OT: A Medal of Honor for an old team-mate.

[Kibitzer]

Bennie Adkins will be presented the Medal of Honor by President Obama for extraordinary valor in Vietnam in 1966. I knew Bennie -- he was a member of my "A" Detachment (7th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, NC) in 1962. We had one particularly interesting mission that I will only discuss in private conversation.

What I remember admiringly and affectionately about Bennie is that he was a dedicated practitioner of the "Travel Light/Freeze at Night" school of rucksack packing. Props to Bennie.

 

[vtcwbuff]

I looked him up. Command Sergeant Major Adkins MOH will be an upgrade to a DSC that he was awarded for his actions in the A Shau valley in 1966. The medal will accompany his Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Hearts.

I know some will say better late than never, but stories like this are so frustrating. He is 79 years old and just now getting the proper recognition for heroic action that took place nearly 50 years ago.

From the Military.com article on the award - "The Senate committee action followed on a similar move last year by the House to authorize and request the President to award the Medal of Honor to Bennie G. Adkins and Donald P. Sloat, both of Oklahoma.
The SASC measure passed earlier this week as part of the National Defense Authorization Act would waive the three-year time limit under the U.S. Code from the date of the action justifying the possible award of the MoH to Sloat, and for the upgrade of a Distinguished Service Cross to an MoH in the case of Adkins."

Why does it have to be so complicated?

 

[RadyLady]

dunno...medal or not, they are all heroes....

 

[vtcwbuff]

An update - Sgt Major Adkins received his Medal of Honor from President Obama on Monday.

Link

 

[LesMis89]

I'm happy he lived long enough to receive this very overdue honor.

Look forward to when Alonzo Cushing posthumously receives his medal.

 

[uconnfan68]

I looked him up. Command Sergeant Major Adkins MOH will be an upgrade to a DSC that he was awarded for his actions in the A Shau valley in 1966. The medal will accompany his Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Hearts.

I know some will say better late than never, but stories like this are so frustrating. He is 79 years old and just now getting the proper recognition for heroic action that took place nearly 50 years ago.

From the Military.com article on the award - "The Senate committee action followed on a similar move last year by the House to authorize and request the President to award the Medal of Honor to Bennie G. Adkins and Donald P. Sloat, both of Oklahoma.
The SASC measure passed earlier this week as part of the National Defense Authorization Act would waive the three-year time limit under the U.S. Code from the date of the action justifying the possible award of the MoH to Sloat, and for the upgrade of a Distinguished Service Cross to an MoH in the case of Adkins."

Why does it have to be so complicated?

Because it means so much. You can't hand it out like candy at Halloween. There are more people that deserve it than we'll ever know about. And every single recipient will tell you that.

 

[vtcwbuff]

This is the sort of thing that I find so frustrating -

Taken from the Wikipedia entry for Lt Alonzo Cushing who fell at Gettysburg while helping defend Cemetery Ridge against "Pickett's charge."

"It was announced on May 20, 2010 that Cushing would receive the Medal of Honor, 147 years after his death.[9] However, the provision granting Cushing the Medal of Honor was removed from a defense spending bill by Senator Jim Webb of Virginia in December of 2012.["