Are all military medals - REALLY earned?

Medals are awarded more often to combat veterans and rightly so, given the extreme hazzards of the combat arena. I did three years in the Army and eighteen in the Coast Guard and have only the National Defense and Good Conduct medals because I was never in any situations that merited anything more than a hand shake and a slap on the back. I have a few unit commendations, but those are just ribbons which don't represent any medal.

Personnel who take on demanding responsibilities which require an abnormal amount of personal dedication are often times justly recognized for their contributions with a medal.

I had a good friend in the Army who was jut a pfc, but his dress uniform coat was decorated like fruit salad. He was a combat veteran who had reenlisted in the Army after being separated from the service for a couple of years. He talked a lot about his experiences and I feel that he earned every one of those awards.

 

This guy is an embarrassment in my opinion. He is a user who used tax dollars to fund his education & build his networking resume. Instead of letting it go at that, & be on his merry way to financial success, he spends his spare time picking away at the military complex, which like any cumbersome entity, is far from perfect. These stories justify his using of the system for his personal gain in his mind. At least he must have a conscience to feel the need to do so. I have some experience with West Pointers, as my son is a graduate. I have been around many of his graduate friends. You don’t hear any disparaging words from them. They are respectful, & nonjudgmental, to a man. They too have opinions which are not always complimentary about their service time, but they would never share them publicly, if at all. They, however, went in with the right motives, & came out as better men & they remain so throughout their lives.

 

I am proud of my ArCom medal, which I like to think I earned for meritorious service, rather than the result of disingenuous behavior. But when I looked at my uncle's Purple Heart, for injuries incurred in battle, and resulted in him being left for dead, I knew my medal did not in any way compare.

 

How about L.B.J.? He was awarded the silver star for being a passenger on a plane that was 50 miles from any hostilities.

 

I was a paper-pusher too. Because so many non-coms were reassigned to Viet Nam, I filled the billet of an E-8 for the better part of my time in West Germany, 65-67. But we got the job done. And yes, I have one of those "served in 1965" ribbons and a GCM. Also a Sharpshooter badge. But I was given an assignment and I completed it.

 

Interesting on the Vietnam Service Medal criteria. None of the campaign medals nowadays are not awarded for less than 30 days unless you were wounded and evac'd or engaged in actual combat.

The campaign medals are a bit mixed up nowadays. GWOT Service, GWOT Expeditionary, Afghanistan, Iraq, Inherent Resolve. Desert Storm was similar, where you received a SWA Service Medal plus a 2 Kuwait Liberation Medals, one from Kuwait and one from Saudi Arabia.

Everyone realizes the awards system isn't perfect. One day you'll not be put in for an award for something you felt was above and beyond, and on another day you'll receive an award for something you felt was minor.

Comparisons to WWII don't quite compute, when you consider that the MSM didn't exist until 1969. Most of the Achievement Medals didn't exist until the early 80s.

I've written dozens of awards, and have proofread or revised scores more. It's a leader's responsibility to ensure their subordinates blood, sweat, and tears are recognized.

 

Great military story, SNAFU!

My M-14 also had a 20 round clip, but mine was chock-block full when I pushed number 20 into it.

 

Magazine. 20 round magazine.

Ammunition came on clips, 8 round en bloc clips of 30-06 for the M1, 5 round stripper clips of 7.62 for the M-14, and 10 round stripper clips of 5.56 for the M16 and beyond.

Though perhaps the 7.62 came in different sizes of stripper clips back in the day, I've only ever encountered 5s.

 

So why point out the NDSM or ASR? The criteria are plainly written, and the award is earned if the criteria are met.

 

The ASR is most certainly still awarded.

The ol ASR (and a parachutist badge) was all I had for almost 2 years. Received an AAM during an exercise in Thailand, Good Conduct Medal a year after that, and an ARCOM when I left active duty after 4 years. 3 medals and 1 ribbon for 4 years of peacetime service.

Of course, 9/11 happened 2 weeks after my ETS, and the awards and op tempo (and the funerals) all increased dramatically.