Vietnam-era general’s sullied reputation stands

WASHINGTON – A determined family’s formal request to restore the rank and reputation of the late Air Force Gen. John D. Lavelle died in the Senate on Wednesday.

Lavelle, a four-star general who was demoted and stripped of his command in 1972 for bombing North Vietnam, died in 1979. He maintained that superiors authorized the bombings, and evidence unearthed by his family seems to support that version of events.

President Barack Obama sent the Senate Armed Services Committee a nomination to restore Lavelle’s rank last August.

The committee approves presidential nominations and promotions for top military commanders. The panel declined to vote on the nomination Wednesday.