Few medals being awarded in current conflicts

In Iraq and Afghanistan, wars that have gone on longer than World War II, only five Medals of Honor have been awarded. A number of reasons are offered, but some are still asking the question: 'What's

By Bill Gallo, Special to the Rocky

Published September 15, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Cp. Jason L. Dunham, with mom Debra

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Pfc. Ross A. McGinniss

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Master-at-arms, 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor

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Lt. Michael P. Murphy

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Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith

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Navy Petty Officer Danny P. Dietz

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Army Chief Warrant Officer Robert C. Hammett

On the grim afternoon of Dec. 4, 2006, an Iraqi insurgent threw a hand grenade from a rooftop into a U.S. Army Humvee on patrol in Baghdad.

Pfc. Ross A. McGinniss did not hesitate.

Rather than leaping from his gunnery hatch to safety, McGinniss, a 19-year-old old machine gunner from Knox, Pa., yelled a warning to his four comrades in the vehicle, then leaped onto the grenade, absorbing the force of the explosion.

He was killed. The others lived.

McGinniss is one of just five American servicemen from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to receive the Medal of Honor, which since 1862 has been the nation's highest military award for valor. Both conflicts have now gone on longer than World War II and hundreds of thousands have served. But the top medal count is still five. And all five were awarded posthumously.

Comparisons: In World War II, 464 Medals of Honor; in Korea, 133; in Vietnam, 246.

Why so few now?

That question is bound to be raised again when the Congressional Medal of Honor Society holds its annual convention in Denver this week. Convention co-chairman Nick Del Calzo, a 71-year-old Denver photographer and co-author of the 2003 book Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty, says that at least 64 of the 101 living Medal of Honor recipients will be coming here.

Don't call them winners. "They didn't set out to 'win' anything," Del Calzo says.

His explanation for the current Medal of Honor dearth echoes the explanation given by the U.S. Department of Defense. The review process for acts of valor in combat is so rigorous - and so secretive - that Pentagon officials don't discuss it. A dozen or more Medal of Honor reviews could now be under way, under wraps. No one knows.

But the basics never change: like Ross McGinniss' self-sacrifice, the action must be "beyond the call of duty," be recognized by a commanding officer and witnessed by at least two other members of the unit, then mulled over by Congress and the president.

That can take years.

In Iraq and Afghanistan, Del Calzo says, the front lines are uncertain and new styles of warfare preclude most conspicuous acts of bravery.

"Combat now is not hand-to- hand," he says, "and it's not in an open field. It's much more technological. Many soldiers are killed by IEDs (improvised explosive devices). The fighting is house-to- house. There are relatively few incidents in which the action taken merits the Medal of Honor, but the criteria remain the same."

Three of the five recent recipients threw themselves onto live enemy hand grenades - the classic act of selflessness in combat.

With some heat in his voice, Del Calzo rejects the notion that the politics surrounding an increasingly unpopular war in Iraq may inhibit Medal of Honor reviews.

"No. Absolutely under no circumstances," he says. "There's just a rigid process through which the medal is considered. And the Defense Department doesn't look favorably on any outside influence."

Some returning soldiers and Marines have complained, however, about the lack of official recognition for their bravest comrades.

James Taylor, who will be coming to the Denver convention from his home in northern California, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery west of Khe Sanh on Nov. 9, 1967, during the Vietnam War.

Then a 29-year-old first lieutenant with the Army's Americal Division, he pulled a dozen wounded comrades from three assault vehicles under enemy attack and, although wounded himself, destroyed an enemy machine gun crew.

Taylor rejects both the "style of warfare" and "political caution" explanations for the tiny number of Medal of Honor citations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He remains baffled.

"I have no answer," he says. "I just can't think, for the life of me, that there haven't been acts worthy of this great medal in those conflicts. I'm thinking that some recipients of the Navy Cross and the Distinguished Service Cross will be upgraded. That's what happened with me; I initially got the DSC. But to me this is really a mystery."

Taylor points out that house- to-house fighting and hidden explosive devices have been features of all wars, and as for the bad publicity argument, he says: "As anyone can tell you, the Vietnam War wasn't very popular, either. I just don't know. I've talked about this with several others, and we're all puzzled."

But he does have an answer for the hardest question of all. Since 1862, 18 percent of the 3,467 awards have been posthumous; since 2003, it's 100 percent.

Must a young American now give his or her life to earn consideration for the Medal of Honor?

"Well, it definitely appears that way," James Taylor says.

"Because that's what's happening. It's sad, and I am amazed by it."

Iraq and Afghanistan

* Cpl. Jason L. Dunham, U.S. Marines, 22, Scio, N.Y. On April 14, 2004, Cpl. Dunham shielded fellow Marines from death near Husaybah, Iraq, by falling upon an insurgent hand grenade. He died eight days later in Bethesda, Md. He was the first Marine recipient since Vietnam.

* Pfc. Ross A. McGinniss, U.S. Army, 19, Knox, Pa. On Dec. 4, 2006, McGinniss smothered an Iraqi insurgent's grenade inside an Army Humvee in Baghdad. His four comrades escaped; he died. His Silver Star was upgraded after a Pentagon review.

* Master-at-arms, 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor, U.S. Navy, 25, Garden Grove, Calif. On Sept. 29, 2006, Navy SEAL Monsoor covered an enemy hand grenade that had struck him in the chest at Ar Ramadi, Iraq, giving his life while saving the lives of two SEAL teammates.

* Lt. Michael P. Murphy, U.S. Navy, 29, Patchogue, N.Y. On June 28, 2005, east of Asadabad in Afghanistan's Kunar Province, Navy SEAL Murphy and his four-man team were surrounded by more than 50 insurgents. He fought to the death while trying to communicate the unit's position to headquarters.

* Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith. U.S. Army, 33, Tampa, Fla. On April 4, 2003, near Baghdad International Airport, Smith, a 13-year Army veteran, manned a .50-caliber machine gun and held off an enemy force of more than 100 while numerous American wounded were evacuated from the battlefield. He was killed by enemy fire. On April 4, 2005, he became the first Iraq war Medal of Honor recipient.

Decorated with Colorado ties

* Navy Petty Officer Danny P. Dietz, of Littleton, was killed in Afghanistan's Kunar Province on July 4, 2005, during a Navy SEAL search and rescue operation. The 25-year-old was awarded the Navy Cross, which ranks just below the Medal of Honor.

* Army Chief Warrant Officer Robert C. Hammett, 39, was killed June 24 by a bomb while meeting with local leaders in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood. The Fort Carson-based soldier was decorated with three Bronze Stars.

• September 16, 2008

  9:47 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  mcasey writes:

  These men are as true American heroes as any who have received the Medal of Honor in the past. However, the current wars bear no resemblance to past wars.
  Having gone on for SEVEN YEARS, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have cost us over 6,000 killed in action.
  In LESS THAN FOUR YEARS, WW2 cost the U.S. 400,000 killed in action and nearly 100,000 still missing in action.
  These time lines are more of a puzzle than the number of medals ratio.
  How can these current wars still be raging? Why were they not over in less than three months?

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