I am for a good party and I also support the War on Terror.  But a plan for this celebration causes me to question the Defense Department's priorities. This grand celebration, when it takes place, will surely mask the failure of this Administration to honor the warriors who are so gallantly giving life and limb to this effort. It is hard to believe, but the White House has yet to bestow a Medal of Honor on a single living veteran on the War on Terror.

It is incredible that the Department of Defense has awarded over 400 silver stars, the nation's third highest award, while ignoring the bravest of the brave -- the heroes that have placed their lives at risk in the killing fields of Iraq and Afghanistan. Never mind that most officers serving in theatre have received the Bronze Star even though many have never seen combat.  

Could it be that we have no heroes in Iraq or Afghanistan? Could it be that our eyes are betraying us as we watch televised news from the war? Are those scenes of warriors kicking down doors and skirting blind corners in the face of heavy gunfire staged for TV cameras? Could it be that the war has become so technologically focused that our service people just don't take risks that we have come to associate with Audie Murphy and other heroes in years gone by?   

I was a Marine in Vietnam and now I live near the gates of Fort Bragg, which is the Army Special Forces command.  For the past two years, I have been working on a book on military heroism. Every day I see soldiers and I've written about the challenges that they face and overcome in trying to make this a more secure world for us all. I believe that these kids are the best to ever put on a uniform, bar none. It sickens me that bureaucrats buried in the bowls of the Pentagon are sitting on awards for true heroes.  

While one part of the Pentagon is planning a party, still another seems intent on denying the bravest of the brave their due. Recently a DoD press release crossed my desk expressing concern about "standards" and making sure that the awards go to the deserving. Could this be true? Some Medal of Honor awards have been pending for more than two years -- more than adequate time to make a reasoned judgment.  In World War II, Medals of Honor were frequently awarded two or three days after the action. No one seems to be challenging awards from that war. For this war, the Undersecretary of Defense has decided that procedures for award review must be investigated, a process that will take 6-8 months according to a press release. It is stunning that the military wants to re-learn a process that it appears to have mastered in the 1860s when the first Medals of Honor were awarded.

The awarding of a few Medals of Honor would demonstrate the incredible sacrifice that many have made. It would help us celebrate the warrior if not the war. It would demonstrate once again that America fields the finest Soldiers and Marines in the world.  In so doing, those fighting the war would celebrate the success of their comrades -- many of whom have fallen -- and we would be identifying new heroes for generations to come.  That is both worthy and noble.