Murtha Award Sparks Vet Outrage

Military.com ^ | 3/26/9 | Christian Lowe

[bimboeruption]

In one of his last moves before leaving office March 13, then-Navy Secretary Donald Winter quietly awarded 19-term Democratic congressman John Murtha (Pa.) with the service's highest civilian honor.

Citing Murtha's "courageous leadership, vision, and loyalty to the men and women of the Department of the Navy," Winter presented the influential chairman of the House Appropriations Committee's defense panel with the Navy's Distinguished Public Service Award, an honor bestowed in "those extraordinary cases where individuals have demonstrated exceptionally outstanding service of substantial and long term benefit to the Navy, Marine Corps, or the Department of the Navy as a whole," a Murtha release stated.

The award generated little publicity when it was given to Murtha in early March, but as news of the honor trickled out, some veterans groups ignited a firestorm of protest.

The primary reason for their ire stems from the congressman's statements in May, 2006, that a squad of Marines who responded to an IED ambush and short firefight in Haditha, Iraq, rampaged through the village, murdering civilians "in cold blood."

Murtha made those comments in the heat of the 2006 congressional mid-term election campaign, in a move some political analysts saw as an attempt to stoke the anti-war vote for a Democratic takeover of the House. The former Marine and distinguished Vietnam veteran continued his accusations in follow-up media appearances before an official Pentagon and Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigation had been completed.

When the dust settled more than two years later, six of the eight Marines and Sailors accused of crimes in the Haditha incident had their cases dismissed, one was found not guilty and the last has been continued indefinitely.

The Navy did not respond to a request for comment on the award or the backlash from veterans groups by post time.

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"Murtha has refused to recant his accusations or apologize to the Marines he accused of war crimes. When asked by Military.com in late 2007 whether he regretted his initial statements and owed the exonerated Marines and Sailor an apology, Murtha refused to comment, saying the cases were still being adjudicated."

IMHO, apologize you b*$*#@#d.

Be sure and go to military.com and answer the poll question: Should the Navy reconsider Murtha’s award?

[optiguy]

If I ever get the opportunity, I will spit in his face.

[Temple Owl]

ping

[gwilhelm56]

I hope they’re giving Murtha the “BENEDICT ARNOLD Meritorious Bulls***” AWARD!

[philly-d-kidder]

Murtha will Go down in the FBI Investigation..

[gwilhelm56]

I wouldn’t waste the Spit... a bloody knuckle or two ...welll !!

[MLedeen]

Please sign the petition. There’s a link to it in the full text. Already more than 35,000 signatures.

[Tribune7]

ping

[jazusamo]

Pinging Murtha Watch list for the Military.com poll in this article.

Should the Navy Reconsider Murtha's Distinguished Public Service Award?

87% say YES at this time.

Murtha Watch Ping!

Code Pinkos

To be added to the Murtha Watch ping list please notify myself or RedRover.

[BuffaloJack]

Outrage is the PC form of what veteran think of Murtha.
Giving him an award is the same as spitting on our men in uniform.

[gwilhelm56]

poll at military.com ... LOL

92% for reconsidering..

Any award for MURTHA should have BENEDICT ARNOLD somewhere in the TITLE.

[bimboeruption]

"In one of his last moves before leaving office March 13, then-Navy Secretary Donald Winter quietly awarded 19-term Democratic congressman John Murtha (Pa.) with the service's highest civilian honor."

Why did Winter wait until he was ready to leave office to quietly give Murtha the award?

Wasn't he proud of what he was about to do?

Does anybody know anything about Winter?

[jazusamo]

Before Donald Winter became SECNAV he was heavy into the defense industry and was head of TRW Systems then when Northrop Grumman bought them Winter was a big shot there.

It’s suspected by many the he and Murtha were well acquainted long before Winter became SECNAV and that this award may have been a thank you for all the money directed by Murtha to his companies.

[bimboeruption]

Thanks for the info. Now I see.

[rockinqsranch]

Thanks jaz. Makes more sense now, but still a brazen move, and he knew it to be so sly about the award.

[jazusamo]

My pleasure and agree that it was a brazen move, RQSR. Winter waiting until he was leaving the office tells me it was an underhanded deal and it’ll be interesting to see if any Navy brass speak up about it in the future when they’re retired.

[Steve Van Doorn]

Poll at the link:
click: Poll: Murtha's Navy Award

[ozzymandus]

Frigging amazing! Wasn’t there already a controversy about Murtha getting some undeserved medals from Vietnam? This pig calls US Marines “murderers”, and the Navy gives him an award??

[pillut48]

[mountainlion]

Now I see how he got his Purple Hearts. Murtha, Repent, apologize to the Marines and the rest of the Soldiers.