Latest news with #MedalOfHonor
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pentagon announces Marine general tapped to lead Naval Academy in historic first
In a landmark nomination that reshapes nearly two centuries of tradition, Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Michael J. Borgschulte has been tapped to serve as the next superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. If confirmed by the Senate, he will become the first Marine to hold the top post in the Academy's 180-year history. The move was announced Friday by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth as part of a broader slate of military leadership nominations. Borgschulte currently serves as the deputy commandant for manpower and reserve affairs at Marine Corps Headquarters in Quantico, Virginia. He is a 1991 graduate of the Naval Academy. The nomination comes amid an unexpected leadership shuffle. Vice Adm. Yvette Davids, who assumed command of the academy last year, has been nominated for reappointment and reassignment to the Pentagon. She is slated to become the deputy chief of naval operations for operations, plans, strategy, and warfighting development (N3/N5/N7), pending Senate approval and a congressional waiver. Hegseth Announces Navy Oil Tanker Named After Gay Rights Leader Renamed After Medal Of Honor Winner "I'm honored to be nominated," Davids said in a statement. "I look forward to continuing to serve alongside America's strongest warfighters." Read On The Fox News App Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan praised both officers. He called Borgschulte a "decorated combat leader" with "strategic insight" and commended Davids for her "strategic vision" and "operational depth." Phelan also noted the significance of the nomination, calling it a powerful signal of "naval integration" as a Marine prepares to lead the Navy's flagship officer training institution. Founded in 1845, the U.S. Naval Academy has long been led exclusively by Navy officers. The nomination of a Marine marks a sharp departure and a signal of evolving priorities in joint leadership and force development. Phelan described the Academy as one of the most "consequential institutions in American public life" and said Borgschulte's leadership will help shape officers "for an increasingly contested world." Trump Nominates Seasoned Military Leaders To Head Vital Global Commands Borgschulte was commissioned in 1991 after graduating from the Naval Academy and has held multiple command and combat roles throughout his career. In his current position, he oversees the personnel policies, readiness and force structure of the Marines. Davids, a 1989 graduate of the Naval Academy, made history as the first woman and the first Hispanic to serve as superintendent. Her tenure at the academy appears to be ending prematurely. Superintendents are traditionally expected to serve three-year terms and then retire. A Department of Defense (DOD) news release did not provide an explanation for the sudden change, and her next assignment requires a waiver from Congress. Her next role would typically require a post-retirement transition, which she has not yet completed. Davids' husband, Rear Adm. Keith Davids, retired last year as commander of Naval Special Warfare. The couple met at the Academy while they were both plebes. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Navy regarding the timeline of the leadership transition. The nomination is now in the hands of the Senate with no official date yet for confirmation or change of command. Borgschulte's nomination is part of a broader DOD leadership shake-up that includes nominations for new service vice chiefs and combatant command heads across the military. The Navy referred Fox News Digital to the DOD release on the matter when asked for further article source: Pentagon announces Marine general tapped to lead Naval Academy in historic first Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
An Army base will now honor a Buffalo Soldier
When the U.S. Army announced on June 10 that it was changing the names of seven bases back to their earlier designations, it skipped over one major milestone: Fort Lee in Virginia will now be the first base to be named after a Buffalo Soldier. The bases reverted back to their names, which had previously honored Confederate leaders, although with new, non-Confederate namesakes. In the case of Fort Lee, rather than Robert E. Lee, a Confederate general, it's now named for Pvt. Fitz Lee, a Buffalo Soldier. Fitz Lee fought in the Spanish-American War and earned the Medal of Honor for his actions at Tayabacoa, Cuba, when he helped rescue trapped soldiers. Although the biography released by the Army noted he was a Buffalo Soldier, the Army's announcement did not highlight that this is the first time a base is named for someone who was a part of the units — four regiments of Black soldiers formed after the Civil War, who served notably during the wars on the western frontier and in the Spanish-American War. Cale Carter, a historian and the director of exhibitions at the Buffalo Soldiers Museum in Houston, Texas, said that he was taken aback by the choice of the base's namesake, in part because Fitz Lee is not widely known, and his service happened in a part of the Buffalo Soldiers' history that isn't largely focused on. 'They went about with someone who had a Medal of Honor, but from a conflict you don't see much coverage of,' he said. Two years ago, the Army base that is once again known as Fort Lee was one of several U.S. military installations, buildings, and roads renamed in 2022 and 2023, following the recommendations of a special committee. The actions came from a wide push to remove names honoring members of the Confederacy, who violently opposed the Union. Many of the selected names instead honored notable soldiers and Army leaders, including Hal Moore and Medal of Honor recipient William Henry Johnson. Fort Lee was renamed to Fort Gregg-Adams, honoring both Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams, Black service members who joined during a time when the Army was segregated. Gregg would eventually become the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics for the Army while Adams commanded the 6888th Central Postal Directory during World War II. At the time, it was the first Army base to be named for African Americans. The reversion to Fort Lee strips the names of Gregg and Adams, but it also creates another milestone. The Buffalo Soldiers, as they came to be known, were first formed in 1866 in the aftermath of the Civil War. They initially started with cavalry units — the 9th and 10th Cavalry — and soon infantry regiments followed, formalized as the 24th and 25th Infantry Regiments. They found themselves active on the American western frontier, working on infrastructure as the Army pushed west and fighting skirmishes and small battles against Native Americans who resisted the expansion. The exact origin of the nickname 'Buffalo Soldiers' isn't clear, but it is widely believed to come from their actions fighting on the plains. However, as the American reach in the Western Hemisphere expanded, the soldiers from the regiments soon found themselves taking part in actions in Cuba, the Philippines and Mexico. It was then that the soldiers found themselves up against formal military forces. In Cuba, they took part in the Battle of San Juan Hill. 'When you look at the Spanish-American War, you start seeing these regiments get exposed to the wider public and gain more recognition,' Carter said. 'They're proving their performance under fire.' The Buffalo Soldier regiments themselves did not go overseas to join the American forces fighting in World War I. However, several of the veterans from those wars were brought in as non-commissioned officers for the newly formed 92nd and 93rd Infantry divisions that did, Carter said. The 92nd Infantry Division, which fought in both World Wars, gained the nickname 'The Buffalos,' drawing on the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers. The 25th Infantry Regiment would take part in the Pacific Theater of World War II, nearly 80 years after the initial Buffalo Soldier units were first raised. The term Buffalo Soldiers stuck around well into the 20th century. The last Buffalo Soldier, Robert Dixon, died in 2024 at the age of 103. Several monuments and markers at U.S. Army installations are named for the units. The once-again Fort Lee, located in Prince George County, Virginia, is a logistics hub for the U.S. Army. It's the home to the Army Combined Arms Support Command and several sustainment and transportation-related schools. There are limited details on Fitz Lee's early life, but according to the National Park Service, Fitz Lee was born in Dinwiddie County, Virginia in June 1866, one year after the end of the Civil War. He joined the Army's 10th Cavalry as the United States found itself at war with Spain in the Philippines and the Caribbean. Lee went to Cuba. In 1898, he was part of a group of 10th Cavalry soldiers selected for a mission to get behind Spanish lines to connect with and resupply Cuban rebels. That is how Lee and other soldiers found themselves on the USS Florida on June 30, 1898, landing in Tayabacoa, Cuba. They ran into a Spanish blockhouse and were forced to retreat, but several American and Cuban fighters were left wounded. Four attempts to get to the trapped soldiers failed, with each party from the Florida falling back in the face of Spanish fire. A fifth rescue party was formed, with four soldiers of the 10th Cavalry volunteering. Lee, Pvt. Dennis Bell, Sgt. William H. Thompkins and Cpl. George H. Wanton went ashore with 2nd Lt. George Ahern. They succeeded in surprising the enemy, rescuing the captives and escaping back to the ship. For their actions, the four enlisted soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor. They were the last Black soldiers to receive it outright for decades, rather than be awarded it years later via an ungraded award. Lee '[v]oluntarily went ashore in the face of the enemy and aided in the rescue of his wounded comrades; this after several previous attempts had been frustrated,' his Medal of Honor citation reads. The four enlisted soldiers each received the Medal of Honor for their actions in the following year. Lee, his health worsening after his time in Cuba, was at a hospital at Fort Bliss, Texas. He received a medical discharge from the Army on July 5. He moved to Leavenworth, Kansas, but his health continued to decline, with Lee eventually going blind. He died Sept. 14, 1899 and was buried at Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery. The exact illness isn't known, but it was at a time when more soldiers died from illness than combat, Carter noted. Alongside Fitz Lee, two other Black soldiers are now namesakes to the renamed bases. 1st Sgt. Robert A. Pinn and Pvt. Bruce Anderson, who provided part of the name for Fort A.P. Hill. Both fought in the Civil War and also earned the Medal of Honor for their actions fighting for the Union. Carter hopes that with the new designation, the Army base will have an education element that can teach current soldiers not just about Lee but also the Buffalo Soldiers and their legacy. Lee, despite his early death after the war, does have photographs, but many decorated Buffalo Soldiers, particularly from the frontier conflicts, have limited biographies and information, Carter said, leaving them not particularly well known. 'Hopefully this will drive more interest in [Lee],' he said. Sailors who can't deploy will be moved to empty jobs under Navy program Air Force relieves commander of pilot training squadron US military's highest ranking transgender officer says separation process is broken Army bringing in big tech executives as lieutenant colonels Trump reverts 7 Army bases to former names with new honorees, including Delta Force soldier
The Guardian
28-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Hegseth announces new name of US navy ship that honored gay rights icon Harvey Milk
The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has formally announced that the US navy supply vessel named in honor of the gay rights activist Harvey Milk is to be renamed after Oscar V Peterson, a chief petty officer who received the congressional Medal of Honor for his actions in the Battle of the Coral Sea in the second world war. 'We are taking the politics out of ship naming,' Hegseth announced on Friday on X. In an accompanying video-statement, Hegseth added: 'We are not renaming the ship to anything political. This is not about political activists, unlike the previous administration. Instead, we are renaming the ship after a congressional Medal of Honor recipient.' 'People want to be proud of the ship they are sailing in,' Hegseth added. The move comes amid a widespread backlash against LGBTQ+ rights and issues in the US under the Trump administration, ranging from banning books associated with LGBTQ+ causes to reducing the rights of transgender people. The oil-supply vessel had been named after the San Francisco gay rights activist, who was murdered in 1978 after serving as a city supervisor, dubbing himself the 'Mayor of Castro Street'. He had served in the navy as a diving officer on a submarine rescue ship but resigned with an 'other than honorable' discharge rather than be court-martialed for homosexuality. Peterson served on the USS Neosho, a ship that was heavily damaged by Japanese dive bombers on 7 May 1942, during the Battle of the Coral Sea. In one bombing raid, Peterson and members of the repair party he led were severely wounded. But despite his injuries, he managed to close four steam line valves, suffering third-degree burns to his face, shoulders, arms and hands in the process. But by closing the bulkhead valves, Peterson isolated the steam to the engine room and helped keep the ship operational. In an announcement that appeared timed for the start of Pride month, Hegseth announced that Milk's name was to be stripped from ship in early June. It had been named after the gay icon in 2016 by then-navy secretary Ray Mabus, who said at the time that the John Lewis-class of oilers would be named after leaders who fought for civil and human rights. The move to strip Milk's name from the ship triggered a backlash from the activist's friends when it was first reported. 'Yes, this is cruel and petty and stupid, and yes, it's an insult to my community,' Cleve Jones, Milk's close friend and an LGBTQ+ activist, previously told the Associated Press. 'I would be willing to wager a considerable sum that American families sitting around that proverbial kitchen table this evening are not going to be talking about how much safer they feel now that Harvey's name is going to be taken off that ship,' he added to the news agency. Milk's nephew, Stuart Milk, told the AP that renaming the ship would become 'a rallying cry not just for our community but for all minority communities'. He added: 'I don't think he'd be surprised, but he'd be calling on us to remain vigilant, to stay active.' Elected officials, including the former House speaker Nancy Pelosi and California's governor, Gavin Newsom, described the change as an attempt to erase the contributions of LGBTQ+ people and an insult to fundamental American values of honoring veterans. 'The right's cancel culture is at it again. A cowardly act from a man desperate to distract us from his inability to lead the Pentagon,' Newsom said of Hegseth on the social media platform X.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New bill would expand exception to Medal of Honor 5-year limitation
Thanks to a new bill, the Medal of Honor may be awarded to service members for acts of valor that occurred decades ago. 'Valor never expires,' Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who introduced the Valor Has No Expiration Act, said in a recent press release. 'Neither should the opportunity for our bravest heroes to be recognized with our highest honor. There is no reason why those who went above and beyond are ineligible for the Medal of Honor due to an arbitrary time standard, when their true account may not be known or was kept classified for decades.' The act seeks to extend and expand upon the 1996 National Defense Authorization Act, which, according to Issa's press release, waived the five-year limitation for Medal of Honor consideration — but only for actions occurring between 1940 and 1990 and only for classified 'intelligence activities.' The Valor Has No Expiration Act would remove such arbitrary timelines and expand the criteria to include classified acts or those withheld from the public record. Issa notes that he was inspired to propose the bill due to his friend and constituent, Naval aviator Capt. Royce Williams, and his 1952 actions during the Korean War. Flying a F9F-5 Panther fighter, Williams found himself alone, outmanned and piloting what was considered an inferior aircraft when he was swarmed by seven MiG-15 aircraft. Despite initially flying with two other VF-781 pilots, Williams soon found himself alone. 'In the moment I was a fighter pilot doing my job … I was only shooting what I had,' said Williams in a previous account of the fight. 'They had me cold on maneuverability and acceleration. … The only thing I could do was out-turn them.' For 35 minutes, Williams engaged with the enemy, shooting down four of the planes in what is considered the longest dogfight in U.S. military history. According to the U.S. Naval Institute, no other American fighter pilot has ever shot down four MiG-15s in one fight. Williams' action, however, was kept classified for more than 50 years, making the pilot ineligible for the Medal of Honor. 'Capt. Royce Williams — now 100 years young — is an American hero of the highest order. Every American should know his story and what he did on that day nearly 73 years ago should go unrecognized no longer,' said Issa. 'With this reform legislation, America's heroes — whether undiscovered, unknown, or unrevealed — can be honored as they should. Acts of valor have no expiration date.'
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Valor may not expire, but award recognition should have limits
On June 12, Rep. Darrel Issa, R-Calif., introduced the Valor Has No Expiration Act, which would waive time limitations for military decorations since January 1940 if underlying records were 'classified, withheld from the public record due to sensitivity, or redacted for national security purposes.' He claimed this expanded on a 1996 law which waived the statute of limitations for personnel carrying out intelligence duties from 1940-1990. According to Issa, his bill 'removes this arbitrary end date and expands the criteria.' The inspiration was retired Navy Capt. Royce Williams, whose Korean War dogfight was allegedly classified for decades, making him 'ineligible for the Medal of Honor.' When the Medal of Honor was authorized in the Civil War, there were no time restrictions or evidentiary requirements. This proved disastrous for the Army, the service that eventually proposed time limitations on the medal. Most Civil War Medals of Honor from the Army were recommended decades late, which the Army referred to as an 'embarrassing abuse' as hundreds of veterans petitioned for the medal 'without any sound documentation.' The Army referred the matter to the attorney general, who in 1892 ruled that medals should be based on 'official reports,' not 'unofficial evidence [after decades of] unexplained delay.' In 1897, Secretary of War Russell Alger published regulations limiting medal recommendations to within one year of qualifying actions. In 1901, Secretary of War Elihu Root proposed a three-year award limit, since Civil War medal recommendations were taking 'most of the time and attention of the Department.' Congress finally passed Root's statute of limitations in 1918 for the Army, and 1919 for the Navy, fixing the Army's awarding of the Medal of Honor and service crosses at three years, and the Navy's at five years. These were standardized a century later. Congress originally waived time limitations for most military awards via time-consuming private bills. In 1996, Congress required military departments to first review stale medal submissions. If endorsed by the military, Congress considered waivers for the defense bill. This was no rubber stamp; waivers applied to 'appropriate' cases deemed not to be 'an undue administrative burden.' Issa claims that his bill removes an 'arbitrary end date' for the 1996 waiver for 'intelligence activities,' and extends it to cases impacted by classification. This misunderstands the earlier law, which required submission of stale cases within 30 days of passage. Unlike the intelligence waiver, the Valor Has No Expiration Act has no future time limitation, meaning that it is a standing waiver. Further, Issa misquoted the 1996 law, and also confused the name of the Medal of Honor, which he referred to as the 'Congressional Medal of Honor.' Issa claims his bill is necessary to prevent denials like that of Capt. Williams, who he alleges was denied the Medal of Honor due to record classification. However, Williams' case is inapposite, since it appears his defect was not classified records, but rather that official records contained no mention of his dogfight. After all, the Navy reviewed Williams' case in 2022 and determined that his valor fell below the Medal of Honor, presumably after reviewing previously classified records. Issa and others have repeatedly introduced bills to authorize Williams the Medal of Honor since 2023. This suggests that the purpose of the Valor Has No Expiration Act is not to benefit other veterans, but rather to grant Williams another reconsideration. Repeated waiver submissions ignore that the Navy reviewed Williams for this action twice, resulting in a Navy Cross that Issa called 'an appropriate recognition' of Williams' heroism. Public law permits stale case reconsideration only once, not an unlimited number of times. The intent of this process is to pass a waiver if both the department and Congress agree on the merits, not for Congress to pass waivers to pressure the military. No evidence suggests a need for this waiver. The bill is also vague, applying to all cases where records 'were classified, withheld from the public record due to sensitivity, or redacted for national security purposes.' Since the waiver applies to all claimants since 1940, and since most modern military operations require some manner of redaction or classification, this would make tens of millions of veterans eligible for award reconsideration. This would overwhelm the military and simultaneously permit them to award stale medals with a mere report to Congress, significantly reducing oversight. The present administration has apparently awarded only one medal falling under this statute of limitations, a stale Distinguished Service Cross awarded to retired Sgt. Maj. Eric Geressy. The Army requested no waiver from Congress as required, which apparently makes the award unlawful. This seemingly justifies strengthening oversight of stale military awards, not relaxing it. If deserving veterans were truly denied valor awards as a result of classified records, then there should be a higher burden of proof to obtain a remedy. Further, any waiver of the time limitations should be discrete and tailored to cure the defect, as with earlier remedies from Congress. Dwight S. Mears is a retired Army major with a military background in aviation, military intelligence and strategic planning. He was commissioned from West Point as an aviation officer and flew and commanded in helicopter and airplane units, and subsequently was selected to return to West Point as a history professor. He earned an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School. He is the author of 'The Medal of Honor: The Evolution of America's Highest Military Decoration.'
