By When giving out something as big as the Medal of Honor you would think you would remember who was the Soldier alive to receive it?
As President Obama addressed troops at a Fort Drum, N.Y. DFAC, he reminisced about how as a senator and as president, in Iraq and Afghanistan, “I’ve always run into you guys. And for some reason it’s always in some rough spots.”
“I had the great honor of seeing some of you because a comrade of yours, Jared Monti, was the first person who I was able to award the Medal of Honor to who actually came back and wasn’t receiving it posthumously,” Obama said, according to the White House official transcript.
Except that Monti was receiving it posthumously. At a White House ceremony in 2009, Obama presented Sgt. 1st Class Monti’s parents with the medal for his heroic actions in Afghanistan. Monti, 30, was leading a scouting mission along the Pakistan border when a resupply helicopter blew the unit’s cover; Monti twice ran into gunfire to retrieve a wounded comrade before he was killed by an enemy grenade.
Obama appeared to have confused Monti with the only living Medal of Honor recipient, Sal Giunta. The president’s got plenty on his plate, to be sure. But if he’s sincere when he says that it’s his greatest honor to be the commander-in-chief, you’d think he’d be able to remember the lone recipient of the military’s highest honor. [Military Times]
This is a huge gaffe that if President Bush did it we would never hear the end of it. It will be interesting to see how long this gaffe is remembered as well. I am just amazed he made this gaffe in his speech and even more amazed no one in his staff saw this error in his prepared remarks before he gave his speech. This is only going to add to the criticism of the President that he doesn’t really care about the military. Not good.
You can read more about this over at Blackfive as well.
She hasn’t seen...
6:25 pm on June 25th, 2011 1
It’s OK, it was just about some Army guy who got a medal.
Now- Let’s talk about sports!
6:54 pm on June 25th, 2011 2
Gore: Obama has ‘failed’ on global warming
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/22/gore-obama-has-failed/?hpt=po_bn2
(CNN) – Former vice president and environmental advocate Al Gore sharply criticized President Obama’s “failed” approach to global warming Wednesday, forcing the White House to defend its record on climate change.
7:25 pm on June 25th, 2011 3
Yes, that was a bad gaffe. I hope Obama learns something from it.
Denny 2, here’s Gore’s essay.
8:41 pm on June 25th, 2011 4
Well duh. Did anyone ever thing BO cared about the military? I never did. The guy has never known anyone remotely connected with the military, before 52% of the voting public made him president. How’s that 9.1 unemployment working out? QE2 work well did it.
Too bad that when he started the “hope and Change” thing, no one asked any questions.
But don’t worry. I’m sure he will do much better in his second term — yeah, right.
9:17 pm on June 25th, 2011 5
Retired GI- it’s not even really about “caring about the military”… it’s about leadership. It’s about knowing your people. For him to have to remember an entire company or battalion size group, yeah- I would cut him some slack. But to f-up and mix up two guys out of less than a dozen, only one of whom has lived to see the award- FAIL.
There have been only a few awarded the Medal of Honor for this war. To date, one who has received it while alive. Next month, Ranger Petry will receive it, alive. To not be able to keep track of such a small and select crowd, is utterly disgusting. That said, the apologists and worshipers have already sprung to his defence.
If we were discussing basketball teams, The Lord and Savior could talk to us for hours about the teams and players.
It’s about priorities. It’s about giving a sh i t about your people.
Those troops -living, breathing persons- are merely stage props for his personal stage play, for his continuous campaign.
People can apologize and rationalize for them all they want- I had a few commanders who were equally narcissistic. When they went into their “caring about their people act” it was just embarrassing and painful to be within earshot. It makes my stomach turn just thinking about it….phonies.
9:21 pm on June 25th, 2011 6
He just violated those elite 10th Mtn Div troops on purpose. He wants to destroy their morale…
Unless suddenly he really is dumber than Dubya?
11:19 pm on June 25th, 2011 7
Perhaps the Anointed One is now raising the dead.
That will silence the heretics and nonbelievers.
12:30 am on June 26th, 2011 8
Broken teleprompter?
5:25 pm on June 26th, 2011 9
when i saw the video spot of him walking in and telling everyone
“at ease” it made the hair on my neck stand up!!!!!!
7:24 pm on June 26th, 2011 10
@9
Why??
8:54 pm on June 26th, 2011 11
@9
Yeah. Why?
Did you get a thrill down your leg also?
12:32 am on June 27th, 2011 12
hair standing up on your neck is usually associated with being repulsed by whatever it is thats making your hair stand up
1:05 am on June 27th, 2011 13
He better start working on a token of his remorse and sincere apology, like, the head of Mullah Omar cut in two and impaled on two crossed swords.
1:13 am on June 27th, 2011 14
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/8558447/US-seeks-direct-talks-with-Talibans-Mullah-Omar.html
Yeah, get him to the negotiating table, and shoot him multiple times, then kill off his followers.