Too many medals?

[wuushew]

snip


More than 69,000 awards and other honors have been handed out by the Air Force for the Iraq war, according to Air Force Capt. Richard Johnson. The list also includes four Air Force Crosses, one step below the Medal of Honor, plus 21 Silver Stars and over 1,900 Bronze Stars.

-snip

“Now, they give medals out to guys who fly bombers invisible to radar whose bombs miss Saddam and kill civilians in a restaurant. It’s an outrage.” The Air Force awarded Distinguished Flying Crosses to the crew of a B-2B bomber that destroyed a Baghdad restaurant last April thought to contain Saddam Hussein. Saddam was not there, but 16 civilians, including an infant, died in the attack.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4243092/

[2004Donkeys]

1. Who cares about who gets medals and who does not?

The bigger question is why were we even in Iraq in the first place.

[LincolnMcGrath]

2. Welcome new evilDUer

[rockymountaindem]

3. Well, the attack on the restaurant shouldn't be blamed on the aircrew.

And I think many of those medals were "campaign medals", or medals distributed just for serving in the campaign. After WWII, we awarded the WWII Victory Medal to anyone who had served a single day in the armed forces during the conflict. There were similar medals awarded for service in specific theatres of confict for 30 days. I also believe the Vietnam Service Medal was awarded for less than a month's service. All of these medals are warranted and are more like badges of service than medals for valor. I can't speak to the valor medals without knowing the specific actions for which they were awarded. Don't be surprised by the volume, though. Someone working in a control office at NORAD would probably be elegible for the "War on Terror Campaign Medal" because they are serving in that campaign.

On edit:
The number of medals being awarded does seem kind of high. I'll agree with you on that. However, some of these medals, like the "War on Terror" medal are designed specifically to be given out to practically everyone. However, the number of valor awards like Bronze Stars etc. seems kind of high.

[Devil Dog Dem]

5. I think the Marines debunked that notion that . . .

. . . many of these were service badges.

The Coprs had 90% of its operational combat arms in Iraq (Infantry, Armor, and Artillery) yet gave out only 1,000 medals compared to 69,000 medals for the Air Force. If they were counting the service medals then the Marines' number would have been much higher. I bet the AF number includes Air Force Accomadation Medals and the like, which were probably given out for just showing up to work, plus all those medals for valor.

This really cheapens it for those who truly earned the medals

[Devil Dog Dem]

4. This is disgusting and it cheapens the medals for those who earned them

As a Marine I take comfort in this part of the story:

The Marines, however, appear to have found a way to keep inflation in check.

Stephen Mackey, director of the Marine Corps medals and decorations branch, says the Corps has issued no Silver Stars or Navy Crosses to date for Iraq war service.

-snip-
Medals to date include 200 Bronze Stars, 447 Purple Hearts, a number of air and commendation medals. A bit over 1,000 in all.

“You look at the Air Force and the number of medals it’s giving out, and then you look at the Marines, who still apply reasonable standards,” grumbles Hackworth. You can’t tell me that these Air Force guys have seen more blood and fire than the Marines who fought their way all the way to Baghdad.”

"Thank God for the Marines," says a retired Navy officer. "They haven't changed their uniforms or their world view in 50 years. Why should they change the way they hand out medals?"

[DemoTex]

6. Vietnam was worse!

Since I was a known writer, I was made A&D Officer (Awards and Decorations) in my initial unit in Vietnam, Republic of. What a shit-sucking job. I was kind of like Bush in that I never showed up. I had a Radar-O'Rearly-type as my clerk-typist. He has a MS in English from a good school. Poor guy. He would bring the bull-shit citations to the Officer's Club bar, at night, for me to sign. I wouldn't sign them because they were bullshit, and he would get jacked by the alcoholic X-O (a 1-qt a night man/Johnny Walker Black) who wanted to leave RVN with, at least, a bronze star. Maj. Zingle left Vietnam with no hero medals, because of me! I signed the appropriate ones, including the one for Norby - the unit dog - for an ARCOM (Army Commendation Medal). I got jacked by the battalion colonel for that one! Get my drift? I was hell in Vietnam!

[rasputin1952]

7. Talk about "Fire From The Sky"...

what the heck are they giving out all of those medals FOR?

I would suppose that the vast majority are non-combat service connected situations, like, "Hey, I was there" ribbons and medals.

Bronze Stars can be awarded for non-combat actions, a 'V' device can be added for Valor. The Silver Star, Distinguished Service Cross and the MOH are strictly combat awards. The Distinguished Service Medal, the highest non-combat award that can be issued, usually goes to retirees and high ranking officers.

Each branch has it's version of the "Cross", I.e Navy Cross, (Marines use many Naval Awards).

In any case, for each award, there is a denigration of that particular award. Purple Hearts for cooks injuring themselves on "Chicken, boned, canned", is getting a little ridiculous.

O8)