San Diego congressman wants Medal of Honor probe

A San Diego-area congressman has inserted an amendment into the 2010 Defense Authorization Act to  require the U.S secretary of Defense to explain why only five Medals of Honor have been awarded for Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine), who served as Marine officer in both conflicts, is also concerned that there has not been a single Medal of Honor awarded to a living recipient.

"The lack of Medal of Honor awards in Iraq and Afghanistan suggests that either troops are not as brave as they used to be, which I don't believe, or someone has to die in order to receive this honor," Hunter said.

 Hunter also has written to President Obama to review the decision of Defense Secretary Robert Gates to deny the Medal of Honor to a San Diego Marine killed during the fight in Fallouja.

Sgt. Rafael Peralta had been nominated for the Medal of Honor, but the recommendation was downgraded to a Navy Cross after a review panel looked at conflicting evidence about whether Peralta acted consciously to smother a grenade and save his colleagues or whether, clinically, he was already dead from his wounds.

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: Sgt. Rafael Peralta, 25, of San Diego, died Nov. 15, 2004. Read more about his life and the lives of more than 540 other Californians who have died while supporting the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq at The Times' California's War Dead database. Readers are invited to share memories of loved ones, friends and colleagues.

Comments

[Richard]

I'm a 10 year veteran of the military & from what I've seen, the awards manual isn't followed at all anymore. Why should we think it would be different for this nation's top honor? Personally, I was put in for two separate awards. Both of them came back with the comment "first-term E-4s don't rate this award." It wasn't even a high award & nothing in the awards manual precluded me from the award. It was just some officer putting in his two cents to make the award what HE thought it should be - not what the Navy thought. Conversely, I see tons of people getting awards just because they've reached a milestone in their career. Seeing numerous changes-of-command, you see officers get tons of very high level awards (Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Commendation Medal) just because they're leaving for a new duty station! Sure, they may have did some things while they were there & some of them were probably deserving! But when you see an officer walking around with about SIX Legions of Merit you can see there's a problem.