Quote from: flyboy1 on March 03, 2013, 11:27:53 PM
Second, I didn't confuse personal decorations with campaign medals. I was explaining how there was an obvious change in policy that once allowed this otherwise exception to policy -- and by the way, I know the individual who received these Korean campaign medals. He received the Occupation Medal for Japan at the same time.

Nice trick. The occupation ended in 1952, as did medal eligibility. I spent nine years stationed in Japan (off and on from 1973 to 1989), and never heard hint one about the Occupation Medal.

However, if you were stationed in West Berlin, you could have earned it up to the reunification.

And now for something completely different.....    the AFT Marine's take on the Distinguished Warfare Medal.... enjoy.     

Distinguished Warfare Medal - Action Figure Therapy

Language warning - MIKE

Breaking news. 

So.....are they going to down grade the Defense Superior Service, Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Distinguished Service Medal, The DOT Oustanding Achievment Medal, The Distinguished Flying Cross, etc, etc.....by my count there are atleast 10 medal above the Bronze Star that do not require  "REQUIRE" being in harms way.

I hate when this sort of shistuff becomes a political item.

Stop worrying about the stupid medals and fix the farting budge already! 

Quote from: lordmonar on March 11, 2013, 11:25:18 PM
So.....are they going to down grade the Defense Superior Service, Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Distinguished Service Medal, The DOT Oustanding Achievment Medal, The Distinguished Flying Cross, etc, etc.....by my count there are atleast 10 medal above the Bronze Star that do not require  "REQUIRE" being in harms way.

I hate when this sort of shistuff becomes a political item.

Stop worrying about the stupid medals and fix the farting budge already! 

I read somewhere that some officers in the field in Viet Nam, after serving their 6 months and rotating to the rear, would get a Bronze Star for doing their REMF job well. And as I understood it, this is rumor and hearsay now, that DFCs were awarded kind of loosely then too. Logging combat time without actually setting butt in a helo seat, etc.

Quote from: Garibaldi on March 12, 2013, 01:19:14 AM

Quote from: lordmonar on March 11, 2013, 11:25:18 PM
So.....are they going to down grade the Defense Superior Service, Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Distinguished Service Medal, The DOT Oustanding Achievment Medal, The Distinguished Flying Cross, etc, etc.....by my count there are atleast 10 medal above the Bronze Star that do not require  "REQUIRE" being in harms way.

I hate when this sort of shistuff becomes a political item.

Stop worrying about the stupid medals and fix the farting budge already! 

I read somewhere that some officers in the field in Viet Nam, after serving their 6 months and rotating to the rear, would get a Bronze Star for doing their REMF job well. And as I understood it, this is rumor and hearsay now, that DFCs were awarded kind of loosely then too. Logging combat time without actually setting butt in a helo seat, etc.

That's old news.

I'm sure that every one of us can tell similar stories -- and whether it was deserved or not. There are plenty of similar stories in the CAP. I remember back in the early 1980s when a bunch of airmen were recognized with Meritorious Service Medals who were serving in what was then the USAF Security Service. There was a big uproar, too. The truth of the matter was that given the important classified things they were doing, nobody would ever understand the significance of that decoration other than the nominators, the recipients and their commanders.

The only way to counter such a story, is to make sure that people are appropriately recognized and the medal inflation kept in check. However, it still doesn't really apply to this new medal and what it will mean to the recipients.

I'll tell you what this discussion has done for me; I found a Speciality Press book over the weekend about the UAV mission and have been pretty amazed.

Face it, we are well into a new era of warfare; and we've beat this topic to death.

It's a fact of life that REMF's will find a way to get awarded medals for doing nothing while the guys actually doing something will get squat.
It's been that way for hundreds of years and I don't see it changing anytime soon.
Just deal with it and get on with your life. That's about all you can do.

Quote from: Garibaldi on March 12, 2013, 01:19:14 AM

Quote from: lordmonar on March 11, 2013, 11:25:18 PM
So.....are they going to down grade the Defense Superior Service, Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Distinguished Service Medal, The DOT Oustanding Achievment Medal, The Distinguished Flying Cross, etc, etc.....by my count there are atleast 10 medal above the Bronze Star that do not require  "REQUIRE" being in harms way.

I hate when this sort of shistuff becomes a political item.

Stop worrying about the stupid medals and fix the farting budge already! 

I read somewhere that some officers in the field in Viet Nam, after serving their 6 months and rotating to the rear, would get a Bronze Star for doing their REMF job well. And as I understood it, this is rumor and hearsay now, that DFCs were awarded kind of loosely then too. Logging combat time without actually setting butt in a helo seat, etc.

Not rumor....I've read my Dad's DFC write up......while yes he was in Nah Trang a the the time......the write up is all about office work....nothing about actually flying combat missions.   The Same story about the Bronze Star  back in Viet Nam and through to today's conflicts......you don't have to do anything heroic or in actual "combat" (that is actually on the ground shooting and getting shot at) to be eligible for the medal.

Quote from: PHall on March 12, 2013, 02:37:07 AM
It's a fact of life that REMF's will find a way to get awarded medals for doing nothing while the guys actually doing something will get squat.
It's been that way for hundreds of years and I don't see it changing anytime soon.
Just deal with it and get on with your life. That's about all you can do.

It is what it is. Sometimes you get it, sometimes you don't. Just play life forward.   

Its interesting to see how the media (even myself at one point)  latched on to the idea that its a medal FOR UAV crews.  When in fact, it its not specific to any MOS.  It was not made for any specific MOS, nor is anyone restricted from getting it. 
However, regardless of where this new medal ranks on the order of precedence chart, Id rather see this guy get the new medal vs a Bronze Star for power points. 

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/local/local-chaplain-played-vital-role-in-war/nWhTm/

What i have noticed about many awards, it is who you know, not what you know. People getting a ribbon for doing there job? Thats is asinine. Ive seen it first hand. Some high ranking official been in the military for 25+ years, get sent to iraq for 90 days, gets some BS Medal, then considers themself a "War" Veteran. Why dont the ground pounders get the credit, and the REMF or POUGUES are always basking in the glory? "Bullets dont Fly without Supply" Yes i understand we are all a Team, but, a Drone Medal for flying a Aircraft, that you have no "risk of your life" higher than a Bronze Star? I dont think so. Personally, I think the Meritorious Bronze Star should be deactivated, and make it Combat only with V. Commendation medals can replace the non combat BS. I just dont like the fact, that many of my brethren, who have fought the good fight, didnt get anything. Its not that we dont think they deserve these medals, its how high they put it. Isnt giving someone a medal that has died for there country, and then this medal outranks it?

When did the "V" device come around?  Has that always been an attachment to the Bronze Star or is that recent?  My grandfather  was in WWII and got the BSM for assaulting a machingun nest in Normandy and his BSM doesnt have a "V".  He also go the PH for losing a couple fingers during the act.  He later won another BSM and PH for actions during the Battle of the Bulge.  Neither BSM came with a "V" but there is a PH associated with each BSM, so it was clearly combat related.  He was with the 82nd Airborne. 

Quote from: Flying Pig on March 12, 2013, 08:14:39 PM
When did the "V" device come around?  Has that always been an attachment to the Bronze Star or is that recent?  My grandfather  was in WWII and got the BSM for assaulting a machingun nest in Normandy and his BSM doesnt have a "V".  He also go the PH for losing a couple fingers during the act.  He later won another BSM and PH for actions during the Battle of the Bulge.  Neither BSM came with a "V" but there is a PH associated with each BSM, so it was clearly combat related.  He was with the 82nd Airborne.

The V cam after WWII if I remember correctly.   Also remember that after WWII everyone who had a Combat Infarnty Badge got it converted to a Bronze Star.....so this is the same old story.........When someone gets it for "power points" in the war zone.....or "just doing their job"......or "they worked for the general"...........we have someone trot out the stories about how someone "stormed the castle with a soup spoon and some binder's twin".

The base proble is like what Devil Doc said.........the actual critiria to win the Bronze Star (and Purple Heart for that matter) is not what people really think it is.  They hear the story about how Joe saved the world and shot doing it.....and they think that is the base line standard.  Then when high ranking officer goves to the AOR for 90 days and kicks some major high ranking butt doing his high ranking job running his part of the war.....they get upset that the get the same medal as the grunt who saves his buddies lives by taking out a particurlly difficult target.

Remember that the original Bronze Star was supposed to be awared at the Company Commander Level.......it was intended to reward those doing a good job to keep in line with the Air Medal the AAF was giving out for simply flying X number of combat sorites.......so it was intenend from the begging to be given out a lot........not too much....as any reward system looses effectiveness if used too much.

The bottom line....the DWM is going to be HARDER to earn then the BSM.....because unlike the current rules for the BSM it requires actual employment of weapons system against our enemies.

As I stated before we have a whole lot of non-combat, high ranking officer/SNCO medals that do not require (or in some case may exclude) combat to be awarded.   To want the DWM to be down graded is really a slap to the face of the people who are IN COMBAT every day keeping our guys safe.....but they just do it from outside the combat zone.

All the current medals not really fit the RPA or the Cyber Warfare arenas........so we have the DWM.

Lordmor, i agree and disagree, Cant they make the Air Medal or the DFC criteria for the Drone Medal?


I now some people who dont care what your chest has, If you do not have the "Combat Action Ribbon" you didnt earn nothing. lol

News this evening that the DoD has put the new medal on hold, due to a big - and I mean BIG - but justified outcry from veterans and members of Congress.

Side note ... the new medal was almost instantly dubbed the "Nintendo" medal.   

Jack

Quote from: SarDragon on March 04, 2013, 04:53:42 AM

Quote from: flyboy1 on March 03, 2013, 11:27:53 PM
Second, I didn't confuse personal decorations with campaign medals. I was explaining how there was an obvious change in policy that once allowed this otherwise exception to policy -- and by the way, I know the individual who received these Korean campaign medals. He received the Occupation Medal for Japan at the same time.

Nice trick. The occupation ended in 1952, as did medal eligibility. I spent nine years stationed in Japan (off and on from 1973 to 1989), and never heard hint one about the Occupation Medal.

And the Korean War began in June 1950.  The soldier could have been stationed with the occupation Forces in either Korea or Japan ( Or the European Theater) prior to his experiences in the war.

Quote from: MSG Mac on March 13, 2013, 03:14:34 AM

Quote from: SarDragon on March 04, 2013, 04:53:42 AM

Quote from: flyboy1 on March 03, 2013, 11:27:53 PM
Second, I didn't confuse personal decorations with campaign medals. I was explaining how there was an obvious change in policy that once allowed this otherwise exception to policy -- and by the way, I know the individual who received these Korean campaign medals. He received the Occupation Medal for Japan at the same time.

Nice trick. The occupation ended in 1952, as did medal eligibility. I spent nine years stationed in Japan (off and on from 1973 to 1989), and never heard hint one about the Occupation Medal.

And the Korean War began in June 1950.  The soldier could have been stationed with the occupation Forces in either Korea or Japan ( Or the European Theater) prior to his experiences in the war.

If I recall correctly, except for Task Force SMITH, the only US forces in proximity to the Korean peninsula were the ones occupying Japan. I don't remember how many troops flowed from Japan to Korea, but I believe it was not insubstantial.

Apropos of not much, I had a neighbor who was in an airborne unit in the Japanese occupation. Come to think of it, my grandfather may have been part of the occupation, too. (I knew the neighbor. My grandfather died before I was born.)

Quote from: Devil Doc on March 13, 2013, 12:53:25 AM
Lordmor, i agree and disagree, Cant they make the Air Medal or the DFC criteria for the Drone Medal?


I now some people who dont care what your chest has, If you do not have the "Combat Action Ribbon" you didnt earn nothing. lol

What about Cyber Ops or the non-Flyiers in the RPA kill chain?   

Quote from: FlyTiger77 on March 13, 2013, 03:31:25 AM

Quote from: MSG Mac on March 13, 2013, 03:14:34 AM

Quote from: SarDragon on March 04, 2013, 04:53:42 AM

Quote from: flyboy1 on March 03, 2013, 11:27:53 PM
Second, I didn't confuse personal decorations with campaign medals. I was explaining how there was an obvious change in policy that once allowed this otherwise exception to policy -- and by the way, I know the individual who received these Korean campaign medals. He received the Occupation Medal for Japan at the same time.

Nice trick. The occupation ended in 1952, as did medal eligibility. I spent nine years stationed in Japan (off and on from 1973 to 1989), and never heard hint one about the Occupation Medal.

And the Korean War began in June 1950.  The soldier could have been stationed with the occupation Forces in either Korea or Japan ( Or the European Theater) prior to his experiences in the war.

If I recall correctly, except for Task Force SMITH, the only US forces in proximity to the Korean peninsula were the ones occupying Japan. I don't remember how many troops flowed from Japan to Korea, but I believe it was not insubstantial.

Apropos of not much, I had a neighbor who was in an airborne unit in the Japanese occupation. Come to think of it, my grandfather may have been part of the occupation, too. (I knew the neighbor. My grandfather died before I was born.)

Quote from: SECNAVINST 1650.1H(5) Units performing service In the Korean area during the period 27 June 1950 to 27 April 1952, inclusive, and eligible for the Korean Service Medal, will not be credited with eligibility for the Navy Occupation Service Medal (NOSM) for the same period.

There were US Naval units directly involved in combat in Korea, primarily aviation assets. To the best of my knowledge, they were not also considered occupation forces.