to advance his career and he figured out that the best way to do that was to covey up to the State Department types who were almost 100% flaming liberals. In other words, he went native and expected that he would see the reward when Hillary was elected. Oops. At that point I believe that he was recruited to be a member of the Resistance and become an embedded deep swamp operative inside the NSC. He is clearly relishing that role. I don’t think that he wants to or expects to remain in the Army. When this is over, he will retire and then join with his fellow deep state co-conspirators.
He is an opportunist, a low life, and looking out for himself. He could give a $hit about the U.S., or for Ukraine for that matter. When he becomes a liability, the deep state will throw him under the bus.
I wonder about his Purple Heart. What wound was sustained?? Or was it a John Kerry type Purple Heart?? (no evidence, no witness)