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President awards Medal of Honor

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Page 2 | THE REd 7 | Friday, February 15, 2013

Year No. 3 edition No. 7

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Training on eglinGreen Berets from the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) watch as a Soldier is being hoisted onto a CH-47 Helicopter on Eglin AFB Feb. 6. The Soldiers participated in multiple training exercises to maintain their proficiency.

Spc..Steven.K..Young..| U.S. Army

A Soldier from the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) fast ropes onto his objective on Sontay Drop Zone, on Eglin, on Feb. 5.

Staff.Sgt..Ramon.m..maRReRo.| U.S. Army

Green Berets from the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) get ready to ride a Zodiac after successfully completing a Helocast jump from the ramp of a CH-47 Helicopter Feb. 6.

WaSHIngton. (Army News Service) — President Barack Obama placed the Medal of Honor around the neck of former Army Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha dur-ing a ceremony Feb. 11 in the East Room of the White House.

Romesha is the fourth living service member to receive the medal for ser-vice in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom. The former Soldier earned the Medal of Honor for actions Oct. 3, 2009, at Combat Out-post Keating, Kamdesh District, Nuristan Province, Afghanistan.

On that morning, Combat Outpost, or COP, Keating, manned by only 53 Soldiers and situated at the bottom of a steep valley, came un-der attack by as many as 300 Taliban fighters.

During the fight, the pe-rimeter of COP Keating was breached by the enemy. Ro-mesha, who was injured in the battle, led the fight to protect the bodies of fall-en Soldiers, provide cover to those Soldiers seeking medical assistance, and re-claim the American outpost that would later be deemed “tactically indefensible.”

“Throughout history, the question has often been asked, why? Why do those in uniform take such extraordinary risks? And what compels them to such courage?” the president said. “You ask Clint and any of these Soldiers who are here today, and they’ll tell you. Yes, they fight for their country, and they fight for our freedom. Yes, they fight to come home to their fami-lies. But most of all, they fight for each other, to keep each other safe and to have each other’s backs.”

The White House cer-emony was attended by several hundred, including lawmakers, defense lead-

ers, Romesha’s family, and team members from Ro-mesha’s own Bravo Troop, 3d Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infan-try Division. Also there was Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta, Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Ray Odierno and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III.

The president said that upon learning he would re-ceive the Medal of Honor, Romesha displayed the brand of humbleness typi-cal of many Soldiers.

“When I called Clint to tell him that he would re-ceive this medal, he said he was honored, but he also said, ‘it wasn’t just me out there, it was a team effort,’” the president said. “And so today we also honor this American team, including those who made the ulti-mate sacrifice.”

Included among those who died in the fighting that day in Afghanistan were, Staff Sgt. Justin Gallegos, Sgt. Christopher Griffin,

Sgt. Joshua Hardt, Sgt. Joshua Kirk, Spc. Stephan Mace, Staff Sgt. Vernon Martin, Sgt. Michael Scusa, and Pfc. Kevin Thomson.

“Each of these patriots gave their lives looking out for each other,” Obama said. “In a battle that raged all day, that brand of selfless-ness was displayed again and again and again, Sol-diers exposing themselves to enemy fire to pull a com-rade to safety, tending to each other’s wounds, (and) performing ‘buddy trans-fusions,’ giving each other their own blood.”

The president said on that day, it wasn’t just Ro-mesha who earned recog-nition for his actions, it was dozens of Soldiers. From that battle, Soldiers earned 37 Army Commendation Medals, 27 Purple Hearts, 18 Bronze Stars and nine Silver Stars, the president said.

“These men were out-numbered, outgunned and

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u.S..aRmY.

President Barack H. Obama awards the Medal of Honor to former Army Staff Sgt. Clinton L. Romesha during a ceremony at the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 11. Romesha received the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions during a day-long fire-fight at Combat Outpost Keating, Afghanistan, in October 2009.

President awards Medal of Honor to hero of CoP Keating

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Lt. Cmdr. Jack Townsend, a Navy Reserve retiree in Richmond, Va., became aware a decade ago that he wasn’t consid-ered a military “veteran” under federal law. It’s been bothering him ever since.

Townsend was apply-ing for a job when he was asked for a copy of his DD Form 214, “Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty,” to prove his veteran status. Townsend, who had earned his re-serve commission through the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, didn’t have a DD 214 because he never had served under active-duty orders.

He did have his Navy Reserve retirement letter to verify 24 years of ser-vice. But employers are schooled to ask for the DD

214, proof from a job seeker of veteran status for completing a period of active-duty service.

“It put me in a bad light,”

Townsend said.Roger Miller, 60, of Den-

ver, who retired from the Navy Reserve at the same rank also after 24 years, spent six of his years as an Air Force Reserve en-listee, loading cargo on air-craft that others crewed.

“I knew that to be clas-sified a veteran you had to have 180 days of continu-ous active duty, not includ-ing basic training or tech school. I finished up tech school at 179 days,” Miller

said, just as the Air Force intended.

Non-veteran status didn’t string Miller until years later when he ap-plied for federal civil-ian positions that fit his experience well in television and mass com-munications. However, he couldn’t claim veterans preference points and lost those jobs to former ser-vice members with active-duty time.

“People ask me, ‘Are you a veteran?’ I say, ‘Well, yeah, I served 24 years in the Reserve so I consider myself a veteran — even though the government doesn’t.’ That’s my answer to them,” Miller said.

Townsend said it is il-logical that the law denies Reserve retirees veteran status but they can draw military retirement at age

60, get military health care and shop on base. The Department of Veterans Affairs even finds them eli-gible for certain benefits, including VA guaranteed home loans.

“The only thing I’m lacking is the paperwork,” Townsend said.

After years of com-plaints by reserve compo-nent retirees, a change to their veteran status may be near.

The Military Coalition, an umbrella organization for 34 military associa-tions and veterans’ groups, is restarting a lobbying campaign for the new Congress and will push for passage of a bill to alter the definition of “veteran” for more than 200,000 Re-serve and National Guard retirees.

The Honor America’s Guard-Reserve Retirees Act will be reintroduced this month in the House by Reps. Tim Walz, D-Minn., and Jon Runyan, R-N.J., of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. Co-sponsors

in the Senate will be Re-publican John Boozman and Democrat Mark Pryor, both from Arkansas.

The House has passed the legislation twice. It died each time in the Sen-ate on opposition from Richard Burr of North Carolina, the ranking Re-publican on the Veterans Affairs Committee. Burr’s staff could not be reached to comment.

But advocates say the senator is worried that ex-tending veteran status to reserve component retir-ees would open the door to more benefits. Proponents say the bill specifically states that those to be honored as veterans in the bill “shall not be entitled to any benefit by reason” of it.

So there is no “nose un-der the tent” benefit issue that should worry Burr, say coalition representa-tives leading the fight for the bill. Those “veterans,” for example, would still not enjoy preference points in competing for federal jobs.

The Congressional Bud-

get Office is persuaded, scoring the bill as “cost neutral.” Yet the coalition is working with sponsors to add more phrasing that would allay any remaining concerns Burr might have.

“To call yourself a vet-eran is one of the highest honors you can have after you leave the military. It’s an acknowledgement of one’s service,” said An-thony A. Wallis with the Association of the United States Navy.

Most of the retirees targeted by the bill served in an era when it was com-monplace to complete Re-serve and Guard careers without active service. That’s almost unfathom-able today given Guard and Reserve operations since 9/11.

“The population we are fighting for in this legisla-tion is diminishing over time,” said Bob Norton, deputy director of govern-ment relations for the Mili-tary Officers Association of

new push begins to make ‘veterans’ of 200,000 reserve retirees

Tom Philpott

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Staff.Sgt..Ramon.m..maRReRo.| U.S. Army

Happy homecomingSgt. Donaldo Bodden, a Soldier from the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) greets his children upon returning from a six-month deployment Feb. 13.

Staff.Sgt..Ramon.m..maR-ReRo.| U.S. Army

Sgt. Jessica Suarez, a Sol-dier from the Headquarters and Headquarters Com-pany (HHC), 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) greets her husband upon returning.

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Staff.Sgt..Ramon.m..maRReRo.| U.S. Army

Sky high trainingA Soldier from the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) rappels down the 7th SFG (A) rappelling tower during training on the Compound Feb. 4. The Soldiers participated in multiple training exercises to maintain their proficiency.

America (MOAA). “These are mostly Cold War-era folks, people who served in Reserve and Guard units, but before the first Gulf War, and were never called up during their careers.”

But Norton noted there still are reserve compo-nent careerists serving today, including National Guard technicians, who prepare others for call-up but are not mobilized themselves for overseas contingencies or national emergencies. So those members also would be honored as veterans if they reach Guard or Reserve retirement for serving at least 20 years.

Another reason Burr should not fear a benefit expansion, Norton said, is that every benefit provided to veterans is governed by its own restrictive lan-guage specifying who is eligible. None simply goes to “any veteran.”

The bill being drafted would only extend veteran status to reserve compo-nent retirees, not to many more thousands of Re-serve and Guard person-nel who left before earning retirement.

Some members of the coalition may see the issue differently, Norton said, but at MOAA “our feeling is that this honor really should be reserved for those who have completed a full career.”

Miller does feel differ-ently. He thinks any length

of honorable service should suffice, “whether six years in the Reserve or 24 years.”

“I would still like to be recognized as a veteran, officially by the govern-ment, because I did serve 24 years,” Miller added. “And if you have talked to

other reservists you know that it wasn’t just that one weekend a month you did your duty.”

tom.philpott.is.a.syndicated.columnist..You.may.write.to.him.at.military.update,.p.o..Box.231111,.centreville,.va.20120-1111;.or.at.milupdate@aol.com..

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Friday, February 15, 2013 | THE REd 7 | Page 7

reTIreeS FrOM Page 4

almost overrun,” Obama said. “Looking back, one of them said, ‘I’m surprised any of us made it out.’ But they are here today. And I would ask these Soldiers, this band of brothers, to stand and accept the grati-tude of our entire nation.

“God bless you, Clint Romesha, and all of your team,” the president said. “God bless all who serve. And God bless the United States of America.”

The president then asked that the Medal of Honor Citation be read, and following that, he placed the medal around Romesha’s neck.

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