National / Region Commanders Commendations & National Commanders UCCs

[jb512]

I just received my first Commander's Commendation award tonight along with a few other members, and at the risk of sounding proud on my part, I think our commander did it for the right reasons.  One member has been our comm officer for 3 years and just accepted a position with group as their comm officer as well as squadron commander of another squadron, and another has been our stan/eval/ops officer for years and just went to wing as stan/eval.  Congrats to them.

[mikeylikey]

^ Congrats.  But......they got them for doing their everday jobs?

[jb512]

Not so much.  As most military/prior military will attest to, sometimes a person will receive a commendation or acheivement medal after their tour when moving on.

I'll add that I didn't put in the details, but they did many things beyond their responsibilities at the squadron level, which is why group and wing sucked them up.

[James Shaw]

New and brought to you by Vanguard!!

[Cecil DP]

New and brought to you by Vanguard!!

So they took the minimedal for the Navy Expeditionary Medal and replaced the pendant with a CAP device.

[DrDave]

This is where the new Member Achievement Award would have been more appropriate.

It's one of the ways I use it to recognize deserving members of my group.

Dr. Dave

[O-Rex]

In the military and similar, you don't get a different commendation if it is awarded by a higher authority. 

What about the Presidential Unit Citation?

[MIKE]

Except for that one. 

[cnitas]

In the military and similar, you don't get a different commendation if it is awarded by a higher authority. 

What about the Presidential Unit Citation?

That award can only be awarded by Presidential order, it cannot be awarded by a different authority.

What Mike was saying is that if the President himself awarded me an Achievement medal, it would be no different than if my local batallion commander had awarded it to me. 

[jimmydeanno]

New and brought to you by Vanguard!!

I think it looks nice but never really saw it's purpose.  I would like to see the mini-medals that are already approved actually manufactured (Eaker for instance).

I also think it would be nice if the ribbons and mini-medals of the Unit Citation, Search and Rescue and IACE matched.  I think the ribbons should convert to look like the mini-medal drape - but that's a different discussion.

[O-Rex]

In the military and similar, you don't get a different commendation if it is awarded by a higher authority. 

What about the Presidential Unit Citation?

That award can only be awarded by Presidential order, it cannot be awarded by a different authority.

What Mike was saying is that if the President himself awarded me an Achievement medal, it would be no different than if my local batallion commander had awarded it to me. 

Okay, so we're talking same award given by different command levels: got it.

Yeah, NCC is an anomaly: it's usually Commendation for units below wing, Meritorious for Wing level, Exceptional for Region, and Distinguished for National (did I get that right?)

It's a mixed bag: UPSIDE: You get recognition while keeping blingage to a minimum, also, it didn't take a committee a dog's-age to design something new.   DOWNSIDE: it's confusing, not to mention that ribbon-collectors might not feel the love. 

Alternative: make a CAP Acheivement Award, and upgrade the req's for the Commendation (The Army did this when it's acheivement medal was created in 1981.) Also, do away with the Red Service and/or Membership Ribbon to keep a cap on total ribbons (why not? USAF did away with the good conduct medal, right?)

[SarDragon]

New and brought to you by Vanguard!!

So they took the minimedal for the Navy Expeditionary Medal and replaced the pendant with a CAP device.

There are slight differences in the widths of the stripes, but it's close enough that I would object.

[Hawk200]

(why not? USAF did away with the good conduct medal, right?)

Yes, they did, but it was a general officer that had more to do with it than anyone enlisted.

Why shouldn't there be a "kept your nose clean" ribbon? I will continue to wear mine.

Now if they had decided to ditch the BMT ribbon, I would remove mine with no complaint. Ditching a medal for good conduct is seriously messed up. "You're supposed to be doing a good job, so you don't deserve anything for it."

[mikeylikey]

^ they (The USAF) are still trying to separate as much as possible from old Army throwbacks. 

[Gunner C]

^ they (The USAF) are still trying to separate as much as possible from old Army throwbacks. 

I had heard that the reason behind it was that there were so few airmen who receive UCMJ that it was pretty much a gimme.

BTW, I knew an E7 (former Marine) who had never been awarded a GCM, either by USMC or the Army.  He'd get close then "step on his poncho."  He may have retired without getting one. [/drift]

[davedove]

^ they (The USAF) are still trying to separate as much as possible from old Army throwbacks. 

Which would make some since if nobody else had the medal, but every other service has one.