Why Did The U.S. Army Spy On Medal of Honor Recipient Will Swenson?

Medal of Honor Hall recipient former Army Capt. William D. Swenson holds a frame with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel during the ceremony to induct Swenson into the Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon, Oct. 16, 2013. The frame contains a portrait and information about Swenson. DOD photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Sean K. Harp

Jacob Siegel, Daily Beast: Exclusive: Army Spied on Hero Over Amazon Review

President Obama gave this outspoken, brave soldier the Medal of Honor. The Army dug through his trash and bothered his girlfriend.

Will Swenson is officially an American war hero, awarded the Medal of Honor, the military’s most prestigious decoration for his actions in Afghanistan. But in the eyes of the Army, he was, for a time, a target of surveillance. Army investigators staked out his house. They went through his trash. And it all started because Swenson was mentioned in a book review posted to Amazon.com.

The Army’s treatment of Swenson is one of a number of high-profile cases where the military has launched investigations into highly-decorated troops—only to have the investigations themselves come under scrutiny. Top congressmen have demanded answers from the Secretary of the Army, while insiders speculate that the deep dive into Swenson’s life was a political stunt. Before President Obama gave Swenson the Medal of Honor, he was known as much for his stinging criticism of Army leadership as he was for his heroism at the Battle of Gangal.

WNU Editor: This blog has been following Will Swenson's career since news of his involvement in the Battle of Gangal became known (23 posts and counting). This blog has also been a fierce critic on how the US Army and the Pentagon have treated him .... and why people should be held accountable. The fact that this news is now breaking out does not surprise me .... there is something terribly wrong with the U.S. military when heroes like him are treated in this matter. Army veteran Matt Gallagher writing in the Daily Beast sums it up best when he called Swenson “brave, disillusioned, resolute.” Swenson had become an icon, Gallagher wrote, “not just because of his actions in Afghanistan, but also through his actions after.”