The News Journal from Wilmington, Delaware • Page A7

WINDOWS SIDING ROOFING DOORS BATHS WINDOWS SIDING ROOFING DOORS BATHS WINDOWS SIDING ROOFING DOORS BATHS NJ-0000740381 THE NEWS JOURNALdelawareonline.com A7 COMMENT Delaware hero George Welch will never get the Medal of Honor. That became clear as Sen. Tom office spelled out the futile efforts 10 years ago to get the military and the resident to correct an versight to fully honor the first Ameri can hero of World War II. A1973 fire that destroyed military records and an adamant attitude by the military must be blamed for the refusal to reconsider what was an erroneous decision. Once the military has made up its mind, it almost never changes it, as witnessed by the failed campaign to estore the reputation of Admiral Husband Kimmel, commander-in-chief of the Pacific Fleet at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

In last column urging a new ffort for the Wilmington native to be considered for the honor, we outlined how Welch and fellow pilot Ken Taylor raced to man their P-40s when they realized the Japanese were attacking Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941. downing of a dive-bomber was probably the first American success. Both planes were damaged by enemy fire, but Welch was able to take off a second time with new ammunition and down at least two more planes. Gen.

Henry H. (Hap) Arnold, chief of the Army Air Corps, thought Welch and Taylor should receive the Medal of Honor. He was apparently rejected for an outrageous reason, that the men acted without direct orders. You might think the pilots could find a chain of command in those hectic minutes for to engage the enemy. Welch and Taylor won the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC), the highest award after the Medal of Honor.

The DSC citation describes courage in terms that should have made him eligible for the Medal of Honor: in action over the island of Oahu when his initiative, presence of mind, coolness under fire against overwhelming odds in his first battle, expert maneuvering of his plane and determined action, contributed to a large extent toward driving off this sudden, unexpected enemy air office researched for me the failed efforts in 2004 by the senator and many others to properly honor Welch. In asking the Army to reconsider, understand that the integrity and high honor of the Medal of Honor application process must be maintained it certainly must not be a hindrance to those who deserve this highest the office said. upporting information was gath- red from the Army, Air Force, Delaw are Historical and Cultural Affairs and much published material. The key potential source, the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, turned out to be a stumbling block because in July 1973, fire destroyed up to 18 million Army and Air Force early records of many discharged personnel.

They i ncluded files, apparently including the original recommendation packet. No duplicates existed of those files. Other evidence came from a video i nterview with Taylor, by then a general, and a copy of interview for the DSC. In 2007, Carper made a personal request to Preston (Pete) Geren, secretary of the Army, but the recommendation was denied. Additional congressional pressure came from Sen.

James Imhofe, R-Oklahoma, on behalf of Welch and native Oklahoman Taylor. The request was submitted three times to the Army and then to the Air Force, which became its own branch of the service in 1947. The Air Force passed the buck back to the Army. the official explanation of why consideration was not given: The Army would need a copy of the original recommendation to determine if the original board made an error in its decision. Once a decision was made to award the DSC instead of the Medal of Honor, it was considered an Despite extensive search, no one has found the original recommendation or a copy.

George Schwartz Welch is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Delaware honors him with a portrait by Peter Hurd in Legislative Hall and with an elementary school named for him in Dover Air Force Base housing. He still deserves that highest military honor our country can award. Harry Themal has written a column here since 1989. Why a Delaware hero ever win a Medal of Honor HARRY THEMAL The words, spoken about the Eric Garner travesty in New York, were righteous and powerful.

you look at what they did to this guy and putting him in a cho- kehold like that, inexcusable absolutely inexcusable and this cop did not go to jail, was not held responsible, is beyond is ridiculous. obscene. I is the New York police completely out of control. Manslaughter absolutely should have been A nd who uttered such phrases? The Rev. Al Sharpton? Lawyers for the Garner family? A ctually, these sentiments were voiced Thursday by Glenn Beck, one of the fiercest warriors of the right.

onservatives, with a few exceptions, have responded with admirable outrage over a grand failure to i ndict white police officer Daniel Pantaleo, who was caught on video killing Garner, an unarmed African-American. antaleo put Garner in a chokehold and ignored cries that he breathe even though the only alleged offense had been selling untaxed cigarettes. Fox Bill said he was by the video and Garner not deserve what happened to His Fox colleague And rew Napolitano said the jury ade a grievous because it seemed police grossly excessive force on a non-violent, non-threatening while Charles Krauthammer called the decision Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, head of the House Republican Conference, called for the House to hold hearings on the case. need to be taking she told House Speaker John Boehner later eferred to remarks in a news onference, agreeing that Ameri can people deserve more answers a bout what really happened I it is possible to say that anything ood has come from such an obvious iscarriage of justice, it is that the Garner decision has rekindled, if brief- what Franklin Roosevelt called the courage of national The Ferguson, Missouri, decision last month, in which a grand jury declined to charge another white police officer who killed another unarmed black man, split the nation along racial and political lines, but this is one of the rare moments since the that has united left and right, black and white.

It surely last long. The question is whether a reluctant president will seize the moment. The early signs indicate more of the same reticence. Though President Oba- ma has spoken twice about the Garner case since the decision, White House ress secretary Josh Earnest on Thursday, asked about a national by the president, suggested people wait to see what new task force on policing comes up with i 90 days. But Obama have 90 days.

If he waits, he will violate Rahm Emanu famous rule, expressed after Oba- ma won the presidency in 2008: never want a serious crisis to go to because it is opportunity to do things that you think you could not do The Birmingham church ombing in 1963 helped to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Garner case should produce more than mumbles a bout a task force and some modest funds for police training and body cameras. There are any number of bigger things Obama could do, including alternatives to grand juries. This year, Republican Gov. Scott Walker no liberal signed first-in-the- nation legislation requiring an outside i nvestigation whenever anybody dies in olice custody, and a public report if charges are not filed.

The president could use his pulpit to push for similar laws in the other states. He could at least demand a national count of police killings, which, scandalously, we still have. In a sense, it matters less what Oba- ma does than that he does something with this moment particularly because the rest of his agendais moribund on Capitol Hill. A top White House fficial suggested Thursday that Oba- a may be coming around. agree here is a moment here to have this onversation and make something of the official told me.

I would be more than a shame for bama to squander this moment of national unity. Eric Garner case offers Obama a moment to seize DANA MILBANK.