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Prosecutor: Corpsman ‘duped’ command over awards

NORFOLK, Va. — During closing arguments in the general court-martial of a sailor accused of wearing unearned combat awards, the prosecutor said Wednesday that the hospital corpsman “duped his command,” while a defense attorney said the sailor “did what junior personnel are told to do”

Prosecutor Lt. j.g. Allison Ward said Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class (FMF) Dontae Lee Tazewell — who was a third class petty officer at the time — convinced his command to give him medals and ribbons he didn’t earn so he could stay in the Navy, collect an E-5’s pay and receive medical treatment after failing to score high enough on his second-class petty officer advancement exam to move up.

Tazewell, 28, faces 11 specifications of wearing unauthorized ribbons and medals. He allegedly used false paperwork to give himself a Bronze Star with “V,” Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Unit Commendation Medal and various other medals, according to the charging documents. Tazewell allegedly told people he risked his life to save Marines in combat in Iraq five years ago.

According to his official Navy biography, Tazewell, who joined the Navy in June 1998, rates only a Good Conduct Medal. But in a 2006 article appearing in the base newspaper Soundings, which covered Tazewell’s awards ceremony that was prompted by the alleged forgeries, the corpsman was ambushed on patrol in Iraq and repeatedly ran into the line of fire to rescue six wounded Marines.

“These awards have meaning for sailors and Marines,” Ward told the court.

But defense attorney Lt. Matthew Cutchen put the burden on the Navy for awarding Tazewell the medals, claiming in his closing argument that the corpsman merely alerted his command to awards, saying, “He did what junior personnel are told to do.”

Earlier in the day, military judge Capt. Patricia Battin granted a defense motion to dismiss seven specifications related to forgery, leaving the 11 specifications of unauthorized wear. If he is found guilty, Tazewell faces a maximum sentence of six months in prison for each of the 11 specifications and a dishonorable discharge, according to the Navy.

On Tuesday, several of Tazewell’s direct superiors and fellow sailors testified.

Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman (FMF/SW) Michael Dean Smith supervised Tazewell during the deployment of Marine Wing Support Squadron 272 to Kuwait in early 2003. Corpsmen from the unit manned flightline aid stations at three airfields in Kuwait and sometimes rolled with supply convoys. But Smith said none of his sailors, including Tazewell, rated any of the decorations Tazewell allegedly gave himself.

“I can say 100 percent that nobody in my unit, MWSS-272, had any combat-related injuries whatsoever,” Smith told the court. “All of our convoys were uneventful. We never encountered any enemy action or any enemy fire or had to return fire.”

Chief Hospital Corpsman (FMF) Santiago Chavez worked closely with Tazewell at an expeditionary airfield in Kuwait. He said corpsmen went on supply convoys as a rule, but often headed south, away from Iraq, to other airfields in Kuwait. As for Tazewell’s performance at the airfield, Chavez said, “He did what everybody else was doing.”

In comments to reporters after the first day of the court-martial, Cutchen could not say if his client ever stepped foot in Iraq. “He adamantly denies the charges against him,” Cutchen said.

During the court proceeding, witnesses were asked to review the citations and certificates that Tazewell allegedly fabricated while working in the administrative office at a branch medical clinic at Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, Va.

Marine Capt. Adele Burks, former adjutant for MWSS 272, said the paperwork allegedly submitted by Tazewell on behalf of himself was almost wholly inconsistent with recognized standards.

“The overall format is incorrect with regard to fonts and the like,” she said, adding that the paperwork was endorsed by a fictitious three-star general. Reading one document allegedly crafted by Tazewell, Burks said, “Lt. Gen. Haviland does not exist,” who is most likely a concoction based on MWSS 272’s commanding officer until 2004, then-Lt. Col. Joseph K. Haviland.

Navy prosecutor Lt. Matthew Wooten said Tazewell failed his March 2006 advancement exam and was facing separation because he hadn’t made E-5 in the required eight years. In response, Wooten said Tazewell “conned the Navy” with “phony” citations that somehow passed through the chain of command.

The citations were so successful that Tazewell was treated to an award ceremony attended by more than 100 people in which a Navy captain lauded Tazewell by telling the audience “This is what a hero looks like.” Several military publications also wrote articles about Tazewell. Based on the awards, the Navy reviewed Tazewell’s record and advanced him to E-5.

According to the prosecutors, Tazewell went on to buy a Virginia vanity tag intended for Bronze Star recipients that reads “DocTaz.”

Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Jerome Wilkerson worked with Tazewell at the Yorktown clinic and said Tazewell parked where he pleased.

“Sometimes he parks in the handicapped [space],” Wilkerson said, noting later that Tazewell had “bilateral hip surgery.”

Battin is expected to decide on the case later Wednesday afternoon.