Military Misconduct

[BloodStripe]

Hawaii Marine infantry battalion’s commanding officer, sergeant major fired

Pretty crazy, both the CO and the SMAJ of 3/3 were fired for loss of confidence. LT Col Wagner has been involved in some of the most recent iconic fights in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I don’t typically judge someone based off their ribbon stack but if you only have 13 different medals/ribbons (SMAJ) after 20 years or so, to include not having a CAR, it appears you deliberately evaded being in a gun fight. SMAJ Clifton has only one or two deployments to Iraq and a GWOT ex somewhere. You don’t get to pick when gun fights happen but my point remains when other grunts of the same era have 12 plus different ribbons/medals for only 4 years of service.

 

[Devildoc]

Hawaii Marine infantry battalion’s commanding officer, sergeant major fired

Pretty crazy, both the CO and the SMAJ of 3/3 were fired for loss of confidence. LT Col Wagner has been involved in some of the most recent iconic fights in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I don’t typically judge someone based off their ribbon stack but if you only have 13 different medals/ribbons (SMAJ) after 20 years or so, to include not having a CAR, it appears you deliberately evaded being in a gun fight. SMAJ Clifton has only one or two deployments to Iraq and a GWOT ex somewhere. You don’t get to pick when gun fights happen but my point remains when other grunts of the same era have 12 plus different ribbons/medals for only 4 years of service.

What were his billets and MOSs? I wonder if he spent a lot of time with wing or FSSG (or whatever it's called now). Hard as hell to get a CAR in wing and FSSG.

 

[Topkick]

Hawaii Marine infantry battalion’s commanding officer, sergeant major fired

Pretty crazy, both the CO and the SMAJ of 3/3 were fired for loss of confidence. LT Col Wagner has been involved in some of the most recent iconic fights in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I don’t typically judge someone based off their ribbon stack but if you only have 13 different medals/ribbons (SMAJ) after 20 years or so, to include not having a CAR, it appears you deliberately evaded being in a gun fight. SMAJ Clifton has only one or two deployments to Iraq and a GWOT ex somewhere. You don’t get to pick when gun fights happen but my point remains when other grunts of the same era have 12 plus different ribbons/medals for only 4 years of service.

I don't pretend to understand the Marine Corps awards protocol but I definitely see your point about not having a CAR. The number of awards shouldn't matter though. Speaking only for my time in the Army, the awards system was just short of a farce.

 

[Teufel]

Hawaii Marine infantry battalion’s commanding officer, sergeant major fired

Pretty crazy, both the CO and the SMAJ of 3/3 were fired for loss of confidence. LT Col Wagner has been involved in some of the most recent iconic fights in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I don’t typically judge someone based off their ribbon stack but if you only have 13 different medals/ribbons (SMAJ) after 20 years or so, to include not having a CAR, it appears you deliberately evaded being in a gun fight. SMAJ Clifton has only one or two deployments to Iraq and a GWOT ex somewhere. You don’t get to pick when gun fights happen but my point remains when other grunts of the same era have 12 plus different ribbons/medals for only 4 years of service.

Ben earned his Purple Heart and Bronze star as a platoon commander in the battle of Fallujah. He’s a great Marine who didn’t deserve this

SgtMaj Clifton started his career as a grunt but became a radio repair Marine after some broken time. Hard to get a combat action ribbon as an electronic maintenance Marine.

 

[Gunz]

Speaking only for my time in the Army, the awards system was just short of a farce.

Ditto only for my time in the Marines.

 

[Gunz]

Hawaii Marine infantry battalion’s commanding officer, sergeant major fired

Pretty crazy, both the CO and the SMAJ of 3/3 were fired for loss of confidence. LT Col Wagner has been involved in some of the most recent iconic fights in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I don’t typically judge someone based off their ribbon stack but if you only have 13 different medals/ribbons (SMAJ) after 20 years or so, to include not having a CAR, it appears you deliberately evaded being in a gun fight. SMAJ Clifton has only one or two deployments to Iraq and a GWOT ex somewhere. You don’t get to pick when gun fights happen but my point remains when other grunts of the same era have 12 plus different ribbons/medals for only 4 years of service.

Brother, cowardice presumed on a lack of decorations is a pretty strong assumption.

Based on the article, we don't know why these Marines were relieved. We may never know. But lack of confidence is an umbrella that covers a whole lot of ground.

 

[BloodStripe]

Why is that?

who didn’t deserve this

 

[AWP]

Why is that?

I guess if you want to know what it’s like there, either earn it through selection or get hired to work there.

 

[BloodStripe]

I guess if you want to know what it’s like there, either earn it through selection or get hired to work there.

Great professionalism but since word is not accepted here anymore without a full story…



And by the way, I did earn mine to work in a line company as a grunt.

 

[Grunt]

To have lost both like that, I suspect it either had to do with a specific incident or - hopefully not - politics. But, as previously said, we may never know.

 

[Ooh-Rah]

To have lost both like that, I suspect it either had to do with a specific incident or - hopefully not - politics. But, as previously said, we may never know.

Digging deep into the Twitter and Facebook comments on 3/3 sites there are 2 pretty plausible (but different) stories; one in particular is sadly believable in today’s PC/Woke climate (Even in my beloved Corps). Terminal Lance was part of that unit back in the day and has a Twitter conversation on It. There are Marines posting in this ShadowSpear thread who know at least one of the men so I am not going to “link” any stories or sites about rumors out of respect for that. Easy to find though.

 

[Grunt]

3/3 was the Battalion I EAS’d from. I hate to hear anything bad concerning them.

 

[Teufel]

Why is that?

I can’t tell you more right now unfortunately. This case, unlike the other examples, is still active.

 

[AWP]

Great professionalism but since word is not accepted here anymore without a full story…



And by the way, I did earn mine to work in a line company as a grunt.

 

[Ooh-Rah]

Respectfully, I have to disagree with this statement:

Great professionalism but since word is not accepted here anymore without a full story…

This may be the former staff-member in me coming out, but what makes ShadowSpear work is the integrity of the Vetting and the tags that are assigned. I cannot tell you the hours that are put into vetting individual members and checking stories before vetting, especially SOF and SOF Support.

Unless I missed a post, nobody has called you out as a liar or questioned your background. This all started because of a comment you made in @AWP ’s book review thread… Code Over Country by Matthew Cole

I guess if you want to know what it’s like there, either earn it through selection or get hired to work there.

When asked to explain expand further on what you meant, you offered none. I even attempted to expand on the question to you: Code Over Country by Matthew Cole (post #52)

Instead you started spamming the board with “SOF gone bad” stories - I don’t have my super-powers anymore so I cannot link them as quickly as I used to, but they are easily findable; to include the double posting the story about the firing at 3/3 - and that’s after @Teufel had already gently addressed the topic in the other thread.

You are a long time and respected member of this site, but It feels like you are trying to pick a fight about something that is not worth fighting over.

 

[BloodStripe]

I can’t fill this out as a pdf, got a word doc?

 

[Topkick]

cowardice presumed on a lack of decorations is a pretty strong assumption.

Our young warriors kick down doors and get Army Achievement medals, while E7 and above get a Bronze Star because......he's an E7 or above. So I wouldn't make any assumptions based on awards.

 

[Grunt]

The fruit salad is deceiving. Our young warriors kick down doors and get Army Achievement medals, while E7 and above get a Bronze Star because......he's an E7 or above.

I don’t let myself get worked up over that clownery anymore. I know the Warriors and what they did. No medal can validate their “Warriorship” in my world. Should medals count for more - sure they should, but like everything else, they have lost their importance and luster. They want everyone to be the same and medals are just another way for them to even the playing field by putting politicians on the same level as Warriors. Personally, I HATE “them”.

 

[Kaldak]

I cannot tell you the hours that are put into vetting individual members and checking stories before vetting, especially SOF

So true. I spent hours upon hours for vetting. It was never an easy task, but you didn't get a tag or CUT without staff being 100% sure.

 

[ThunderHorse]

Not a Marine, but everything I know from working with Marines. CAR's are incredibly hard to be awarded, even to grunts who see significant firefights. But that's the Marine award's system where a NAM isn't handed out willy nilly like AAMs are in the Army. (Although I think the Corps should be willing to award/reward its Marines more often)

But hey, I'm just some idiot who worked as an S1 in one of my assignments.

I had something else about us being gaslit by some DoN Civilian, but I'll leave it at that.