Medals(rant)

H46Bubba

H46Bubba

Well-Known Member
It pisses me off to no end who they just give away medals theses days.:mad: It seems as if the Navy just gives away Bronze Stars for ####ing menial bull ####. Look at previous wars and "conflicts", you had to do some pretty brave heroic #### to get a Broze Star. Now it's like a "give me" award for a job well done.:banghead: Here's an example:



070907-N-0486G-003 MAYPORT, Fla. (Sept. 7, 2007) - Lt. Mary Hays expresses her appreciation after receiving the Bronze Star, during a ceremony aboard guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64). Hays received the award for her work as a civil affairs interpreter in Iraq. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Daniel Gay (RELEASED)
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Here's someone who earned it the right way:


040223-N-5576W-005 Naval Station Great Lakes, Ill. (Feb. 23, 2004) - Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Alan Dementer of Gladstone, Mich., shows his family his Bronze Star Medal Certificate following the award ceremony held aboard Naval Hospital Corps School, Great Lakes, Ill. Dementer, who is now on the staff of the Hospital Corps School at Great Lakes, received the Bronze Star Award for actions March 26, 2003 when he came under fire in An Nasariyah, Iraq while assigned to Second Battalion, 8th Marines, Task Force Tarawa, Marine Expeditionary Force. Under fire and wounded by shrapnel, Dementer proceeded over a wall to reach six wounded Marines and immediately began rendering life saving emergency medical treatment. After stabilizing the Marines, he coordinated the movement of casualties to the Battalion Aid Station. His courage under fire, directly led to the safe evacuation of 31 injured Marines. U.S Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 1st Class Michael A. Worner. (RELEASED)
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Hasn't it always been that way with O's and enlisted anyway? I was in the Corps and saw a ton of 2d and 1st LT's running around with Bronze and Silver Stars for doing admin type duties!!!! Look at all the Generals that have these awards and you can see a trend.
I remember when I first signed up that you were hot shiat if you got a NAM and when I got out every one and their brother had one.

I concur with your rant, and add my two cents!!!!
 
Agreed.

Saw plenty of E-8s and up, and O-4s and up getting bronze stars as service medals. (For just being there, really.)

I have a buddy who earned a bronze star for doing some pretty impressive stuff in Afghanistan. It sucked it was the same medal a supply sergeant got for - you guessed it - managing the supplies.
 
They're handing Bronze Stars out to combat photogs for taking pictures in Iraq, by the dozens. I even saw they gave a Navy Captain a Bronz star just for having his ship ready to launch strikes into Iraq. I wasn't medal/awards hound like a lot of ass kissers were. I was happy enough with my letters of commendation or the award/medals that I did earn. I don't need a medal for kissing ass the most or actually just doing my job. Navy Achivement Medals are the same way. A lot of commands just give them out as end of tour awards in the Navy. I actually had to bust my ass to get one out of my first command, which is how it should have been.
 
Seems like it is always the case with admin and executive staff types. They work closely with the "brass," and are well-versed in writing up the paperwork.

Wasn't there a big hubbub back in '99 or '00 about some airmen at Whiteman who were nowhere near any combat reveiving Bronze Stars just for maintaining and arming the B-2's? :insane:
 
When I was at Barksdale, the only reason people wanted awards and medels was so that it can go in their promotion package. Just to gain rank. That was the only reason.
 
Not sure why officers would want medals - they don't do anything for us.

And on the topic of service medals - it's pretty much Army policy to give one to someone PSCing or ETSing. I've got all sorts of army achievement and army commendation medals just for doing my job and moving around.

As a company commander, I would actually have to write a memo to my battalion commander explaining the reason if I chose NOT to give an award to an ETSing/PCSing soldier in my company.
 
Ian J said:
Not sure why officers would want medals - they don't do anything for us.

And on the topic of service medals - it's pretty much Army policy to give one to someone PSCing or ETSing. I've got all sorts of army achievement and army commendation medals just for doing my job and moving around.

As a company commander, I would actually have to write a memo to my battalion commander explaining the reason if I chose NOT to give an award to an ETSing/PCSing soldier in my company.
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AF is same way. As a matter of fact, it will show on your record the reason "PCS"...it's more crap you have to keep updated anyway. Since we are complaining, can the AF STOP changing the uniforms? In 15 years, I have had to get 4 new sets of blues, and they are changing AGAIN!!!! ENOUGH....PLEASE....STOP!!!!! :banghead:
 
Duh?

This was one of my main complaints with the military these days. It's nothing more than a "I'll scratch your back, if you promise to scratch mine down the road. . ." organization.

#### that. I was to protect and defend the constitution, not get on my hands and knees for my leaders and fluff them up.
 
When I was in the AF, I got medals for crappy stuff that didn't really matter, and the important stuff I did was not mentioned on any of my decorations, because at the time the activities I performed were not publicly releasable or my boss said "We don't want to get you an achievement medal for that; we'll save it for your Commendation Medal package" and of course, my commendation medal never mentioned any of the good stuff.

So, when people ask me what my medals were for, I ask "What I technically received them for, or what they should have represented?"

Example: I got an achievement medal for running a software demo for Senator Kennedy in Boston. However, because of security concerns, I couldn't be on-site for the actual demo, so I started the software, was told to get lost by the general, spent a day at the Sunset Grill down by Fenway drinking beer, and then came back to base to shut down the demo. And for THAT I got an achievement medal. I am embarrassed to have to admit that. However, I was involved in a critical operation that should have gotten me a medal, so I like to think that I really got it for that event.

I remember when I would ask some of my fellow officers what their medals were for. "I was Safety Officer" or "I did an outstanding job running the Savings Bond drive." Give me a break.

However, I did visit McArthur's Memorial in Norfolk, VA, and I saw he got an Air Medal. Impressed, I read the write-up; he got it for being a passenger in a plane that got shot at?

I agree with you. I had a top commander who measured his subordinate commanders by how many medals they gave out (the reason being that if you weren't recognizing your people every other week, they weren't performing and you weren't doing your job as their leader). After the Achievement Medal thing, I told him not to simply give me medals because he could, but to only give me medals if I deserved them...
 
I got my first arcom for being part of a combat/tactical trials team that represented the army (we competed against other nation's teams doing stuff like long range landnav, etc.) in germany, and it was totally embarassing. (the second one, i earned.)

when we deployed a year later, i watched dudes that really deserved more than ndm's get real depressed when only the commanders got anything. remember standing in formation seeing a couple of guys ets'ing getting bs certificates that were great soldiers,too, thinking that this was all "who you knew."

i pissed off my oic's when i ets'd. they asked me if i had anything to say during the formation, and i said, "just coast along and get to to know the guys with the stripes and shiny's - they'll hook you up." top pulled me into his office afterwards and scolded me a bit - but not much - he knew i was pretty much just telling it as it was. plus.... i was short!

glad i served. sort of sorry that human nature sucks.:banghead:
 
These are simply the facts of life in the military. People can choose to be idealistic and wish that medals meant things, and that all good soldiers get rewarded. Or, you can be a realist, and realize medals don't mean squat. (Exceptions aside.)

Also know most in the military, even those with a rack of medals, know they really didn't do much more than their jobs to get them. When you see your commanders up there getting an award, they are probably thinking their Joes should get the award, not them. But the process of not accepting an award is a PITA and not worth the hassle.

As a former commander, I'll own up to all my awards:

Army Service Ribbon: You get this for joining the Army. Everyone gets one.
National Defense Service Medal (2): You get these for being in the military while there is a war on. Everyone gets one.
Good Conduct Medal: Got this for three years of enlisted service without getting in trouble. Everyone gets one.
NCO Professional Development Ribbon:Got this for passing a 4 week school. Everyone gets one.
Army Achievement Medal (2): Got these for doing my job in the field as an enlisted infantryman.
Army Commendation Medal (5): 3 were for PCSing/ETSing, two were for wartime service. (Meaning, I got them cause I was there.)
Air Medal (4): All for flying in combat. Really just a service award. I never did anything special.
Meritorious Service Medal: Given simply because I was a company commander.
Iraq and Afghanistan Campaign Medals: Given because I was there.
Global War on Terror Medal: Don't get me started on this one.

The award system is broke, but it's nothing new. It's been broke along time. Nothing to really worry about IMO.
 
I've also noticed that the rules on what deserves a medal (and what KIND of medal) has changed throughout the years. For a long time the USAF had a rule about 10 combat sorties got you an Air Medal or 20 combat support sorties got you an air medal. 10 combat support sorties could also get you an Aerial Acheivement Medal (which has a lower priority). Then they changed to 20 combat support sorties for an AAM, and 20 Combat sorties for an Air Medal. Then they put in a system that let you combine certain types of sorties with other types, but they wouldn't let you combine different operations... So for example, you couldn't combine 12 combat support sorties from Northern Watch with 8 from the FRY to get your 20. Then after that they changed it and you could again, but only certain Operations could combine with each other. Like, you could combine Northern Watch with OEF and OIF, but you couldn't combine drug war sorties with anything.

Anyways, I've got about 25 combat support or Recce support sorties from different places, but they don't combine. So no AAM for me. But I'm an O anyways, and we don't care really.
 
yeah, Ian. All mine are the same way. I think the only one I actually had to do anything special for was the marksmanship ribbon. At least that one I had to do something that not everyone else did. All the rest of them I have just for basically being there and doing my job. No heroism of any kind, at least not on my part. And I've got a AF Outstanding Unit Award with Valor (although the people doing the "Valor" stuff wasn't me. I was just attached to the deployed unit for a month of the covered "time period" of the award.) But the whole expeditionary air wing was awarded, which is kind of like awarding a medal to the whole military during a time of war...

Oh, wait a minute.. National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, etc., etc.

I guess the long and the short of it is that the fruit salad on your chest doesn't mean anything (for the most part). You just sort of pick them up accidently as you stumble through your career.
 
Yeah, no kidding. I actually discovered some awards I forgot I had when I got out last month and got my DD-214. When it came time to get dressed up I just grabbed any old ribbons rack and threw it on.

You a major now? I know you were on the list, but did you get pinned yet?
 
Ian J said:
Yeah, no kidding. I actually discovered some awards I forgot I had when I got out last month and got my DD-214. When it came time to get dressed up I just grabbed any old ribbons rack and threw it on.

You a major now? I know you were on the list, but did you get pinned yet?
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Gonna be this Thursday, the 27th. Friday is a "goal day" from the wing because they are closing out the budget and the flying program early, so we're getting the day off. (Of course, the pay doesn't change until Oct. 1)
 
Congrats!

And to think, I was scheduled for my lobotomy in about a year... ;)
 
I've been stickin pencils in my ears all week to get ready. I just keep on pushing until I start to loose memories!
 
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