Category: Big Army

It’s still too early to be absolutely sure yet. But from first indications, the new SMA Dan Dailey appears to be taking a somewhat different path than his predecessor.

First:  the other day, SMA Dailey took Army leaders to task for letting physical fitness standards decline. He called for leaders to resume doing morning PT with their troops.

Now, after getting input from the troops it appears SMA Dailey has also quietly engineered a change in Army tattoo policy – IMO re-inserting a modicum of common sense. GEN Ray Odierno, Army Chief of Staff, announced the policy change recently at the AUSA Convention in Huntsville, AL.

I think that breeze you just felt was a bit of welcome fresh air. With maybe some common sense coming along for the ride.

Gee – a SMA that actually listens to feedback from the field.  And he also appears to be more interested in stuff that, you know, actually matters when the fertilizer hits the air circulator than he is about stuff that doesn’t. I find that . . . refreshing. And long overdue.

Yeah, I’m thinking Jonn could well be correct: the Army just might have a SMA with his head screwed on right this time around. So far, it certainly looks like the man was a good choice.

The Secretary of the Army, John McHugh has released a statement on his decision to take Major Mathew L. Golsteyn’s Silver Star from him, but it really doesn’t clarify anything. Some background from Stars & Stripes;

Maj. Mathew L. Golsteyn received the Silver Star in 2011 for valor in Afghanistan on Feb. 20, 2010, and was later approved for an upgrade to the even more prestigious Distinguished Service Cross.

[…]

Golsteyn was later investigated for an undisclosed violation of the military’s rules of engagement in combat — a violation related to the killing of a known enemy bombmaker, according to officials familiar with the case. The investigation closed in 2014 without Golsteyn’s being charged with a crime, but Army Secretary John McHugh made the rare decision to strip him of both awards anyway.

McHugh, responding to a letter from Representative Duncan Hunter, wrote;

“Every step in the process of investigating Major Golsteyn’s actions, and reviewing and subsequently revoking his valor awards has been thorough, objective and justified,” McHugh wrote in the February 26 letter, obtained by The Washington Post. “The Army’s investigation demonstrated that Major Golsteyn’s service during or at the time of the distinguished act, achievement or meritorious service was not honorable, which led to the revocation of the Distinguished Service Cross.”

OK, so they investigated, couldn’t find anything to charge Golsteyn with, so they decided to pull his awards and now they’re considering his removal from the service, all because “I said so”.

To his credit, Hunter isn’t accepting McHugh’s explanation, he responded to McHugh’s letter;

“The Administrative actions currently underway are a direct result of the Army’s inability to justify a criminal charge based on the evidence.”

I don’t, as a habit, get involved in these legal discussions because the Army usually has more information than me, but in this case, the Army seems to be withholding information from the public in order to justify their decision in this particular case.

Captain Mathew L. Golsteyn was awarded a Silver Star for his valorous actions in Afghanistan against Taliban insurgents that raked his team with fire while their vehicles were mired. In fact his actions were so valorous that he was being considered for an upgrade to the Distinguished Service Cross until this happened, according to the Washington Post;

In a rare reversal, however, Golsteyn, now a major, no longer has either award. The Special Forces officer and graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., was later investigated for an undisclosed violation of the military’s rules of engagement in combat for killing a known enemy fighter and bomb maker, according to officials familiar with the case. The investigation closed last year without Golsteyn’s being charged with a crime, but Army Secretary John M. McHugh decided not only to deny Golsteyn the Distinguished Service Cross, but also to revoke his Silver Star.

McHugh cited a provision in Army regulations that if facts become known that would have prevented the awarding of a medal, the award can be revoked. The Silver Star was approved by a top commander in Afghanistan — Army Gen. David M. Rodriguez, then the three-star deputy commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan – according to Golsteyn’s lawyer, Phil Stackhouse.

Because of the nature of the captain’s work in Afghanistan, we’ll probably never know the reason why the Army arrived at this decision to revoke his awards. But there it is.

We wrote about Major Burris, a former sexual assault prosecutor for the Army, a few weeks ago when he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for rape. Our friends at MilitaryCorruption.com, however, had a different take on the case. They sent us the results of the Article 32 investigating officer’s report, which I present below;

Investigating Officer's Report- US v Burris by JonnLilyea

The investigating officer’s name was LTC Jessica Halling and basically she determined that Burris’ ex-wife, the person preferring the rape charges against Major Burris wasn’t credible and that the Army should just offer the Major an Article 15 and a General Officer Memorandum of Reprimand. Obviously, the Army disagreed and went with a court martial.

Military Corruption says they made that decision because he made the statement in open court that, as a prosecutor, he was pressured by his highers to make sexual assault cases when little evidence against the accused existed. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but obviously, they had something against him to go against the investigating officer’s recommendations.

The Army Times reports that Big Army Human Resources sent out a message the other day reminding commanders that they can revoke your awards. It’s nothing new – we’ve seen phonies who didn’t even get National Defense Service Medals after their poor record of service. Army Regulation (AR) 600-8-22 lays out the guidelines for commanders;

1–30. Revocation of personal decorations and suspension of authority to wear a. Once an award has been presented, it may be revoked by the awarding authority if facts subsequently determined would have prevented original approval of the award had they been known at the time. Presentation of a decoration is the physical act of pinning or clipping the medal on a Soldier’s chest or handing the Soldier the medal, certificate or orders. Failure to be reassigned or separated as originally scheduled does not constitute grounds for revocation of an award which has been presented. The decision to revoke an award may not be delegated by the awarding authority. In making the decision, the awarding authority will consider a statement of concurrence or non-concurrence (with comments) from the individual concerned. Upon revocation, the affected individual will be informed that he or she may appeal the revocation action through command channels to Commander, USAHRC, AHRC–PDO–PA, Alexandria, VA 22332–0471, for final review. When desirable, the awarding authority may refer the revocation request to Commander, USAHRC, AHRC–PDO–PA, Alexandria, VA 22332–0471, for appropriate action
b. When the Bronze Star Medal has been awarded to an individual based upon award of the Combat Infantryman Badge during World War II, revocation of the Combat Infantryman Badge will result in revocation of the Bronze Star Medal. Revocation will be announced in permanent orders of local commanders citing this paragraph as authority.
c. The authority to wear an award may be suspended by the award approval authority or higher authority. An award will be suspended when an investigation has been initiated by proper authority to determine the validity of the award.
The authority directing the suspension will notify, in writing, the individual concerned and the Commander, USAHRC, AHRC–PDO–PA, Alexandria, VA 22332–0471, by the most expeditious means possible when suspension is initiated, and when it is terminated, and the reason(s) for termination. Refer to AR 670–1 for wear prohibitions.
1–31. Revocation of badges, Ranger Tab, Special Forces Tab, and Sapper Tab
a. Commanders authorized to award combat and special skill badges are authorized to revoke such awards. An award, once revoked, will not be reinstated except by USAHRC, AHRC–PDO–PA, Alexandria, VA 22332–0471, when fully justified. When desirable, the awarding authority may refer the revocation request to USAHRC, AHRC–PDO–PA,
Alexandria, VA 22332–0471, for appropriate action.
b. Revocation of awards of badges will be announced in permanent orders, except that revocations which are automatically effected, as prescribed in this regulation, need not be announced in orders; see paragraphs c(1) through (9), below.
c. Award of badges may be revoked under any of the following conditions:
(1) An award of any combat and special skill badge will be automatically revoked on dismissal, dishonorable discharge, or conviction by courts-martial for desertion in wartime. Wartime is defined in the glossary.
(2) Parachutist Badge. Any Parachutist badge may be revoked when the awardee—
(a) Is punished under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) for refusal to participate in a parachute jump.
(b) Initiates action which results in termination of airborne status or withdrawal of any Career Management Field (CMF) 18 military occupational specialty (MOS), 180A or specialty skill identifier (SSI) 18A before he or she completes 36 cumulative months of airborne duty. Any parachutist badge with bronze star for a combat jump will be retained regardless of time on airborne status. Any parachutist badge will be retained if the Soldier is unable to complete 36 cumulative months of airborne duty through no fault of his or her own, for example, injury or reassignment under favorable conditions.
(3) Parachute Rigger Badge. The Parachute Rigger Badge may be revoked when the awardee—
(a) Has his or her Parachutist Badge revoked.
(b) Refuses an order to make a parachute jump with a parachute they packed.
(c) Initiates action which results in withdrawal of MOS 92R, 401A, or SSI 92D before he or she completes 36 months in a parachute position.
(4) Military Free Fall Parachutist Badge. The Military Free Fall Parachutist Badge and Jumpmaster Badge may be revoked by the approval authority under the conditions listed below. Once revoked, the badges will not be reinstated except by the Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, when fully justified.
(a) Automatically, upon dismissal, dishonorable discharge, or conviction by court-martial for desertion in time of
war.
(b) Awardee is punished under UCMJ for refusal to participate in a military free fall jump.

(c) Awardee initiates action which results in the termination of military free fall parachutist, basic or military free fall parachutist, jumpmaster status.
(5) Aviator Badges. Any Aviator Badge may be revoked when HQDA has approved the findings of a Flight Evaluation Board that the awardee was guilty of—
(a) Cowardice, refusal to fly, fear of flying, or fear of combat.
(b) An act constituting a flagrant violation of flying regulations
(6) Aviation Badges. Any Aviation Badge may be revoked by a commander who has authority to make the award upon his or her determination that the awardee was guilty of—
(a) Cowardice, refusal to fly, fear of flying, or fear of combat.
(b) Negligence in the performance of assigned aeronautical duties.
(7) Explosive Ordnance Disposal Badges. Any Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Badge may be revoked when the awardee—
(a) Is convicted by court-martial for refusal to participate in explosive ordnance disposal operations.
(b) Any EOD Badge may be revoked by a commander having authority to award the badge upon his or her determination that the awardee was guilty of gross negligence in the performance of assigned explosive ordnance disposal duties or a flagrant violation of EOD safety procedures or regulation.
(c) Initiates, in his or her initial tour of explosive ordnance disposal duty, action which results in termination of his or her explosive ordnance disposal status prior to the completion of 18 consecutive months of explosive ordnance disposal duty.
(8) Air Assault Badge. Any Air Assault Badge may be revoked by the awarding authority (see para 8–26) based upon the determination that an assigned or attached individual has failed to maintain prescribed standards of personal fitness and readiness to accomplish Air Assault missions. Requests for revocation of an Air Assault Badge awarded to individuals no longer assigned or attached to the awarding authority’s command will be forwarded through command channels to Commander, USAHRC, AHRC–PDO–PA, 200 Stovall Street, Alexandria, VA 22332–0471. These cases will be limited to those where it has been determined that an awardee was guilty of cowardice, refusal to fly in a tactical exercise or gross negligence in the performance of Air Assault duties.
(9) Special Forces Tab. Special Forces Tab may be revoked by the awarding authority (Commander, U.S. Army
John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center) if the recipient—
(a) Has his or her Parachutist Badge revoked.
(b) Initiates action which results in termination or withdrawal of the Special Forces specialty or branch code prior to completing 36 months of Special Forces duty. Requests for advanced schooling which may lead to another specialty or branch code being awarded instead of Special Forces will not be used as a basis for revocation of the tab.
(c) Has become permanently medically disqualified from performing Special Forces duty and was found to have become disqualified not in the line of duty.
(d) Has been convicted at a trial by courts-martial or has committed offenses which demonstrate severe professional misconduct,incompetence, or willful dereliction in the performance of Special Forces duties.
(e) Has committed any misconduct which is the subject of an administrative elimination action under the provisions of AR 635–200 or AR 600–8–24.
(f) Has committed any act or engaged in any conduct inconsistent with the integrity, professionalism, and conduct of a Special Forces Soldier, as determined by the Commander, U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.
(g) The SF Tab for active and reserve component Soldiers will be reinstated by the Commander, U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), Fort Bragg, NC, when fully justified. Veterans, retirees, or next of kin should
submit request for reinstatement of the SF Tab to the Commander, USAHRC, AHRC–PDO–PA, Alexandria, VA 22332–0471, final review.
(10) Driver and Mechanic Badge. Driver and Mechanic Badge award will be revoked only by a commander authorized to award the badge and/or bar and only for any of the following reasons:
(a) In the event of a moving traffic violation in which life or property was endangered, or an accident which involved either property damage or personal injury wherein the awardee (motor vehicle driver or operator of special
mechanical equipment) was at fault.
(b) In the event of damage to the vehicle for which the awardee (motor vehicle driver or operator of special mechanical equipment) is responsible due to lack of preventive maintenance.
(c) In the event of an unsatisfactory rating of the awardee (motor mechanic) as a driver.
(d) In the event of damage to vehicle or shop equipment as a result of careless or inefficient performance of duty by
the awardee (motor mechanic).
(e) In the event of unsatisfactory shop performance by the awardee (motor mechanic).
(11) Marksmanship Badges. An award for previous marksmanship weapons qualification is revoked automatically whenever an individual, upon completion of firing a record course for which the previous award was made, has not attained the same qualification. In the event a badge is authorized for firing a limited or sub-caliber course, it is automatically revoked if a record service course is subsequently fired. If the bar, which is revoked automatically, is the only one authorized to be worn on the respective basic qualification badge, the award of the badge likewise is revoked automatically. An award once revoked will not be reinstated.
(12) U.S. Competitive Marksmanship Awards. Awards awarded under the U.S. Civilian Marksmanship Program and the President’s Hundred Tab made through error or as a result of fraud, may be revoked only by the USAHRC
(AHRC–PDO–PA).
(13) Ranger Tab. The Ranger Tab may be revoked by the Commander, U.S. Army Infantry School based on the recommendation of the field commander (COL or above) of the individual in question, if in the opinion of that commander the individual has exhibited a pattern of behavior, expertise or duty performance that is inconsistent with expectations of the Army, that is, that Ranger qualified Soldiers continuously demonstrate enhanced degrees of confidence, commitment, competency and discipline. Award of the Ranger Tab may be revoked for the following under any of the following conditions:
(a) Dismissal, dishonorable discharge or conviction by courts-martial for desertion in time of war.
(b) Refusal to accept assignment to a Ranger coded position.
(c) Failure to maintain prescribed standards of personal fitness and readiness to accomplish missions commensurate
with position and rank.
(d) Upon relief or release for cause.
(14) Sapper Tab. See paragraph 8–50c.
(15) Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Identification Badge. See paragraph 8–40f

I don’t see anything about a retired infantry platoon sergeant running a subversive blog in his retirement, so I guess my highest award, the NDSM, is safe for the time being.

Needless to say, I’ve had tons of email about this article which reports that women will be attending a girls-only Ranger class. They’ve been allowed to be observer/controllers for a cycle and now they’re getting their own class of about 60 ladies. More power to them.

It’s going to be the worst nine weeks of their lives and there’s no guarantee that they’ll get a coveted Ranger assignment. In fact, most men who graduate from the course don’t get the assignment. Ranger School is a touchstone for most infantry officers, regardless of their follow-on assignments. Even Robert Bateman, the least infantryman in the world went to Ranger School. I think I’ve had only one platoon leader who wasn’t Ranger-qualified in Bradley platoons, if I remember correctly.

So right off the top, women are taking Ranger School slots that would ordinarily go to people who actually need them and will actually apply the skills that they hone in Ranger School on the field of battle. All for a big social experiment. So, that’s not a waste of dwindling dollars for defense, is it?

Honestly, I have no problem with women going to Ranger School, or serving in combat units or any of the current discussion. I don’t subscribe to the theory that it will effect morale or unit cohesion. I also don’t think that men won’t be able to control their urges. What concerns me, is that t will turn out like everything else the social engineers get their grubby hippie paws on – standards will fall, standards that have been proven in combat for more than two hundred years and that will cost lives needlessly.

See, I remember back when women were forced out of the service when they got pregnant. The social engineers forced the military to change, and it reached the point in 1991, when my unit deployed to Iraq that an entire ambulance platoon in our support battalion got pregnant and couldn’t deploy – most had abortions on the German economy after we left.

I had female cadets when I taught ROTC who I’m sure could pass the requirements for Ranger School – they were hard-asses – but they are the exception. The social engineers aren’t going to be pleased when only a hand full of women get their tabs and they’re going to demand changes to the standard. Not that any of the women advocating for those changes will actually go to the course, or lead soldiers in combat themselves so that they know what they’re talking about – it’s all about numbers and shoving their version of equality down society and DoD’s throat. Regardless of the lives that it costs – it’s all for the cause.