WHY HASN'T ARMY CAPT. WILL SWENSON BEEN LIKEWISE RECOGNIZED?
Two men who fought in the Battle of Ganjgal in Afghanistan deserve the Medal of Honor. Only one - so far - has received it.
Marine Sgt. Dakota Meyer was decorated in a White House ceremony by President Barack Obama. Former Army CPT Will Swenson of Seattle, Wash. was not. In fact, the former Army Ranger, whose heroism equaled Meyer's during the six hour firefight in September 2009, has yet to receive ANY medal or recognition for his role in battling the Taliban and saving American lives.
This is no accident.
Swenson was known for not suffering fools gladly. When the REMF's back in their air-conditioned TOC refused to provide promised artillery and air support - contributing to the deaths of several U.S. and Afghan fighters - Swenson was furious.
A Dept. of Defense investigation cited several officers for negligence and lack of leadership and slammed them with letters of reprimand. Capt. Swenson gave testimony to probers that led to their punishment and thus earned the undying hatred of those he angrily exposed.
While Meyer's courageous acts - charging the enemy single-handed, risking his life repeatedly to reach the wounded and dying - was certainly deserving of our country's highest award for valor, petty politics and back-stabbing resulted in Swenson being totally denied any medal or recognition for his heroism that day.
The soft-spoken Meyer doesn't mince words when asked his view of fellow combat vet Swenson: "If it wasn't for Will, I wouldn't be alive today."
Plenty of witnesses cited Swenson's extraordinary bravery.
Thank God an honorable Marine general, John Allen, has stepped up to the plate and recommended the Army officer for the Medal of Honor. It is a disgrace that no Army flag officer would do so.
We tried to locate Swenson for comment, but as of press time, were unsuccessful.