Deleted:William D. Swenson

From WikiAlpha
Jump to: navigation, search
The below content is licensed according to Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License contrary to the public domain logo at the foot of the page. It originally appeared on http://en.wikipedia.org. The original article might still be accessible here. You may be able to find a list of the article's previous contributors on the talk page.

William D. Swenson
File:WilliamSwensonMOHspeech20131015.jpg
Swenson speaking to reporters at the White House after receiving the Medal of Honor on 15 October 2013
Born 2 November 1978 (1978-11-02) (age 45)
Awards 23px Medal of Honor
23px Bronze Star (3)
23px Purple Heart
Website
Official U.S. Army website

William D. Swenson (born 2 November 1978) is a major in the United States Army who was awarded the Medal of Honor in a ceremony on 15 October 2013.[1] He was the sixth living recipient in the War on Terror.[2] As of March 2016, Swenson and Master Chief Petty Officer Edward Byers are the only Medal of Honor recipients still on active duty.[3]

Early life and education

Swenson graduated from Seattle University, with a Bachelor of Science degree in political science, in 2001.[4]

Career

Swenson commissioned from Officer Candidate School as a United States Army infantry officer in September 2002. His military education, mostly at Fort Benning, includes Basic and Advanced Infantry Officer Courses, Ranger School, and Airborne School. He has deployed three times in the War on Terror, once to Iraq and twice to Afghanistan.[5] He has been awarded the Bronze Star Medal (with two oak leaf clusters), the Purple Heart, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.[6] At the time of the Battle of Ganjgal, Swenson was a captain in 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, detailed as an Embedded Trainer for the Afghan Border Police.[7]

Swenson left the Army in February 2011 and lived in Seattle, Washington.[8] At the time, when Swenson received the Medal of Honor, he was unemployed, and had been since after he left the Army in 2011.[9][10] In October 2013, Swenson requested to return to active duty.[11] On 14 March 2014, he was accepted back onto active duty and served as a plans officer at the I Corps headquarters.[12] Later in 2014, Swenson was named "Alumnus of the Year" by his alma mater Seattle University.[13] In 2015, along with Representative Hunter and others, Swenson advocated on behalf of Major Mathew Golsteyn, who had his Silver Star Medal revoked following an investigation into a murder allegation.[14] In March 2016, Swenson was assigned to United States Army South.[3]

In December 2017, Swenson earned his Master of Arts in Security Studies Western Hemisphere from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.[15][16]

Medal of Honor action

On 8 September 2009, Swenson was part of an operation to connect the Afghan government with native elders in the Ganjgal Valley in Eastern Kunar Province in Afghanistan, near the Pakistan border.[17]

According to the U.S. Army's detailed Official Narrative, the coalition force's 106-man column entered the valley and was ambushed at about 6 a.m. by as many as 60 insurgent fighters who soon surrounded the column on three sides, situated on terraced high ground.[17] Within an hour, communication to the front of the column, including four U.S. servicemen, was lost.[17] Meanwhile, Captain Swenson, who initially was positioned toward the rear of the column, called for air support, and with two comrades crossed 50 meters of open space under direct enemy fire to administer life-extending first aid to his severely wounded sergeant.[17] When the column was surrounded by enemy fighters that advanced within 50 meters, Swenson responded to Taliban demands for surrender by throwing a hand grenade, an act of defiance that rallied his comrades to repel the enemy advance.[17]

Swenson and comrades moved his sergeant and other wounded to a helicopter for medical evacuation before returning to the enemy's "kill zone" for at least two more trips in an unarmored vehicle to evacuate additional wounded.[17] Returning even more deeply through the kill zone toward the location of the head of column in search of the four U.S. servicemen, Swenson's party first rescued and recovered several Afghan National Security Force wounded and dead.[17] Finally, Swenson and a small contingent recovered the four fallen U.S. servicemen who had been discovered by a search and rescue aircraft at noon.[17] The 6–7 hour firefight caused 15 coalition deaths, including the four U.S. servicemen; also, Swenson's sergeant, Kenneth Westbrook, died of his wounds after returning from Afghanistan.[17] Swenson's actions are believed to have directly contributed to saving more than a dozen Afghan lives.[17]

Captain Swenson directs medical evacuation of a wounded comrade[18] during a battle for which he received the Medal of Honor
Swenson approaches a medical evacuation helicopter that he guided to land using the red marker that he still carries.
Swenson approaches a medical evacuation helicopter that he guided to land using the red marker that he still carries.  
Swenson (left) helps carry a wounded comrade (center) to the helicopter for medical evacuation.
Swenson (left) helps carry a wounded comrade (center) to the helicopter for medical evacuation.  
Before returning to battle, Captain Swenson kisses the forehead of his wounded sergeant, Kenneth Westbrook, who died of his wounds weeks later.
Before returning to battle, Captain Swenson kisses the forehead of his wounded sergeant, Kenneth Westbrook, who died of his wounds weeks later.  

Medal of Honor award

File:Swenson MoH.jpg
President Barack Obama places the Medal of Honor around Swenson's neck in a White House ceremony.

Swenson received the Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama on 15 October 2013.[19] Swenson was nominated for his actions as an Embedded Trainer in the Battle of Ganjgal near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border on 8 September 2009. He is reported to have repeatedly entered the "kill zone" in order to rescue wounded American and Afghan soldiers, much like his fellow serviceman Dakota Meyer who was awarded the Medal of Honor in 2011.[6] Swenson became the first living officer to receive the Medal of Honor since Vietnam.[20]

Footage of Swenson from a camera on a helicopter was the first time that part of an event which led to the awarding of the Medal of Honor was filmed.[9][21] Being recommended for the Medal of Honor in December 2009 by a battalion commander,[22] the paperwork was lost, causing a significant delay in the nomination process.[23] Prior to the paperwork being lost, General David Petreaus had recommended that the reward be downgraded to a Distinguished Service Cross.[24] There are accusations in both the military and the press that the lost paperwork was punishment for loudly criticizing his senior officers (for not sending fire support) in an after-action investigation into the battle.[7] Swenson's case was reopened in 2011 at the urging of Marine Corps General John R. Allen.[25] Dakota Meyer strongly advocated for Swenson's Medal of Honor in his book, Into the Fire: A Firsthand Account of the Most Extraordinary Battle in the Afghan War, writing that if it weren't for Swenson, he (Meyer) would not be alive today.[26] In May 2014, the Department of Defense reported that based on an investigation, Swenson's Medal of Honor recommendation was lost in the Army's Email system.[27] In February 2015, it was revealed that in the period prior to Swenson receiving the Medal of Honor, in 2013, that the Criminal Investigation Command began an investigation on Swenson due to comments made on Amazon.com by Major Mathew Golsteyn in 2011.[28]

Hall of Heroes induction ceremony

File:Captain William Swenson HoH Ceremony.jpg
On 16 October 2013 Swenson was inducted into the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes. During the ceremony, the Secretary of the Army and the Army Chief of Staff presented Swenson with a framed copy of his Medal of Honor citation.

Following the Medal of Honor presentation at the White House, on 16 October 2013, Swenson was inducted into the Pentagon Hall of Heroes. The ceremony was officiated by Chuck Hagel, the Secretary of Defense. Hagel was assisted by the Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh, Army Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno and the Sergeant Major of the Army, Raymond F. Chandler.[29] During the ceremony, Chuck Hagel apologized to Swenson for the mishandling of his award nomination, which had been delayed for 19 months because of what officials called a bureaucratic oversight.[30] McHugh later told the standing room only audience that the Army would implement a new process providing greater oversight to "ensure that no future award packet is lost along the way or paperwork misplaced or somehow forgotten in the fog of war." The new directive, McHugh stated, required Medal of Honor nominations be sent immediately to Army Human Resources Command, known as HRC. "As soon as an honors packet is created at battalion level, we will have immediate visibility at Army headquarters," he told the audience.[29]

Referencing allegations that Swenson's award had been intentionally lost as a result of his criticizing leadership actions after the battle,[30] Odierno said that "Swenson's strength of character was undeniable. Even after the battle, Will was not afraid to point out deficiencies in the operation that caused difficulties in obtaining the appropriate and timely support necessary. He recognized the importance of assessing performance, and had the character to stick to his convictions."[29]

Following the presentation of his framed citation and the personal Medal of Honor flag, Swenson spoke briefly.

I look at this crowd and I see the strength of a nation and I see the strength of a fighting force, one that I fought proudly with. I look at my fellow Marines, Army, Navy and Air Force, a team that I fought side-by-side with as brothers. It's the proudest moment of my life and I'm honored and privileged to know these men.[29]

Medal of Honor citation

Template:Medal of Honor Citation

Awards and decorations

The U.S. Army lists Swenson's awards and decorations as including:[31]

200px
Template:Ribbon devices Template:Ribbon devices Template:Ribbon devices
Template:Ribbon devices Template:Ribbon devices Template:Ribbon devices
Template:Ribbon devices18px18px Template:Ribbon devices Template:Ribbon devices
Template:Ribbon devices Template:Ribbon devices20px Template:Ribbon devices
106px 106px
125px
60px
1st Row Combat Infantryman Badge
2nd Row Medal of Honor Bronze Star Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters Purple Heart Medal
3rd Row Army Commendation Medal National Defense Service Medal Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one bronze service star
4th Row Iraq Campaign Medal with two service stars Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
5th Row Army Service Ribbon Army Overseas Service Ribbon with bronze award numeral 2 NATO Medal
6th Row Ranger Tab Parachutist Badge (United States)
7th Row 10th Mountain Division CSIB
8th Row 32nd Infantry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia

Swenson also has five Overseas Service Bars.

Personal life

In 2016, Swenson's identity was used for the purposes of 419 romance scams; numerous fraudulent pages were posted on Facebook using his name and photograph.[32]

See also

Portal icon Biography portal
Portal icon United States Army portal

References

  1. ↑ "CMOHS.org – Captain SWENSON, WILLIAM D., U.S. Army". cmohs.org. http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/3485/swenson-swenson-d.php. 
  2. ↑ Lesley Clark (16 September 2013). "After long wait, Seattle man gets highest military honor". The Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2021838947_williamswensonxml.html. Retrieved 17 September 2013. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 White, Matt (3 March 2016). "The latest Medal of Honor recipient wants to go back to war. Why that's a rarity.". Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/03/03/the-latest-medal-of-honor-recipient-wants-to-be-the-first-to-return-to-combat-since-vietnam/. 
  4. ↑ Weaver, Anna (19 September 2013). "Seattle University Grad to Receive Medal of Honor". Northwest Catholic (Seattle, Washington: Archdiocese of Seattle). https://www.nwcatholic.org/news/local/seattle-university-grad-to-receive-medal-of-honor.html. 
  5. ↑ "Profile: William D. Swenson". United States Army. http://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/swenson/profile.html. Retrieved 15 October 2013. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Capt. William Swenson: Former soldier to receive Medal of Honor". Stars and Stripes. 26 September 2013. http://www.stripes.com/news/us/capt-william-swenson-former-soldier-to-receive-medal-of-honor-1.241604. Retrieved 17 September 2013. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Dan Lamothe (13 September 2011). "Afghan ambush heroics go unrecognized". Army Times. http://www.armytimes.com/article/20110913/NEWS/109130310/Afghan-ambush-heroics-go-unrecognized. Retrieved 17 September 2013. 
  8. ↑ "Army Captain William D. Swenson Receives Medal of Honor". TIME. 15 October 2013. http://swampland.time.com/2013/10/15/army-captain-william-d-swenson-receives-medal-of-honor/. Retrieved 16 October 2013. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1
  10. ↑ Horrigan, Kevin (19 October 2013). "Horrigan: Saving Captain Swenson. Justice for a mistreated American hero". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. http://www.stltoday.com/opinion/columnists/kevin-horrigan/horrigan-saving-captain-swenson-justice-for-a-mistreated-american-hero/article_315c6e08-03a2-5070-a73e-b04515125d47.html. 
  11. ↑ McGregor, Jena (15 October 2013). "On Leadership With William Swenson, the Army gained a Medal of Honor but lost a leader". Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-leadership/wp/2013/10/15/with-william-swenson-the-army-gained-a-medal-of-honor-but-lost-a-leader/. 
    Fishel, Justin (15 October 2013). "Afghan war vet awarded Medal of Honor, seeks to return to active duty". Fox News. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/10/15/obama-presenting-medal-honor-to-afghan-war-vet.html. 
    Baldor, Lolita (13 October 2013). "Medal of Honor recipient asks to return to duty". CNS News. Associated Press (Media Research Center). https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/medal-honor-recipient-asks-return-duty. 
  12. ↑ Tan, Michelle (9 April 2014). "Medal of Honor recipient returns to active duty". Army Times (Gannett). http://www.armytimes.com/article/20140409/NEWS/304090067/Medal-Honor-recipient-returns-active-duty. Retrieved 15 August 2014. 
  13. ↑ Clement, Marilyn; Kalinko, Chris (9 July 2014). "Alumni Awards". Seattle University. https://www.seattleu.edu/news/news-features/alumni-awards.html. 
  14. ↑ Lamothe, Dan (6 February 2015). "CIA job interview leads to criminal investigation of Green Beret". Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2015/02/06/cia-job-interview-led-to-criminal-investigation-of-green-beret/. 
  15. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Dec2017NPS
  16. ↑ "Graduating NSA Student, MAJ William Swenson, Is Medal of Honor Recipient". Naval Postgraduate School. 18 December 2017. https://my.nps.edu/web/nsa/-/graduating-nsa-student-maj-william-swenson-is-medal-of-honor-recipient. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6 17.7 17.8 17.9 "Official Narrative / Captain William D. Swenson". U.S. Army. 2013. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. https://www.webcitation.org/6KODMZvlU?url=http://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/swenson/narrative.html?from=swenson. 
  18. ↑ "Raw Video: Battlefield Actions of Former Army Cpt. William Swenson" — frames from video recorded 8 September 2009 and uploaded 19 September 2013 to the official "The U.S. Army" YouTube channel. WebCite archive.
  19. ↑ "Capt. William D. Swenson awarded Medal of Honor at White House ceremony". Washington Times. Associated Press. 15 October 2013. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/15/capt-william-d-swenson-awarded-medal-honor-sixth-l/. Retrieved 22 January 2015. 
  20. ↑ Jonathan S. Landay (14 October 2013). "Ex-soldier receives historic Medal of Honor for valor in Afghan battle". McClathy. Washington, D.C.. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/10/14/205355/ex-soldier-to-receive-historic.html. Retrieved 22 January 2015. 
    Charlotte Errity (16 October 2013). "Obama recognizes Medal of Honor recipient". The Daily Caller. http://dailycaller.com/2013/10/16/obama-recognizes-medal-of-honor-recipient/. Retrieved 22 January 2015. 
    Andrew Tilghman (15 May 2014). "Medal of Honor file went missing from Petraeus' desk". USA Today. Military Times (Gannett). https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/05/14/medal-of-honor-file-went-missing/9101635/. Retrieved 22 January 2015. 
  21. ↑ Nakamura, David (15 October 2013). "Former Army Capt. William Swenson receives Medal of Honor at White House". Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/former-army-capt-william-swenson-to-receive-medal-of-honor-at-white-house/2013/10/15/ca1785b2-351c-11e3-8a0e-4e2cf80831fc_story.html?noredirect=on. 
  22. ↑ Dan Lamothe; David Nakamura (20 July 2014). "Criticism rises over long delays for Medals of Honor". Pilot. Washington Post (Hampton Roads). http://hamptonroads.com/2014/07/criticism-rises-over-long-delays-medals-honor. Retrieved 22 January 2015. 
    Knight, Matt (15 October 2013). "Army Captain William Swenson receives the Medal of Honor". WTKR (Hampton, North Carolina). http://wtkr.com/2013/10/15/army-captain-to-receive-medal-of-honor-today/. 
  23. ↑ Jonathan Landay (15 October 2013). "US Army Captain William Swenson awarded Medal of Honor". BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-24543578. Retrieved 22 January 2015. 
    Lolita C. Baldor (16 October 2013). "Hagel apologizes for delay in Medal of Honor award". KSL. Associated Press (Salt Lake City). http://www.ksl.com/?nid=127&sid=27269841. Retrieved 22 January 2015. 
  24. ↑ Landay, Jonathan S. (15 May 2015). "Petraeus advised downgrading Swenson's Medal of Honor bid, probe finds". McClathy (Washington, D.C.). http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/national-security/article24758671.html. 
    Template:Cite thesis
  25. ↑ Dan Lamothe (16 January 2013). "Congressman Medal of Honor Probe Complete". Marine Corps Times. http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130116/NEWS/301160310/Congressman-Medal-of-Honor-probe-complete. Retrieved 17 September 2013. 
  26. ↑ Hal Bernton (15 September 2011). "Seattle man in same battle as medal winner". The Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2016222321_medalside16.html. Retrieved 17 September 2013. 
  27. ↑ "DOD Says Medal Of Honor Recommendation Got Lost In The Mail". WBUR (Boston). 16 May 2015. http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2014/05/16/william-swenson-medal. Retrieved 22 January 2015. 
  28. ↑ Ernst, Douglas (26 February 2015). "Army spied on Medal of Honor recipient over Amazon book review". Washington Times. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/feb/26/army-spied-will-swenson-medal-honor-recipient-over/. 
    Bassali, Daniel (26 February 2015). "Army Targets Medal of Honor Recipient Over Amazon Book Review". Washington Free Beacon. http://freebeacon.com/issues/army-targets-medal-of-honor-recipient-over-amazon-book-review/. 
    Siegel, Jacob (26 February 2015). "Exclusive: Army Spied on Hero Over Amazon Review". The Daily Beast. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/02/26/exclusive-army-spied-on-hero-over-amazon-review.html. 
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 Leipold, J.D., (17 October 2013) "Swenson Hall of Heroes induction brings changes to MOH processing" Army News Service. Retrieved 18 October 2013
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Nakamura, David (16 October 2013) "Hagel apologizes to Medal of Honor recipient for bungling of paperwork that delayed award" The Washington Post, page 3. Retrieved 18 October 2013
  31. ↑ "Profile / William D. Swenson". U.S. Army. Archived from the original on 18 September 2013. https://archive.is/20130918150326/http://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/swenson/profile.html. Retrieved 18 September 2013. 
  32. ↑ Segal, David (4 June 2016). "Everbody Loves a Hero, Especially Facebook Fraudsters". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/05/your-money/everybody-loves-a-hero-especially-facebook-fraudsters.html?_r=0. 
Cite error: <ref> tag with name "OffCitation" defined in <references> is not used in prior text.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to William D. Swenson.
  1. Richard Sisk (2013-10-17). "Army Alters MoH Process after Swenson Controversy". Military Times. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/10/17/army-alters-moh-process-after-swenson-controversy.html?ESRC=eb.nl. Retrieved 2018-12-28. 
Retrieved from "http://en.wikialpha.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Deleted:William_D._Swenson&oldid=198448"