Trump tells SecNav and CNO to rescind medals!

RetiredUSNChief

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Four prosecutors on the Courts-Martial case against Chief Gallagher were awarded Navy Achievement Medals for "superior performance".

President Trump said "Nay, nay, moose breath" and told the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations to rescind those awards!

Holy Mother of God, when the POTUS steps in like that you know the CO who issued those awards has been royally b*tch slapped!


https://www.navytimes.com/news/your...eum-5zFp7euPKbSQRZRZ3yjnMkNvjMRGLauXiHZFk6H70

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/tr...scind-medals-for-eddie-gallaghers-prosecutors
 
#StrongPimpHamd
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Four prosecutors on the Courts-Martial case against Chief Gallagher were awarded Navy Achievement Medals for "superior performance".

President Trump said "Nay, nay, moose breath" and told the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations to rescind those awards!

Holy Mother of God, when the POTUS steps in like that you know the CO who issued those awards has been royally b*tch slapped!


https://www.navytimes.com/news/your...eum-5zFp7euPKbSQRZRZ3yjnMkNvjMRGLauXiHZFk6H70

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/tr...scind-medals-for-eddie-gallaghers-prosecutors

Wow. Very cool. My respect for the man continues to grow.
 
I did not know the potus had the power to do that. I figured congress had to do that.
Good for him I say.

The NAM is awarded by local command (this is a change, they used to be approved at a higher authority, and therefore much harder to award and get). Today you can get one for pretty much anything. To have one taken away once awarded is actually pretty easy; the fact that POTUS drove the process is hilarious.
 
The NAM is awarded by local command (this is a change, they used to be approved at a higher authority, and therefore much harder to award and get). Today you can get one for pretty much anything. To have one taken away once awarded is actually pretty easy; the fact that POTUS drove the process is hilarious.

This.

A Navy Achievment Medal (and equivalent medals from the other services) are not a Congressionally awarded medal.
 
Even Duffleblog is getting in on this!

https://www.duffelblog.com/2019/08/...CqDOzAI-go-QP-EQLU3mGi4nKrcC6BtUkHGs0qO_z8740


Thousands of officers with Bronze Stars terrified after Trump rescinds four bullshit awards

WASHINGTON — Officers across the military who have been awarded Bronze Stars say they are terrified for the future after learning that President Donald Trump had on Wednesday rescinded four bullshit awards handed out to Navy prosecutors who lost the murder trial of SEAL Chief Eddie Gallagher.

“If POTUS figured out these guys don’t deserve a [Navy Achievement Medal], can you just imagine if he found out about how I got a Bronze Star for processing soldiers’ leave requests in theater?” said one officer, who spoke only on condition of anonymity. “Oh Christ, I can’t believe they even gave me a Combat ‘V’ for this for going on one patrol.”

Trump tweeted on Wednesday that he had ordered Navy Secretary Richard Spencer to claw back awards given to the prosecutors in the Gallagher trial, which critics say sets a dangerous precedent that military awards may require officers to earn them.

“I mean, hell, how many senior officers will this take out if Trump starts looking?” said one general officer with three Bronze Stars, all awarded for successfully not getting fired from command or not banging a subordinate over prior command tours.

“What’s next? Will they start taking away retirement Legion of Merit awards from command sergeants major?” asked one very high-ranking enlisted soldier while preparing for retirement.

Other soldiers feared that their Combat Action Badges could be next to go.
 
I've seen people get NAMs for the stupidest crap as well, it's unbelievable what they get them for.

The Marines as a culture are notorious for downgrading awards. What gets you a silver or bronze star in the army is a NAVCOM in the Navy and Marines. They are getting better, but still pretty bad.

My 3 NAMs are pretty embarrassing. I make up cool stories so I don't get laughed at. My Navy commendation, different story.
 
The Marines as a culture are notorious for downgrading awards. What gets you a silver or bronze star in the army is a NAVCOM in the Navy and Marines. They are getting better, but still pretty bad.

My 3 NAMs are pretty embarrassing. I make up cool stories so I don't get laughed at. My Navy commendation, different story.
When I was in NMCB74 they gave a NAM to a guy who made a driving course for HMMWV drivers to practice driving at night with NVGs. Ooooooo aaaahhhhh, and they gave a yeoman a NAM for doing his JOB. Command level awards are stupid.

ETA: the only good command level award is getting your warfare qualification, I got my SCWS qualification on deployment.
 
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When I was in NMCB74 they gave a NAM to a guy who made a driving course for HMMWV drivers to practice driving at night with NVGs. Ooooooo aaaahhhhh, and they gave a yeoman a NAM for doing his JOB. Command level awards are stupid.

ETA: the only good command level award is getting your warfare qualification, I got my SCWS qualification on deployment.

I don't recall that our warfare qual was locally awarded; I think (but can't remember) it was approved at the higher level. It was right after they came out with it so it might be different now. Regardless, I earned that bitch!!
 
I don't recall that our warfare qual was locally awarded; I think (but can't remember) it was approved at the higher level. It was right after they came out with it so it might be different now. Regardless, I earned that bitch!!
Hell yea! I studied day and night for my warfare qual! My board was 4 hours long. I'm proud of my Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist qualification. I still remember a lot of it because of how much repetition we did studying for our board.
 
I will take this opportunity to say I have never been in any branch of the service. That's why I keep my trap Shut about things like this . HOWEVER, it does seem like the perfect time to tell all who were in how much I personally respect each of you. Oddly enough, all of my closest shooting Pards are Vets. Most VN era.
 
I've got a few rows of ribbons and medals.

One of my favorite medals is the Humanitarian Medal. It was awarded to personnel of the commands present in Charleston, SC which were there when hurricane Hugo hit. There was a LOT of work to be done afterwards and, in my opinion, that was one well earned medal for everybody who qualified for it.

Got a few for "been there, can't talk about it" operations as a submariner.

Heck, I need to look up all mine and see what all I have. I retired in 2005, so it's not like I've had a need to keep up with them this last decade and a half.
 
NAM....[emoji23][emoji23]


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Thats right up there with being awarded the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation as a civilian employee (Base Police) and being given a triangle shaped lapel pin to wear just for doing your normal duties. Would have rather had a merit based pay increase. Never wore the pin since it never made sense, almost like the Cold War Certificate I could apply for based on my time on active duty. To me they and a few others seemed more like participation awards.
 
Uggghh. One of my least favorite topics. After pulling 10 mos in Bosnia as a Dept/Section NCOIC (E7 billet), I didn't get the MSM the rest of my peers did, 'cos I was only an E5. After writing up a newly promoted E4 for a Joint Service Commendation medal she'd earned, doing an O4's job in a very austere central African shithole, SOCEUR downgraded it to a JSAM due to her rank. WTF? I get a JSCOM for just doing my damned job as an E7, while she gets a lesser award for gettin' shit done at a level WAY above her pay grade? As a E3, I was on the rifle team that swept the Post Commander's Cup (Ft Sill, '89). As the only non-NCO on the team I was given a BC's coin & a certificate of appreciation, vs. the other guys' AAMs & ARCOMs. I threw both in the waste basket at the CQ desk on my way out the door, after the awards ceremony.

Would you believe I was awarded the HSM for pulling grass out of the cracks in the sidewalks in the Anzio Acres housing area on Bragg, while Dependa's sat on the porch & watched us? I'm a little ambivalent about the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for Bosnia '97/'98. I reckon it had the potential to go sideways, but never did while I was there, but my 2nd NATO medal because I worked a couple Saturdays on Bragg, supporting an information campaign for the 'air war' in Kosovo? C'mon. As I was retiring in '08, my 1SG tosses me a DA 638 & tells me to write up my retirement MSM. Swear to God, I almost told him to stick his award up his ass.

I retired with a rack that'd be the envy of any central American dictator, but I was never so embarrassed in my life as when (at my great grandmother's funeral- I was a pall bearer & had worn my Class A's) my grandpa asked what all those ribbons were for. Mind you, he's a WW2 & Korea vet, from back when you got a campaign ribbon at the end of the war, a Purple Heart if you got shot & a Bronze or Silver Star meant you'd had a very, very bad day. Had to explain to him that one was for finishing Basic & one 'cos there was a war going on, but I didn't go & one for not getting in trouble for 3 years in a row, one for being stationed in Germany, one 'cos I had to go to a 30 day leadership course when I got promoted to Sergeant, etc. I hated it. Stack so high, my wings & flash were practically under my left epaulet, as I couldn't wear it on the breast pocket flap beside my marksmanship badge, 'cos I had to wear the frigging Driver's badge (wheeled- for not crashing an ambulance for 3 years) I'd been awarded & there wasn't enough frigging room.

It looked cool, but was a glittering PITA to keep up with & with the (then) current awards 'system', most awards meant little to nothing to many that received them for silly, bullshit reasons after seeing their awards downgraded over rank or seing higher ups get 'cool' awards for showing up & doing nothing more than their damned job (& sometimes not even that). Cheese eaters & ticket punchers drooled all over the fruit salad, but it was all ultimately so meaningless & stupid that I wanted nothing to do with it.
 
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I was talking to a couple of my brothers last night about this (one prior Marine, the other Air Force).

I asked "I wonder if the talcum powder cloud from that b*tch-slapping has settled yet?"

One of my brothers said "I'll bet it looked like an airbag full of talcum powder went off in that office. I wonder if the retirement papers have been submitted yet?"
 
@Crazy Carl @RetiredUSNChief , we only had to wear "top 3" ribbons on working uniforms (as opposed to full rack in dress). I hated wearing everything. I even rarely wore my scuba pin or warfare device, except on dress. And never worse devices on utilities.

There were a lot of politics around a higher awards, and a lot of BS with some other ones. Most of them you get for being at the right place at the right time. Very few ribbons I saw much merit in.
 
Navy orders probe into actions of Judge Advocate General Corps leaders

https://www.navytimes.com/news/your...ScIt7u-jcmKnc3EIxkI62vGWSpgcAdNNxs0fUTcygepK4

When you read this article, note the following:

About halfway through the article are these two paragraphs:

"And the spying wasn’t the only allegation of prosecutorial and police misconduct plaguing the case."

"They were accused of manipulating witness statements to NCIS agents; using immunity grants and a bogus “target letter” in a crude attempt to keep pro-Gallagher witnesses from testifying; illegally leaking documents to the media to taint the military jury pool; and then trying to cover it all up when they got caught."



However, way back in the beginning of the article, three and four paragraphs into it, is THIS little gem:

"Scott was the SEAL who confessed on the witness stand during the court-martial trial of Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward “Eddie” Gallagher to murdering a detainee in Iraq in 2017."

"Navy officials in San Diego quickly leaked to media outlets that they were starting a perjury probe into Scott’s sworn testimony."



SO...it would appear the JAG is STILL playing their silly games, which makes this action all the more important.

A "leak" is an intentional, unauthorized disclosure of information. It is NOT an "announcement".

SO...screw the JAG and screw the NCIS. Especially over their conduct here.
 
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Not that I would wish martial law for the whole US...

but I think its great there's someone in a position to put a stop to this sort of crap RTF now instead of the half measures we end up with on the civilian side.
 
My first tour in Iraq was serving exactly 1 year on a small CG cutter patrolling the coast of Iraq. 110 foot long "ship" with an 18 man crew. At the end of that tour, anyone who wasn't a dirt bag would get a medal. Enlisted personnel get a NAM by default. The officers (one O-3 who was the CO and two O-2s) got a medal that was better than a NAM, but I don't remember what it was... Of course, the officers were the ones writing the awards, so they could put themselves in for anything.

Anyway... One day, toward the end of my 1 year tour, the XO (O-2) calls me into his office and starts apologizing to me. He tells me I'm not getting a NAM because I was only an E-3. He said he submitted the request twice already and both times it was denied because some officer at some land unit keeps saying that E-3s are not allowed to get a NAM because it's too important a medal to give to a lowly E3.

I was pretty sad about all this, but I didn't raise a stink, just thanked the officer for trying.

Well, a couple weeks later, we had our change of command ceremony and 10 of us got awards as we were cycling out and heading to new units back in the US.

I was last to receive a medal because I was the lowest ranking person. All the officers got something fancy. All the enlisted got a NAM.

And I got a NAM too! That evening we were all drinking beer together and that O2 told me that he had to submit my NAM paperwork 6 times before it finally got approved. I guess the other dick head officer finally gave up and approved it.

It's true, that NAM was a participation trophy for most of the guys, but to me, it was amazing. That XO was an awesome dude for going to so much trouble to get me that NAM and i really appreciate it.
 
My first tour in Iraq was serving exactly 1 year on a small CG cutter patrolling the coast of Iraq. 110 foot long "ship" with an 18 man crew. At the end of that tour, anyone who wasn't a dirt bag would get a medal. Enlisted personnel get a NAM by default. The officers (one O-3 who was the CO and two O-2s) got a medal that was better than a NAM, but I don't remember what it was... Of course, the officers were the ones writing the awards, so they could put themselves in for anything.

Anyway... One day, toward the end of my 1 year tour, the XO (O-2) calls me into his office and starts apologizing to me. He tells me I'm not getting a NAM because I was only an E-3. He said he submitted the request twice already and both times it was denied because some officer at some land unit keeps saying that E-3s are not allowed to get a NAM because it's too important a medal to give to a lowly E3.

I was pretty sad about all this, but I didn't raise a stink, just thanked the officer for trying.

Well, a couple weeks later, we had our change of command ceremony and 10 of us got awards as we were cycling out and heading to new units back in the US.

I was last to receive a medal because I was the lowest ranking person. All the officers got something fancy. All the enlisted got a NAM.

And I got a NAM too! That evening we were all drinking beer together and that O2 told me that he had to submit my NAM paperwork 6 times before it finally got approved. I guess the other dick head officer finally gave up and approved it.

It's true, that NAM was a participation trophy for most of the guys, but to me, it was amazing. That XO was an awesome dude for going to so much trouble to get me that NAM and i really appreciate it.

THIS is what makes an award worthwhile.
 
THIS is what makes an award worthwhile.
It's true... After a 6 year enlistment, I left the CG with a bunch of ribbons and medals. I swear, I cannot remember what any of them were for, except for that NAM... I even got a second NAM later and can't remember why.

None of the awards really matter. It's the guys I served with that I'll always remember.
 
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