Author Topic: Effort to Award Alex's Long Overdue Congressional Medal of Honor (Read 1302 times)

Frodo · « **on:** April 27, 2006, 08:20:00 PM »

http://www.alexvraciu.net/#Vraciu

Pulled this from another board, and found it interesting. Does he deserve it? I vote yes.
Read the details of the missions!

Frodo

Hoarach · « **Reply #1 on:** April 27, 2006, 09:01:26 PM »

Frodo I would say yes.

However, you cant overlook others that also deserve the Medal of Honor. I have read many accounts of people in the army, navy, etc. doing acts that should deserve the Medal of Honor but they only recieve the DSC, Navy Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star, etc.

Read one account believe he was in the army or marines, (can look it up if I can find it) he did a act of bravery and of skill that every general and comrade thought he should deserve the Medal of Honor and he only recieved a DSC. They said some parts of his act wasnt enough proof so they didnt give it to him. His family rebrought up the case in the future either in the 90's or 2000's to get him the Medal of Honor but they dropped the case and said it will not be brought up again.

I think its pretty sad that some people didnt recieve the Medal of Honor just because the evidence isnt conclusive. If every general and comrade thinks you should recieve it, that should be enough proof right there.

B@tfinkV · « **Reply #2 on:** April 27, 2006, 09:11:50 PM »

should be able to get at least 9 or 10 kills in a hog of any model if they are jabo dweebs, wheres my medal?

Widewing · « **Reply #3 on:** April 27, 2006, 10:44:21 PM »

While Vraciu may certainly be worthy of consideration, he wasn't the only pilot who had an CMoH recommendation downgraded. Read the story of George Welch and see if you don't think he was unfairly denied what he truly deserved.

My regards,

Widewing

Frodo · « **Reply #4 on:** April 27, 2006, 10:51:16 PM »

Hoarach I agree many deserved more.

Widewing I agree, Welch for sure deserved one. Knew his story, and thanks for the link.

Frodo

Guppy35 · « **Reply #5 on:** April 27, 2006, 11:17:04 PM »

Problem is if you go back now and change things for the guys with the better PR, what do you do about all those guys who deserved it and didn't get noticed like some of the other guys?

Does it change anything in terms of how we see those guys if they upgrade a medal to the MOH? I gotta believe they didn't do what they did for a medal.

Kweassa · « **Reply #6 on:** April 27, 2006, 11:31:00 PM »

I agree with Guppy.

That's just the way things are.

Pongo · « **Reply #7 on:** April 28, 2006, 12:39:19 AM »

The same welch that busted the sound barrier in the f86!
The first team indeed.

Frodo · « **Reply #8 on:** April 28, 2006, 07:55:12 PM »

If you read the link closely, you will see he was denied because of a clerical/radio error, from what I understood. That is my reasoning for the medal.

No doubt there are many more that deserve it, that are known, and unknown.

Frodo

Skull-1 · « **Reply #9 on:** January 03, 2008, 09:08:58 PM »

Thanks for checking out my site guys. I'm the main spearhead on this effort and I want to make a point or two to clarify things...

Alex's medal was downgraded due some very strange circumstances. It is along and tortured tale. In short, incorrect information was used to downgrade it and then that same info was later used by the Navy to show the downgrade was justified.

The saddest part of it is that the original review in 1947 got it right, but the board disolved three days before they made their final decision (as they were going in alphabetical order on ALL medals and V was obviously in the last group)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What's craziest is the man who was head of the board was reassigned before he was able to finalize everything and it got dropped once again.

Vraciu was nominated for FOUR missions. On the Mission Beyond Darkness numerous pilots were awarded Navy Crosses for various things. Vraciu met/exceeded those requirements (he and his wingman engaged upwards of thirty Japanese fighters by themselves defending the dive bombers just prior to striking the Japanese fleet--Alex flamed two). However, his MOH nomination was for a total of FOUR missions. The Fleet Defense alone (six kills in eight minutes) was worthy of a Medal of Honor... But Alex did far more, and his nomination reflected this. By the time the folks involved got through with it everyone focused on the most spectacular of the four missions and forgot the other three.

If a MOH is to be denied then fine, but the other three missions should then be weighed on their own merits. If not a MOH then another Navy Cross.

Alex was also denied numerous other "Strike Flight" medals because everyone at the time felt he "didn't need these because [he was] going to get the 'Big One'."

It is an absolute tragedy. Alex is a fine fine fine man and he was an amazing fighter pilot. If the Army can fix Bruce Crandal's MOH mistake after 40+ years (see "WE WERE SOLDIERS") then the Navy should fix Alex's.

To this day, Alex's Navy Cross citation is riddled with errors. They didn't even get his carrier or squadron right on the initial nomination. If these basic details are wrong can anyone honestly have faith in the process? I for one have none and I am ashamed that the Navy continues to treat one of its great living ambassadors this way.

All the best.

Skull-1 · « **Reply #10 on:** January 03, 2008, 09:14:48 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Frodo
If you read the link closely, you will see he was denied because of a clerical/radio error, from what I understood. That is my reasoning for the medal.

No doubt there are many more that deserve it, that are known, and unknown.

Frodo

I agree with you, and though we sadly cannot fix every error, this is one we can absolutely rectify. We should. Me must.

Your help is greatly appreciated.

Golfer · « **Reply #11 on:** January 03, 2008, 09:42:31 PM »

Thank god he wasn't flying a Legacy WSCoD. The Japanese would have had him for lunch along with his sack of rice.

Saxman · « **Reply #12 on:** January 03, 2008, 09:46:33 PM »

Anyone know if they every upgraded Dick Winters' Silver Star to a MOH? This one wasn't an error, it was outright politics.

Grits · « **Reply #13 on:** January 03, 2008, 10:04:29 PM »

Lots of people should have gotten higher awards and didnt for lots of reasons. Chesty Puller won FIVE Navy Crosses, a couple of those events met the threshold of the MoH but he had political enemies so he got another star for his Navy Cross instead. It happens. The important thing is they did their duty, and we should all be thankful they did.

Guppy35 · « **Reply #14 on:** January 03, 2008, 10:40:40 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Grits
Lots of people should have gotten higher awards and didnt for lots of reasons. Chesty Puller won FIVE Navy Crosses, a couple of those events met the threshold of the MoH but he had political enemies so he got another star for his Navy Cross instead. It happens. The important thing is they did their duty, and we should all be thankful they did.

Sometimes wonder about old Chesty. I remember reading his biography a long time ago. I've been reading a few different books on Peleliu and he didn't score a lot of points getting the 1st Marines essentially wiped out. Seems to be the general consensus that between he and General Rupertus, a lot of Marines died needlessly there.