Sailor convicted of wearing 10 unearned medals

[Jim]

By Matthew Jones
The Virginian-Pilot
© January 24, 2008
NORFOLK

A Navy hospital corpsman who claims he rescued six Marines and recovered the bodies of four others during an ambush in the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom was convicted Wednesday of wearing ribbons he did not earn.

A judge dismissed the more serious charges of forging documents that led to the awards.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Dontae L. Tazewell was found guilty of 10 of 11 counts of wearing unauthorized ribbons. Some of the honors recognized Tazewell for hero­ism during an ambush on March 28, 2003, earning him the Purple Heart and Bronze Star in July 2006.

On Wednesday, Tazewell’s supervisors and others testified at his court-martial that the rescue never happened, painting a picture of a sailor so desperate to stay in the Navy that he concocted honors he did not merit.

Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Mann, who served with Tazewell as part of Marine Wing Support Squadron 272 in Kuwait in 2003, testified that, on the day of the supposed ambush, he knocked Tazewell down while running to tell of a helicopter accident on the runway of Joe Foss Expeditionary Airfield. That put Tazewell in Kuwait and not in Iraq.

“I don’t see how he could get a Purple Heart for getting run over by a big guy,â€

[msg_dman]

How in the hell was the forgery charge dropped, how else would he get them?

[Jim]

Just to follow up on this case:
Navy petty officer sentenced for "wrongfully" wearing military medals

Posted: Jan 22, 2008 06:23 PM EST

Updated: Jan 24, 2008 02:15 PM EST

A Navy sailor found guilty of wearing military medals he did not earn will spend two years in a Navy brig.

At Thursday's sentencing, Petty Officer Dontae Tazewell also had his rank reduced to E-3 and received a bad conduct discharge.

The Navy Region Mid-Atlantic public affairs office tells WAVY.com Tazewell has the right to appeal the judge's decision.

Tazewell was assigned to a branch health clinic at the Naval Weapons Station in Yorktown.

His court martial got underway Tuesday afternoon at Naval Station Norfolk. Government prosecutors claimed the sailor's alleged motive in this was to get promoted.

The government claimed the petty officer "wrongfully and without authority" wore several military medals including the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and a combat action ribbon.

He faced 11 counts for that, plus 7 counts for Forging a Military Document and one count of Making a False Statement.



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