Why do most recent Medal of Honor recipients leave the military shortly after being awarded it?

"was killed on Iwo Jima at his request "

He requested to be killed on Iwo Jima?

Bad grammar....Basilone evidently did his "tour" for the war bonds being thebwar hero. He got the transfer he requested to have duty with troops and died at Iwo...

Maybe this is why recipients do not rejoin with their old unit. Because of Basilone. I think the medal brings remorse for many who feel the comrades who did not return deserve the honor. They feel they did their duty no more. How does one deal with this?

If I'm not mistaken, Basilone was with the 1st Division when he was awarded the MOH, and went to Iwo with the 5th, he didn't go back to his old unit..

Sgt Michael Clifford - when I worked at HQMC, a request came in for a MOH recipient to re-enlist in the reserves. He'd gotten out as a PFC, and was awarded his MOH after he was disharged. The man had a few NJP's, including one for telling a sergeant to go f himself. I automatically approved his re-enlistment only to get overruled. His NJP's and the fact that he was associated with a casino in some capacity torpedoed his request. I fought and lost that battle.

It interesting that during the time that I served there were Marines in our BN. who were up and down the enlisted chain of command more than once. They reached MSgt got busted to Cpl. and as the saying goes he rose again. I'm guessing that he was good at his job and getting into fights on liberty was not considered a capital offence.
On the other hand there was an officer in another company who received the MOH as a PFC and was later commissioned. From the perspective of a LCpl. with HS degree he may have been a brave man but not a necessarily a good leader.

SrA Jared Williams - Thanks lol, no MoH but I did go from E-1 to 0-4, Army infantry, 3 combat tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan

War is not easy and when you give what it takes to receive the MoH you have given enough and then some. There is a reason most of these are given posthumously.

Most moh never intended on getting it. They do what they're trained to do. Kill the enemy and take care of your own.

I always wondered why Col Day wasn't at least promoted to BG over his 30 plus years of service. Guess it doesn't guarantee anything

MSgt Chad Shuherk, his bio doesn't really state specifically why he was passed over for promotion to BG, but despite the fact that he was returned to flying status post incarceration, his state of well being could have been a contributing factor. That's strictly my speculation, because many, many factors are considered in GO promotion boards.

Thanks to the efforts of COL Bud Day we have Tricare for Life, he was helpful in persuading Congress to pass the law for TFL. Thanks, Bud.

Col. Day was a great man and did a lot for the community and veterans.

Yes, MSG Dammer, you're correct about his service. I recall I met LTC Marm when he was a BC at Fort Benning and I was a "drill corporal" in the RA. I remember his lectures to us as we awaited DA's decision on our OCS applications. A few years after AD, one of my PLT members told me about him as well. He was well-respected and admired.

Hahahahaha

@SSG John Jensen ---- Ft Lewis, 1956. I did not meet, but heard of an awardee from WW II that called "Ike" when he was chastised for having Khaki trousers that were so long they dragged on the ground!

soo true

With all due respect Sgt., his name was MSgt. Rick Pittman. ;-)

MSG Pittmans Grandson was a 1SG in my Battalion, Had a photo of MSG Pittman on a wall in our BN HQ with all the other BN recipients - 1-23 IN, 3rd BDE, 2ID

I commanded G 2/4 many years after Col Vargas did when he earned the MOH. He used to come to visit the battalion on occassion, and we all felt a special connection to him. Three 2/4 Marines earned the MOH at Dai Do.

I was a "boot" when I met Col Jay Vargas when he was the 7th Marines CO. I was with C. Co, 1st Bn, 7th Marines 1982-1985 and he just walked in to the NCO Club and started chatting with all the Marines there. I was dumbstruck! Awesome and very humble Marine!

Went to PLDC with Ken's son in '95 and met Ken in a bar in Sparta, WI in '13. The Army is small.

Maj Walt stachwicz, when did the MOH change from being the CMoH? When it was first enacted, it WAS infact the Congressional Medal of Honor, not just the Medal of Honor. There is a slight difference. And if this soldier received the CMoH during Vietnam, it very well could have still been the CMoH. Authorized by Congress, not the president

And if this being so, then the recipient receiving the award during Vietnam, would have infact received the CMoH, not the MOH. Didn't they teach that shit at West point?!

Congressional Medal of Honor or Medal of Honor; a history lesson.
The President of the United States awards the Medal of Honor in the name of the US Congress (10 U.S.C. 3741, 8741, 6241, 491). The Navy version (Medal of Valor) is the oldest (21 Dec 1861), then the Army Medal or Honor (12 Jul 1862), and the Air Force (14 Apr 1965). The Navy had two versions of the Medal until 1942. One version for valor in combat and another for non-combat exceptional performance in the profession. Hence ADM Byrd received the non-combat version for his flight over the North Pole. Because the Medal is presented in the name of Congress, it is sometimes popularly referred to as the Congressional Medal of Honor, but its official name is Medal of Honor. Normally the Medal nomination proceeds through the military chain of command, but a member of Congress may nominate also. If the nomination is outside of the time limits, then Congress must act to waive the limit.

Cool, thanks for sharing. just wish guys nowadays would stay in.

Unfortunately today most of the recipients are so horribly injured while accomplishing the feats which justify their award that many are separated under the disability guidelines and some are persuaded by family to accept a safer vocation.

I worked for Nicky in 1980'ish in Giessen, Germany. He was a great guy, very protective of his soldiers. I remember one time he had to go to our Detachment HQ in Frankfurt to get reamed by the CO for some piddly thing or another; he stuck his medal in his pocket until just before we walked in the building then hung it around his neck. Must be tough to chew on a guy's ass when you're staring at that medal the whole time. When we left, Nicky put it back in his pocket and chuckled all the way back to Giessen.

I agree. Can you imagine having to be constantly reminded of that day. Of what happened. All the new guys coming in asking what you did, talking about you, even if they went to a new unit, people would just talk there. No wonder so many of these men go home, start a quiet life, and when they pass, shock their neighbors when they read about the MOH in the paper.

You have one of your facts wrong. The recipient does not get the salute, the medal does. Read up on your blue book and AR670-1

Well the medal has a damn hard time saluting back, and the recipient may not appreciate the added attention.

Christ you are nitpicky.