Dear Conservative,
They say that the men and women who served and contributed during World War II were the “greatest generation.” First Lieutenant Garlin Murl Conner was definitely one of them.
Lt. Conner was the second-most decorated soldier during the Second World War. During his 28 straight months of service during the war, Lt. Conner earned four Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars, SEVEN Purple Hearts, and the Distinguished Service Cross for his acts of bravery and valor. Yet, he never received the military’s highest award (the Medal of Honor).
Lieutenant Garlin Conner passed away in 1998 and his wife has been fighting for the last 17 years for him to be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his service. However, U.S. District Judge Thomas Russell just ruled that since the Lieutenant’s widow waited too long to bring forward new evidence of his bravery, the Court had no choice but to deny the petition based on this technicality.
Judge Russel praised Lt. Conner’s “extraordinary courage and patriotic service,” but claimed that his hands were tied because the statute of limitations had already expired. Had the Lieutenant’s widow, Pauline Conner, submitted the new evidence just two years earlier, there would have been no issue. This is absolutely outrageous! Heroism and bravery does not have a shelf life or a “statute of limitations”!
Only Congress can order the military to conduct a review of the case, and it is absolutely essential that they do. We cannot allow a bureaucratic technicality to prevent one of our nation’s greatest military heroes from receiving posthumous recognition of his service!
During one of the seven times that Lt. Garlin Conner was wounded fighting in the European Theater, he was sent to a military hospital in France. Doctors told him that his hip wound was too serious and that he would be sent back to the United States in order to recover. Rather than give up the fight, Lt. Conner snuck out of the military hospital and made his way back to the front lines. Though severely wounded, Lieutenant Conner directed his men for three hours as they fought back against the German offensive. Lt. Garlin Conner single-handedly killed 50 German soldiers and was credited with saving the 3rd Battalion from sure defeat. For this act of selflessness, Conner was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
How dare anyone deny this hero because of a technicality? Do you think that Lieutenant Conner cared that he “technically” shouldn’t have left the hospital without telling anyone so that he could return to the fight? Of course not! And the military didn’t care because Lt. Conner was a hero who saved countless American lives that day.
Conner was wounded SEVEN times. Each time the doctors told him it was too serious to continue on, the Lieutenant ‘discharged’ himself from the hospital to return to the fight! Even the French recognized Lt. Conner’s bravery by honoring him with the Croix de Guerre (their version of the Medal of Honor).
Major General Lloyd B. Ramsey was Conner’s battalion commander during the war and has written that Lt. Conner was "one of the outstanding soldiers of this war, if not the outstanding....I've never seen a man with as much courage and ability as he has.”
This isn’t about politics… This isn’t about Left and Right… The second-most decorated WWII soldier is being denied the military’s highest honor because of a damn bureaucratic technicality! Congress must ensure that Lieutenant Conner’s bravery and selflessness is not forgotten. We must force Congress to act!
As of 2012, 178 Distinguished Service Cross recipients have been elevated to Medal of Honor status, out of the 13,000 that have been issued since 1917. Only Congress can ensure that Lt. Conner gets a fair second look.
For the last 12 years, Congress and the Pentagon have looked through old military records to find minority soldiers who were overlooked for awards because of their racial or ethnic backgrounds. On March 18th, Barack Obama will honor these minority soldiers who served in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Now, there is nothing wrong with honoring these soldiers and if they were denied commendation because of discrimination within the military, then they should absolutely be honored. But, so should Lieutenant Garlin Conner!
Lt. Conner represents what once made America great, and it crucial for his heroism to be preserved for future generations. Everyone who has read his service history agrees: he deserves the Medal of Honor. Yet, a bureaucratic technicality is preventing the military from honoring the second-most decorated soldier of WWII. Only Congress can overrule this technicality and only you can force them to!
I implore you to do two things:
Please share this email with your friends. Forward it and be sure to share it on Facebook. The more people learn about Lt. Conner’s heroism, the better.
This isn’t about politics… this is about honoring a true American hero. I urge you to take the time to fax Congress and implore them to honor this American hero posthumously with the Medal of Honor.
Sincerely,
Joe Otto
Conservative Daily
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