Recently President Obama awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, this nation's highest medal for exceptional valor in the face of enemy fire, to SSgt Sal Giunta during a White House ceremony before members of Congress, Giunta’s family, soldiers who were with Giunta when he performed his heroic act and the families of two soldiers who he tried to save but who died during a battle in Afghanistan.
I received several e-mails that were very critical of Obama for not saluting Giunta after he hung the medal around the sergeant’s neck. They also pointed out that even generals salute a Medal of Honor recipient whenever they are in his presence.
This is how I replied to those e-mails: I'm sure Obama did not deliberately fail to follow protocol. Having never been associated with the military, he is unaware and totally ignorant of its traditions and protocols. And the same can be said of his young staff members who are responsible for advising him as to what the proper protocols are for each event.
However, there was something about that award ceremony that was really appalling. Greg County and Bob Walsh both sent me a YouTube clip of Michael Berry, a conservative Houston radio talk show host, commenting on the seating arrangement at the ceremony and the order in which Obama shook hands with those present. Berry had been contacted by a Marine LCpl Clayton who was very upset over the seating arrangement and the handshaking order.
What galled Berry and Clayton, and it galls me too, is that the first two rows were filled with members of Congress. Giunta’s comrades in arms, his family and the families of the two soldiers he tried to save were seated in the third row. THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN SEATED IN THE FIRST ROW. Upon completion of the ceremony, Obama spent several minutes shaking hands with the members of Congress. Not until he had finished glad-handing those politicians did he go over to shake the hands of the soldiers and family members. OBAMA SHOULD HAVE SHAKEN THEIR HANDS BEFORE HE SHOOK HANDS WITH ANY OTHERS AT THE CEREMONY.
The seating arrangement and the order in which Obama shook hands, DISRESPECTED THE SOLDIERS AND THEIR FAMILIES. And the fact that he and his staff have never been associated with the military is absolutely no excuse for not showing them the respect they deserved. Fuck the politicians - the soldiers and their families should have come first!
As an aside, I did experience a momentary bit of laughter while watching that YouTube clip. Houston Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee is best known for being a motormouth. Jackson Lee takes at least 30 minutes to say something that any other person would say in 10 minutes. Once she starts talking, you can’t shut her up. Berry’s clip had a picture of Jackson Lee with this caption: SOMEWHERE IN TEXAS A VILLAGE IS MISSING ITS IDIOT. How true, how true!
7 comments:
I think it is very telling that the President seems to regard this as a POLITICAL opportunity, as do many of the members of congress. They should be ashamed that they were front and center when the family, and other honest to god veterans, were sitting in the back.
bob walsh
Progressives view EVERYTHING as a political opportnity Bob.
Berry read an email from Clayton on the air. The details of that email were incorrect. When Berry read the email on the air, he first read how Clayton scolded him for calling SSgt. Giunta a "winner" and then referred to the previous Medal of Honor recipients as "winners."
It surprises me that you take this at face value. By this time -- more than a month later -- there is more than enough proof that the people on the front two rows were SSgt. Giunta's family, previous Medal of Honor recipients and Secretary of Defense Gates. Didn't you think there was something wrong when the youtube video didn't show anything from the actual ceremony? Did you ever wonder if another president behaved in the same way as President Obama (two Republican presidents did)?
Despite the ease with which you could discover that what you relied on was all a lie, you still run with it.
That leads me to believe that you just want to perpetuate a lie: about the seating, about who was there, about the protocol. All of what you have written about it is a lie, relying on a lie.
But you are ok with that, yes?
Whatever it takes.
michilines
Granted that Michael Berry is a right-winger. While I do not always agree with his views, I've found him to be reliable, both as a radio talk show host and as a former Houston city councilman.
You should take your beef up with him. If Berry retracts what he said on YouTube, I'll retract what I said on this blog.
I follow Berry's claims regularly, and I have contacted him about this one. He's never going to retract it because his purpose wasn't to relate the truth, but rather to perpetuate a lie. Making your retraction contingent upon Berry retracting what he broadcast means that you have that same purpose: perpetuating a lie.
There are numerous sources, the Army, the White House, news services that have reported and posted photographs and video that prove the contents of Clayton's email as patently false.
And despite all that, you'll wait on Michael Berry, a proven liar, before you'll correct your post?
I am an Army Veteran of the 1980s. I never served in Combat, but did serve in combat arms (Field Artillery). The family members of that gallant soldier who received the Medal of Honor for bravery above and beyond the call of duty SHOULD HAVE BEEN SEATED IN THE FIRST ROW. NOT THOSE CONGRESSIONAL HACKS! And what did our Commander in Chief do after the ceremony? He shook hands with those Congressional hacks, instead of directly interacting with the Sergeant's family! Outrageous! Gee, if this had been George W. Bush media morons like Katie Couric and Keith Obermann would have lambasted him. But since it is Barry, he gets another pass!
It's good to identify you as another of the supposed men who trade in gossip.
All of you heroes know who I am because they gossip among themselves. Thick like thieves they are and so are you.
Just to make it accurate, my diigo account is in good standing -- not that you would know what that means.
Your "friends" may pass on gossip about me, but none of them can touch me. I was right about the Michael Berry video, I was right about how MB and others conspired against the libertarian candidate for governor and I am right about the rainy day fund. You and your friends have been wrong wrong wrong.
I bet you think Chris Baker is the bees-knees too. If so, then you think shooting people at the border is A-OK.
Wrong side of history you are.
But hey you are an old white guy, that's par for the course.
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