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About that San Bernardino “Valor Award” . . . .

by Hondo••56

A few weeks ago, Jonn wrote about Irene Martinez – chief of an USICS office in San Bernardino – being nominated to receive the DHS “Award for Valor”.  However, at the time USICS was reluctant to disclose precisely what it was that Ms. Martinez had done to merit nomination to receive the award.

Well, now we know.  Apparently DHS has finally responded to a FOIA request concerning the matter.

During the San Bernardino terrorist shootings that occurred about a mile and a half away from her facility, Ms. Martinez first “warned [her] employees to be very careful and to be vigil (sic) about their surroundings”.  While the facility was on lockdown, she then went out to the parking lot and fetched one of her employees who was sitting in his car after returning from lunch, bringing him inside.

She afterwards “soothed members of the public who were temporarily stranded in the building.”  According to the paperwork nominating her for the DHS Award for Valor, her actions that day “demonstrated not only her professionalism and exceptional leadership, but also her compassion and caring for her employees and the public we serve.”

Yes, I’m serious.  That’s really why she was nominated.  The material in quotes above are reportedly direct quotes from the award nomination paperwork.

Now, I don’t know about you – but something strikes me as a bit odd here.  Previous recipients of the same award apparently received the award for actions such as confronting armed criminals, or for rescuing persons from sinking ships or burning cars.  You know, for situations in which actual honest-to-God bravery was required.

Ms. Martinez, in contrast, was apparently nominated for the award for nothing more than taking those routine actions any supervisor would be expected to take during a facility lockdown.  In short:  she was nominated simply for doing her freaking job.

Oh, and in case anyone’s forgotten:  Ms. Martinez also apparently has a rather odd view of what consititutes “doing her job”.  It turns out that Ms. Martinez was quite uncooperative when 5 DHS LE personnel came to her facility the next day looking for a person of interest in connection with the previous day’s terrorist shooting.  That person of interest – Enrique Marquez – was believed at the time to have supplied the two terrorist bastards who’d perpetrated the previous day’s attack the weapons they’d used.  Marquez was scheduled for an appointment at Ms. Martinez’s facility, but was a no-show.

Ms. Martinez delayed those 5 Federal LE agents for approximately 1 1/2 hours in the performance of their duties, apparently for bureaucratic “turf war” reasons.  She then outright lied to DHS IG investigators about her actions that day when the matter was later investigated.

It seems to me that both of those later actions by Ms. Martinez may well qualify as crimes – the former possibly as interfering with a Federal investigation (18 USC 111, or 18 USC 1512(b)3) and the latter as giving a false statement to Federal investigators (18 USC 1001).  But it doesn’t seem as if anyone at DHS much cares about that.

But they sure seem to want to give the lady an award for doing nothing more than her job.  Go figure.

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56 thoughts on “About that San Bernardino “Valor Award” . . . .”

  1. I got four AAM’s for doing my job…not a single award for Valor among them…

    Dumbasses, the lot of’em

      1. I once received a Certificate of Achievement with a V (corps) on it.

        Does that count??

    1. She can’t hound those of us who haven’t served in almost 40 years, in fact she can go fuck herself in whatever fashion makes her happiest.

  4. It sounds like an average day at FOB Kalsu to me. Well, except for the fact that we mocked the ones who hid under their desks during the rocket attacks.

    2. I remember first getting to Camp Liberty and asking what’s the procedure for mortar attacks. My roommate basically said, “well…wow, that was close.” Our HQ building was all wood soaked in formaldehyde so we figured it’d be about 45 seconds for the whole thing to burn down if there was a fire.

      In Afghanistan we had actual bunkers to go to, which really really sucked during the winter months because it was freezing out and those bastards liked shooting at us when it was cold and dark.

      I went to Kalsu a few times in 05, fairly decent FOB.

    1. She is also a member of a govt. approved minority group, so she was a twofer.

      1. Zactly. They got an Irene and a Martinez. Still, one of her superiors was heard to ask, “She’s not by any chance a Muslim, too, is she?”

  6. How does this stuff happen? Does anyone give a shit about the truth as it is and not what they want to portray? JHC.

    1. They keep using that word “valor.” I do not think it means what they think it means.

    2. Yeah, based on those USICS does indeed seem to have a rather absurd concept of what constitutes “valor”.

    3. Wow! They really went above and beyond in that incident. I bet that they even had time to stop at Starbucks on the way to coworkers home. Reminds me of a story that I experienced way back in the day. Please indulge me while I reminisce.

      I was serving my time at 2nd Electronics Maintenance Company aboard Camp Lejeune, and one day while in formation, two Marines in the command received a letter of appreciation from the Governor of North Carolina and both were awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for rescuing a family from a burning home. After formation, we head back into the shop to start doing our part of keeping the commie bastards at bay by fixing radios, and my room mate, Fat Murph, seemed a bit pissed.

      Fat Murph: Man, that’s fucked up!

      Sgt Hack Stone: What’s fucked up, Fat Murph?

      Fat Murph: I saved a guy’s life once, and I didn’t get shit.

      Sgt Hack Stone: Really? What did you do?

      Fat Murph: When I was in Okinawa, my room mate came back from town drunk, and I rolled him over so he wouldn’t choke on his puke.

      Sgt Hack Stone: Then?

      Fat Murph: Then nothing.

      Sgt Hack Stone: Wow! That was incredible! I’ll get the 1st Sgt to put everyone back in formation to recognize your heroism, and I’ll call Readers Digest to have this featured in Drama In Real Life.

      This ass wipe actually thought he should be awarded for that. I have a dozen Fat Murph stories for the next TAH Beer Summit.

  8. I got a certificate of recognition for 10 years of federal service. Not only do I think that is dopey on its face, but I only had 5 years of service at the time.

    I told my “manager” on the spot and he said to just take it.

    Not federal service, but when I was a cop, I got a letter of commendation for doing CPR on a citizen. Problem was, the citizen DIED. I was dumbstruck that someone thought to put in for an LOC. Embarrassing. I threw it out.

    Government is just so fucked up.

    1. Saying the gub. is fucked up is the understatement of the year. No wonder people want Trump in there to change a culture of non-accountable slugs who publicly pat themselves on the back at every opportunity. As if to say, “Look at me, what a wonderful job I did. Man, I am really a hero who DESERVES praise from a dumbass public who no longer has the spine to put a stop to this horseshit.”

    2. MustangCryppie,

      You do understand that the patient living or dying was not on your hands, right? You chose to provide the patient with the opportunity to continue living, until competent medical authority declared demise.

      His number was -up-. You tried anyway. The outcome was -no- reflection on you.

      If you think otherwise, please consult experts in emergency medical treatment, and review the “success” rate for CPR on patients with the malady of the person you tried to assist.

    2. Apparently you were missing out on realizing that “Martin” was a typo that slipped through unnoticed. (smile)

      It’s fixed now. Thanks for pointing that out.

      1. That’s funny.

        “You have three Valor Awards? How many wars? Just one? Well, others in that same war got none so let’s have your two extras.”

      2. This whole DHS awards charade makes me want to barf.

        Ms. Martinez clearly couldn’t lead a platoon of Kindergarteners out of a burning shithouse, let alone actually demonstrate any ‘valor’ as its known by the members of Team TAH, so why is DHS continuing to push this crap forward?

        Will this nonsensical, contrived ‘feel good’ bullshit ever stop?

        1. Well, the “leader” of DHS is a guy who can’t figure out how to spell “Jay”, so, no, it probably won’t ever stop.

  11. Hahahaha I knew it had to have been the same bitch and it was. These people are fucking deplorable.

  13. I suspect this was a self-nomination….why anyone else in a position of authority would go to this length to reward obvious mediocrity is beyond me…

  14. This is a Vast Left Wing conspiracy to redefine the meaning of valor.

    They really love the speech control theory they have been using for the last 50 years.

  15. If that’s considered valor there is an entire group of men and women who are far more deserving of this award than Ms. Martinez.

    She kept her head, kept her cool and did her job which is what we all were expected to do at all times while serving. She went outside during an active shooter situation to bring a coworker inside which I think deserves some recognition, but I’m not thinking that’s a valor recognition…but hey DHS must have far different standards than what I am used to seeing, that’s their prerogative certainly but it does open them to additional scrutiny, especially considering this woman is the same jackass who was in the pissing match over access the day after the shooting…hardly a model of inter-departmental cooperation to apprehend killers and their accomplices.

    1. Um, VoV . . . the shooting incident occurred 1 1/2 miles away from her office. Frankly, going out to retrieve an employee who was in the parking lot and didn’t “get the word” is exactly what you’d expect the individual’s supervisor to do under such circumstances.

      The lady deserves maybe a letter of commendation for doing her job that day well, and looking after her folks. But an “Award for Valor”? GMAFB.

      However, IMO she also deserves censure if not prosecution for later impeding Federal investigators, even if without specific intent to do so; having a “appendage measuring” contest at that point over turf issues was manifestly stupid. And she deserves to be disciplined if not prosecuted for later lying to DHS investigators about her role in doing that.

      1. Mile and a half away is almost double the max range of a 5.56 (roughly 1500 meters). If she wee my employee she would be facing some serious questions about impeding the investigators, and might get a verbal attaboy for doing the damn job she is paid to do.

  16. The way I heard it, Martinez was in the cafeteria one day when a class of high school students arrived for a break from a facility tour. As she eyed them, she saw one fellow drop suddenly to all fours directly behind a second student. A third student stood directly in front of #2 and Martinez immediately recognized the imminent threat to student #2. As she rose from her seat, she yelled “Stop! Don’t push him!” but it was a split second too late. (Martinez is presently on leave for treatment of PTSD and has been nominated for the DHS Cafeteria Valor Award.) No lie.

  17. Personally, I think DHS has a severe case of military branch envy. I know they got the Coast Guard but, still, they want more, to be perceived as Heroes of the Motherland/Fatherland/Homeland/Whatever.

    1. Yep and now they wanna give awards to some people for doing their jobs, while others don’t get crap for doing extra. Sounds like they are doing a good job of military awards copying.

  18. There must be something wrong with me as I doubt I sleep, let alone live with myself if I were involved with this of, well, stuff…

  20. Hey. I got a question. (BTW, that’s part of my favorite dialogue from Hombre.) My question is, if Martinez ‘won’ the valor award for doing what she did, what do you suppose the other nominees had done? I can share the story of one that I know about. Maybe you know of others and will share.

    The one I know involved DHS Valor Nominee Bertha Circuspantz. Bertha had just finished her lunch (12” sub, chips, cookies, a snickers bar, and a diet coke) and was talking to her daughter on the phone when she overhead someone say, “Wow. Look at that!” Bertha looked out from her cubicle toward a window some 30 feet away and spied a monstrous and very dark cloud spitting lightning as it moved toward her building. Without hesitation and with no regard for her personal safety, Bertha told her daughter, “Get off the phone, there’s lightning in the area! You could get electrocuted! ” and immediately terminated the call. Bertha looked over toward the window again just as a co-worker approached it, oblivious to the potential danger. “Ruth! Ruth!,” Bertha yelled as bits of lunch shot from her mouth, “Stay away from the window! Lightning!”

    Incredible isn’t it? It must have been a tough call between Martinez and Bertha Circuspantz.

  21. Some years ago a certain state–we’ll call it Maryland–decided that its employees should be financially rewarded for doing their jobs well. If someone rec’d an excellent evaluation, he was rewarded with a bonus of several hundreds of dollars. Want to guess what happened? Right. Suddenly, the state was awash in outstanding employees and the program ended for lack of funds. Who knew?

    1. My point might have been a bit too subtle. If there is a Valor Award, someone is going to receive it, valor or no valor.

  22. How does this bitch even have her job still, much less get an award?

    Our tax dollars at work, and yet another example of the ridiculous shitshow that is DHS.

  23. My wife got one of the goldens qualified as a Therapy Dog. That fucking dog has displayed more valor than this bitch.

  24. I once moved my people and patients from the exterior of an old wooden building to a more central, secure environment during a tornado warning. True. I didn’t get no damn award. I want my award. sarc

  25. So, she’ll be getting a VALOR award for locking the doors, and going around saying; “It’s alright, bambinos, mama’s here”.

    Oh, wait; she DID go outside to find someone in their car; so she took an AWFUL risk of getting a slight melanoma later in life, since she probably didn’t have quite enough time to put on some sun screen.
    Okay; I can see why she’s getting the award NOW.

  26. Marquez? or Martinez? “was scheduled for an appointment at Ms. Martinez’s facility, but was a no-show.”
    typo?

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