CPT William Swenson

MOH recipient Capt. William Swenson

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Purple Heart magazine featured recent Medal of Honor winner Captain William Swenson in their Jan/Feb (2014) issue ... currently unemployed Capt. Swenson, according to the piece.

And though Mr. Swenson has requested a return to active duty, to-date there has been no action on his personnel request. Capt. Swenson left the Army after nine years Active Duty; he is the only living officer of the Phony War on Terror (PWOT ©).

"In a rare move, Swenson has asked to return to active duty. "We are currently reviewing his request and processing it within established policy," an Army spokesman, George Wright, told Purple Heart magazine."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but MOH recipients should be an exception to policy -- so why is an MOH recipient being treated so shabbily? The Army is a large institution and it's hard to believe they cannot find a place for a man like Swenson. If President Obama were acting as Commander-in-Chief he would directly order the Army Chief of Staff to create a special slot for this man.

MOH winners are akin to demigods in the Army. CPT Swenson was highly regarded by his men, capable and brave; none of this is in question. How could the Army not embrace him with open arms? Answer: he spoke the truth to power. He was correct, but he crossed the thin green line. Ranger knows what happens when you speak the truth (ref. his "Disillusionment" series.)

Swenson has already been shafted once by the Army. In the magazine's list of "Five Key Facts About Captain Swenson is, "#4. His path to the Medal of Honor was marked with Army politics":

"After the September 2009 battle, Swenson criticized senior Army officers in written reports, stating that they refused to send air and artillery support during the firefight, costing lives. The Army launched an investigation into Swenson's allegations. Eventually, the officers were reprimanded and their careers ended. As a result, Swenson's Medal of Honor nomination was "mysteriously deleted form [sic] the Army's awards tracking database. Speculation is that senior officers, perhaps friends of the reprimanded officers, were responsible. ..."

Ranger would like to congratulate Capt. Swenson. Having personally known and served with three MOH recipients, he can say Swenson stands as tall as all of them.

Whatever happens in this case we at RangerAgainstWar wish former Captain Swenson the best life has to offer.