Roger That: Navy to award Purple Hearts to four Marines and sailor killed in June by terrorist in Chattanooga

The Department of the Navy will posthumously award Purple Heart medals to four Marines and a sailor killed by a lone terrorist at the Navy Operational Support Center Chattanooga in July, according to a statement from Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, according to Navy Times.

Another Marine wounded in the shooting will also be awarded the Purple Heart.

Marine Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Sullivan, Lance Cpl. Squire K. Wells, Staff Sgt. David Wyatt and Sgt. Carson Holmquist were killed at Navy Operational Support Center Chattanooga on July 16, and Navy Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Randall Smith died July 18 from wounds sustained during the shooting. Marine Sgt. DeMonte Cheeley was shot in the leg and later recovered. All were nominated for Purple Hearts.

FBI Director James Comey said in November that the motivations of the Chattanooga shooter might never be made public, raising questions about whether the Navy would ever be in a position to award the Purple Heart to the families. Because of the Navy’s decision, the victims’ survivors will now qualify for survivor’s benefits associated with recipients of the decoration.

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In a front page story, the New York Times reports that four American soldiers working with a team of U.S. Navy SEALs in Afghanistan accused the SEALs of severely beating and abusing a group of Afghan detainees, an incident that to led to the death of the detainees in May 31, 2012.

In a Navy criminal investigation, two Navy support personnel said they had witnessed some abuse by the SEALs, as did a local police officer. Separately, an Afghan detained with the man who died provided a detailed account of mistreatment by American troops and Afghan militiamen in an interview with The New York Times.

The SEAL command, though, cleared the Team 2 members of wrongdoing in a closed disciplinary process that is typically used only for minor infractions, disregarding a Navy lawyer’s recommendation that the troops face assault charges and choosing not to seek a court-martial. Two of the SEALs and their lieutenant have since been promoted, even though their commander in Afghanistan recommended that they be forced out of the elite SEAL teams, the Times reported.

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Defense Secretary Ash Carter traveled to Baghdad, Iraq’s capital, Wednesday with an offer to deploy more American troops and new attack helicopters to help the Iraqi army defeat the Islamic State group, according to Military Times.

But for now, at least, the Iraqis are passing up that offer.

Specifically, Carter said the U.S. is willing to provide Iraqi army units with close-air support via Apache attack helicopters and also to expand the advise-and-assist mission to include combat advisers at the brigade level. The current mission limits such American advisers to division and headquarters levels.

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Federal agencies face a rapidly approaching deadline to identify cybersecurity workforce shortages. Boosting the government’s information security workforce is a key part of the Obama administration’s long-term strategy for securing federal networks. It follows a 30-day rapid action plan initiated this summer to tighten online defenses in the wake of the massive Office of Personnel Management hack.

By Dec. 31, agencies are required to report to the White House the top five areas — network services, cyberthreat analysis, systems development and others — where they lack sufficient personnel, according to DefenseOne.

This story was originally published December 17, 2015 at 11:20 AM with the headline "Roger That: Navy to award Purple Hearts to four Marines and sailor killed in June by terrorist in Chattanooga."