Lisa 23
12-15-11, 08:51 AM
US Marines deny exaggerating deeds of war hero
The US Marine Corps rejected a report that the elite unit exaggerated the deeds of a former trooper who won the country's most prestigious military honor for his valor in Afghanistan.
McClatchy newspapers alleged that key facts in the corps' publicized account of Corporal Dakota Meyer's actions in a 2009 battle were inaccurate, overstated or unsubstantiated. The Marines said they were "disappointed" with the article.
"We firmly stand behind the Medal of Honor (MOH) process and the conclusion that this Marine rightly deserved the nation's highest military honor," the Marine Corps said in a statement.
Meyer, 23, was the first living Marine since the Vietnam War to receive the Medal of Honor, which was presented to him on September 15 by President Barack Obama in a televised White House ceremony.
Obama hailed Meyer for defying orders and rushing into the heart of an ambush to retrieve fallen comrades, save 13 fellow Americans, kill eight Taliban insurgents and leave his gun turret to rescue two dozen Afghans.
But the McClatchy report, written by Jonathan Landay, a journalist who was accompanying Meyer's unit and witnessed the 2009 battle in the Ganjgal Valley, said details of that account were untrue or unconfirmed.
It was not possible for Meyer to have saved 13 US troops, the article said, because 12 Americans were ambushed in the battle, including the McClatchy reporter, and four troopers were killed, it said.
And military documents indicated that the arrival of helicopters secured the survival of the remaining personnel, not Meyer's vehicle.
There are no statements from fellow troops confirming that Meyer, who has since left the military, killed eight Taliban as claimed on the Marine Corps website, the article said.
The driver of Meyer's vehicle, Staff Sergeant Juan Rodriguez-Chavez, reported seeing Meyer kill one insurgent.
There were also no sworn statements that backed up the portrayal of Meyer leaping out of his gun turret and pulling the 24 wounded Afghans into his truck, according to the report.
Meyer's driver described nine Afghan soldiers getting into the Humvee armored vehicle by themselves while Meyer remained in the turret, it said.
The article also said there was no evidence that supported the White House and Marine Corps account that Meyer defied orders by heading towards gunfire to help his comrades.
The Marine Corps acknowledged that eyewitness accounts might differ but said that was typical in the confusion of combat and a rigorous process had been followed before the Medal of Honor was approved.
The award was backed up by numerous statements by witnesses, graphics, a command inquiry and two army investigations, the Marine Corps said.
"Due to the distance and length of time the battle lasted and the fact that the majority of the participants were in a deadly fight for their lives and the lives of their comrades, the eyewitness accounts may vary in certain detail -- variations that are expected," it said.
The Marines also defended a narrative of the battle posted on the corps' website that is based on Meyer's account.
"We supported this communication method in large part because of (later promoted) Sgt. Meyer's personal desire to not retell with each interview, and thereby re-live, what he calls the 'worst day of his life,' it said.
But the McClatchy article lamented the Marine Corps' handling of Meyer's story, saying the young trooper had displayed courage and deserved to be decorated, without the need for embellishing details.
"What's most striking is that all this probably was unnecessary. Meyer, the 296th Marine to earn the medal, by all accounts deserved his nomination," the newspaper said.
The medal was given to Meyer amid growing complaints in Congress and among troops that soldiers were not being put up for the highest honor.
http://news.yahoo.com/us-marines-deny-exaggerating-deeds-war-hero-070549889.html
The US Marine Corps rejected a report that the elite unit exaggerated the deeds of a former trooper who won the country's most prestigious military honor for his valor in Afghanistan.
McClatchy newspapers alleged that key facts in the corps' publicized account of Corporal Dakota Meyer's actions in a 2009 battle were inaccurate, overstated or unsubstantiated. The Marines said they were "disappointed" with the article.
"We firmly stand behind the Medal of Honor (MOH) process and the conclusion that this Marine rightly deserved the nation's highest military honor," the Marine Corps said in a statement.
Meyer, 23, was the first living Marine since the Vietnam War to receive the Medal of Honor, which was presented to him on September 15 by President Barack Obama in a televised White House ceremony.
Obama hailed Meyer for defying orders and rushing into the heart of an ambush to retrieve fallen comrades, save 13 fellow Americans, kill eight Taliban insurgents and leave his gun turret to rescue two dozen Afghans.
But the McClatchy report, written by Jonathan Landay, a journalist who was accompanying Meyer's unit and witnessed the 2009 battle in the Ganjgal Valley, said details of that account were untrue or unconfirmed.
It was not possible for Meyer to have saved 13 US troops, the article said, because 12 Americans were ambushed in the battle, including the McClatchy reporter, and four troopers were killed, it said.
And military documents indicated that the arrival of helicopters secured the survival of the remaining personnel, not Meyer's vehicle.
There are no statements from fellow troops confirming that Meyer, who has since left the military, killed eight Taliban as claimed on the Marine Corps website, the article said.
The driver of Meyer's vehicle, Staff Sergeant Juan Rodriguez-Chavez, reported seeing Meyer kill one insurgent.
There were also no sworn statements that backed up the portrayal of Meyer leaping out of his gun turret and pulling the 24 wounded Afghans into his truck, according to the report.
Meyer's driver described nine Afghan soldiers getting into the Humvee armored vehicle by themselves while Meyer remained in the turret, it said.
The article also said there was no evidence that supported the White House and Marine Corps account that Meyer defied orders by heading towards gunfire to help his comrades.
The Marine Corps acknowledged that eyewitness accounts might differ but said that was typical in the confusion of combat and a rigorous process had been followed before the Medal of Honor was approved.
The award was backed up by numerous statements by witnesses, graphics, a command inquiry and two army investigations, the Marine Corps said.
"Due to the distance and length of time the battle lasted and the fact that the majority of the participants were in a deadly fight for their lives and the lives of their comrades, the eyewitness accounts may vary in certain detail -- variations that are expected," it said.
The Marines also defended a narrative of the battle posted on the corps' website that is based on Meyer's account.
"We supported this communication method in large part because of (later promoted) Sgt. Meyer's personal desire to not retell with each interview, and thereby re-live, what he calls the 'worst day of his life,' it said.
But the McClatchy article lamented the Marine Corps' handling of Meyer's story, saying the young trooper had displayed courage and deserved to be decorated, without the need for embellishing details.
"What's most striking is that all this probably was unnecessary. Meyer, the 296th Marine to earn the medal, by all accounts deserved his nomination," the newspaper said.
The medal was given to Meyer amid growing complaints in Congress and among troops that soldiers were not being put up for the highest honor.
http://news.yahoo.com/us-marines-deny-exaggerating-deeds-war-hero-070549889.html