The Department of Defense announced today that retired Air Force Maj. Gen. John D. Lavelle has been nominated posthumously by the President for advancement on the retired rolls to the rank of general. This follows an Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records decision and recommendations from the secretary of defense and secretary of the Air Force.
In April 1972, Lavelle was removed from command as a result of allegations that he ordered unauthorized bombing missions into North Vietnam, and that he authorized the falsification of reports to conceal the missions. Lavelle was retired in the grade of major general, two grades lower than the last grade he served on active duty. Lavelle died in 1979.
In 2007, newly released and declassified information resulted in evidence that Lavelle was authorized by President Richard Nixon to conduct the bombing missions. Further, the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records found no evidence Lavelle caused, either directly or indirectly, the falsification of records, or that he was even aware of their existence. Once he learned of the reports, Lavelle took action to ensure the practice was discontinued.
In light of the new information, a request was made to the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records for reinstatement to the grade of general, Lavelle’s last grade while on active duty.
The evidence presented clearly corrected the historical record and warranted a reassessment of Lavelle’s retired grade.
Link: http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13774
Being a creature of curiosity I then googled him:
This was interesting:
Lavelle was forced to resign his commission and his rank was reduced from O-10 to O-8 by the Senate. It wasn’t until White House audio files were released of Nixon’s conversations with then-National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger discussing the justification for bombing runs in North Vietnam that the Lavelle matter was seen for what it was: a politically motivated lynch mob that hung an innocent man. And while it is true Nixon stood by and did nothing to help Lavelle, the media and Congress share most of the blame for maligning an innocent man.
[sic] Whereas Lavelle was pushing the limits of his ROE by cutting enemy runways so MiG fighters — in flight but not firing on his pilots — couldn’t land to fight another day, so too commanders in Afghanistan are forced to hold back on striking Taliban militants for fear the enemy will exploit the potential civilian toll. All this despite the lopsided tally of innocents killed and maimed by insurgents themselves.
Indeed.
Link: http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,218387,00.html
Very interesting aspect of the conversation. It appears that one administration is focusing on this particular case in order to build its case against the former administration; BUT will it in actuality put more focus on the current administration identifying or at least disclosing the truth of certain issues that could potentially invalidate the administration itself. hmmm
Here is the google search string if your interested in pursuing more articles:
