Posted on Sep 17, 2015
Beau Biden-Military Decorations and Stay at Walter Reed
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I am wondering how the VP's son managed to get into Walter Reed while not on active duty and how he ended up with the Bronze Star let alone the Legion of Merit upon his death?
For the final few years of his life, Biden suffered from brain cancer. On May 20, 2015, he was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, because of a recurrence of brain cancer; he died there 10 days later. I empathize his death and applaud his service but...
Biden joined the military in 2003 as a member of the Delaware Army National Guard and was a Major in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps as part of the 261st Signal Brigade in Smyrna, Delaware.
Biden received a visit at Camp Victory from his father on July 4, 2009. Biden returned from Iraq in September 2009, his yearlong stint on active duty complete. Biden had announced that during his deployment he would continue to actively serve as Delaware's Attorney General by working in conjunction with his office's senior staff in Delaware. During his year of service in Iraq, Beau returned home only once — to see his father take the oath of office for vice president.
Beau received the Bronze Star for his service, a military medal that celebrates “heroic or meritorious achievement.” The act justifying award of the medal must be performed while fighting an enemy of the United States, or while involved in conflict with an opposing/foreign force. It can also be awarded for heroism while serving with friendly forces engaged in combat against an opposing military in which the United States is not a belligerent party. Bronze star is supposed to be for heroism - not for just showing up and he was a lawyer.
Army Chief of Staff Raymond Odierno presented Beau Biden with the Legion of Merit for his service in the Delaware National Guard. Odierno, Beau Biden’s commanding general in Iraq, also lauded his comrade’s military service overseas. The general presented Beau Biden with the Legion of Merit for his service in the Delaware National Guard. The award honors exceptional merit in the performance of outstanding services and achievements.
For the final few years of his life, Biden suffered from brain cancer. On May 20, 2015, he was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, because of a recurrence of brain cancer; he died there 10 days later. I empathize his death and applaud his service but...
Biden joined the military in 2003 as a member of the Delaware Army National Guard and was a Major in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps as part of the 261st Signal Brigade in Smyrna, Delaware.
Biden received a visit at Camp Victory from his father on July 4, 2009. Biden returned from Iraq in September 2009, his yearlong stint on active duty complete. Biden had announced that during his deployment he would continue to actively serve as Delaware's Attorney General by working in conjunction with his office's senior staff in Delaware. During his year of service in Iraq, Beau returned home only once — to see his father take the oath of office for vice president.
Beau received the Bronze Star for his service, a military medal that celebrates “heroic or meritorious achievement.” The act justifying award of the medal must be performed while fighting an enemy of the United States, or while involved in conflict with an opposing/foreign force. It can also be awarded for heroism while serving with friendly forces engaged in combat against an opposing military in which the United States is not a belligerent party. Bronze star is supposed to be for heroism - not for just showing up and he was a lawyer.
Army Chief of Staff Raymond Odierno presented Beau Biden with the Legion of Merit for his service in the Delaware National Guard. Odierno, Beau Biden’s commanding general in Iraq, also lauded his comrade’s military service overseas. The general presented Beau Biden with the Legion of Merit for his service in the Delaware National Guard. The award honors exceptional merit in the performance of outstanding services and achievements.
Posted in these groups: Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 30
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He was a rare bird. A son of a powerful politician actually serving his country. Son of the Vice President. Does not bother me a bit.
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CPT (Join to see)
OK. I don't agree on him being a rare bird but thank you for your comments and his service.
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SPC Don Todd
Being a "rare bird" is a sad and sorry excuse for getting a Bronze Star, and quite frankly, it is a slap in the face of those men who actually earned it. Since when do we reward a man for just being a man? So as the son of the VP he gets special consideration because he "could have avoided going by using that privilege"? I could have avoided going as well. My unit did not deploy. A 1/27 did, but they were short manned due to PCS, ETS etc.. My name was not called in the lottery but I volunteered to go in the place of another guy in my unit because he was married and had five kids at the time. I couldn't stand around while his kids could potentially end up fatherless. I didn't do it for any reason other than it was the right thing to do. So if we are now giving out Bronze Stars to people for just showing up, let alone for just filling out the wills of those soldiers who are actually seeing combat - I'm ready for mine. Its a sorry day when a award as prestigious as the Bronze Star is reduced to just BS.
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Leigh Bedard
SPC Don Todd
Thank you for what you did and yr service. You deserve more y than a BRONZE STAR
Thank you for what you did and yr service. You deserve more y than a BRONZE STAR
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The well known privledges of being a "Fortunate Son". To use the immortal words of John Fogerty, "Some folks are born, silver spoon in hand Lord, don't they help themselves, y'all"
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SGT Jeremiah B.
The privilege would have been not serving at all, much less deploying. He had done pretty well for himself in his own right as well.
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MSgt James Mullis
SGT Jeremiah B. - True, he seems to of had a good career, with help from his father. However, I can't help but make the comparrson to the CCR Song for any of the "Fortunate Son's" including Bush, Kerry, and Biden.
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SGT Jeremiah B.
MSgt James Mullis - Except Biden and Kerry actually went to war, and in Biden's case while his dad was a vocal opponent to its continuation.
I'm not going to minimize his accomplishments because of accident of birth. His name certainly helped him win the AG spot , but he deployed despite it, not because of it. I have to respect that.
I'm not going to minimize his accomplishments because of accident of birth. His name certainly helped him win the AG spot , but he deployed despite it, not because of it. I have to respect that.
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John Kerry was also a "war hero." A liar and a man threw someone else's medals over the White House fence claiming they were his own. He also went before congress and testified under oath that he witnessed rapes and murders by his fellow soldiers in Vietnam. The media ate it up. When asked later by a journalist to name names, dates, and places where these incidents occurred, he confessed that he never actually witnessed any of it, but claims to have heard it from others who did. John Kerry came close to being elected president and commander-in-chief in 2004.
To be fair to Beau Biden, I believe he was awarded the Bronze Star as a JAG officer in Irag for throwing himself on a live stapler to save the lives of his fellow JAG officers. The stapler never went off, though. Bwa-ha-ha!
To be fair to Beau Biden, I believe he was awarded the Bronze Star as a JAG officer in Irag for throwing himself on a live stapler to save the lives of his fellow JAG officers. The stapler never went off, though. Bwa-ha-ha!
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This has disturbed me along time. An attorney receiving the Bronze Star with or without a V. I am sure some politicians were involved in this.
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I don't really have any problem with any of this. Since he is the son of the VP I can see the need for security and a military hospital is the best place for that. Since neither of the two medals actually mean anything what is the big deal about him getting them? It is not like he got a Medal of Honor or a DSC and maybe all of this made his family feel a little better.
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PO2 Joel Warthen
The medals mean a lot. many people that have EARNED those medals have lost life and limb in the actions that resulted in those awards.
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He actually deployed to Iraq so I'm not sure what you mean?
He wasn't "active duty regular Army" but he was activated and deployed in the Iraq war.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beau_Biden
"Biden joined the military in 2003[8] as a member of the Delaware Army National Guard and was a Major in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps as part of the 261st Signal Brigade in Smyrna, Delaware.[9][10]
Biden's unit was activated to deploy to Iraq on October 3, 2008, and sent to Fort Bliss, Texas, for pre-deployment training,[11] the day after his father participated in the 2008 presidential campaign's only vice presidential debate. His father was on the record as saying, "I don't want him going. But I tell you what, I don't want my grandson or my granddaughters going back in 15 years, and so how we leave makes a big difference."[12]
Biden traveled to Washington, D.C., from Iraq in January 2009 for the presidential inauguration and his father's swearing-in as Vice President,[13] then returned to Iraq.[14] Biden received a visit at Camp Victory from his father on July 4, 2009.[15] Biden returned from Iraq in September 2009, his yearlong stint on active duty complete.[16] Biden had announced that during his deployment he would continue to actively serve as Delaware's Attorney General by working in conjunction with his office's senior staff in Delaware,[17] although a member of his unit related Biden saying he had turned over most of his attorney general work to his deputy so as to focus on his duties in Iraq."
He wasn't "active duty regular Army" but he was activated and deployed in the Iraq war.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beau_Biden
"Biden joined the military in 2003[8] as a member of the Delaware Army National Guard and was a Major in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps as part of the 261st Signal Brigade in Smyrna, Delaware.[9][10]
Biden's unit was activated to deploy to Iraq on October 3, 2008, and sent to Fort Bliss, Texas, for pre-deployment training,[11] the day after his father participated in the 2008 presidential campaign's only vice presidential debate. His father was on the record as saying, "I don't want him going. But I tell you what, I don't want my grandson or my granddaughters going back in 15 years, and so how we leave makes a big difference."[12]
Biden traveled to Washington, D.C., from Iraq in January 2009 for the presidential inauguration and his father's swearing-in as Vice President,[13] then returned to Iraq.[14] Biden received a visit at Camp Victory from his father on July 4, 2009.[15] Biden returned from Iraq in September 2009, his yearlong stint on active duty complete.[16] Biden had announced that during his deployment he would continue to actively serve as Delaware's Attorney General by working in conjunction with his office's senior staff in Delaware,[17] although a member of his unit related Biden saying he had turned over most of his attorney general work to his deputy so as to focus on his duties in Iraq."
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CPT (Join to see)
Thanks and the Wikipedia reference is helpful. Why was he admitted to Walter Reed and how did he get the Bronze Star and Legion of Merit? Are you saying the qualifiers were because his unit was activated and he deployed to Iraq?
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SSG Warren Swan
CPT (Join to see) - The Bronze Star alone would be for his service in Iraq. He had the correct rank to get it (I say that dripping with sarcasm not towards him personally, but how they were awarded period). The LoM, I'm not sure on, let alone why GEN O would be the presenter rather than the son's actual commander.
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LCDR (Join to see)
CPT (Join to see) SSG Warren Swan
All true. The Bronze star (without V) was a completely normal award for his rank and the time period. Does that mean it was the right award? No, but it's not any different than any other O-4 that deployed there during that time (or even E5 that did a desk job depending on the unit).
As far as Walter Reed, that's 100% normal, and also he was only there for 10 days not the majority of his treatment at all the other hospitals listed.
The Legion of Merit is the ONLY part of this that could be suspect, but almost all awards, even AAMs, NAMs, etc are political to some respect. If he did a really good job in the National Guard (which seems to be the case) he may have been very close to "earning" the award outright. It's definitely not enough for me to question impropriety.
All true. The Bronze star (without V) was a completely normal award for his rank and the time period. Does that mean it was the right award? No, but it's not any different than any other O-4 that deployed there during that time (or even E5 that did a desk job depending on the unit).
As far as Walter Reed, that's 100% normal, and also he was only there for 10 days not the majority of his treatment at all the other hospitals listed.
The Legion of Merit is the ONLY part of this that could be suspect, but almost all awards, even AAMs, NAMs, etc are political to some respect. If he did a really good job in the National Guard (which seems to be the case) he may have been very close to "earning" the award outright. It's definitely not enough for me to question impropriety.
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After several search attempts no web page would explain why beau received such high awards while in Iraq… like Hunter, Thanks Dad.
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I wish the media would tell this story. I am sure the sitting Vice President was involved in the awards given to Beau Biden.
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For more conversations on Walter Reed go here: https://www.rallypoint.com/locations/walter-reed-national-military-medical-center-md
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, MD | RallyPoint
Join military members and veterans currently at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, MD. Learn more about opportunities in the area and build your network.
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I'm not politically involved or in the military but the fact that the man volunteered and served overseas says a lot about his character
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