McClatchy reports that DoD’s Directorate for Investigations of Senior Officials is investigating the lost Medal of Honor paperwork for Army Captain Will Swenson, prompted by California Republican Duncan Hunter.
The inspector general’s “investigation is looking at the approval process for Capt. Swenson’s award, specifically how the chain of command mishandled his nomination,” said Joe Kasper, a spokesman for Hunter.
Bridget Serchak, a spokeswoman for the inspector general’s office, declined to comment on the matter, saying she could not discuss any ongoing case.
The consequences of the investigation are unclear. Typically, the inspector general’s office refers cases in which allegations of regulation violations are substantiated to the secretary of defense or the service secretaries for further action. Cases in which evidence of crimes is found are sent to the Defense Criminal Investigative Service for further investigation, often in conjunction with the Department of Justice.
Of course, the reason that the military community thinks that the paperwork was “lost” is because Swenson was critical of the rules of engagement in his after-action review of the battle which claimed the lives of US troops as a result. In his book, Into the Fire, Dakota Myer was also critical of the ROE because the team was unable to bring to bear indirect fire and tactical air support in order to withdraw troops when they were ambushed in the battle of Ganjgal in the Kunar Province of Afghanistan. Those supporting fires were denied to the team because people who were not under fire were worried about civilian casualties, while the troops who were under fire were trapped in a box canyon.
Swenson is scheduled to receive the award on October 15th at the White House.
