Hmmmm...mixed emotions

Agreed Joe, all services are vital, down to the last supplier or refueller... (would gladly have gotten rid of a few officers though )

I'm maybe a little hard line on this, but in the NZ armed forces, medals are extremely hard gained. Some countries seem to give them out like lolly water in comparison.
Vital stressful duties? Recognition fully deserved, but save the tin for those in the firing line, to maybe help stop the bullets flying at them...

Having never served, can I give a different perspective on this?

I see a few posting that someone at a desk, behind a monitor gets no where near the level of danger that the grunt on the ground or air experiences. But is what he does integral to the mission or does he make a difference? And sometimes is that difference large enough to warrant a "good job" as in a medal? Well, I know some 911 operators, who sit behind screens who for the most part do mundane things but they sometimes get a call where they make a difference and are rewarded for that. It would seem to me that would be similar. If a drone operator does something that saves lives or makes a difference to the outcome of a battle, why shouldn't he/she be rewarded?

Just my 2 cents.

Also a good point Chris. Didn't want to mention civvy street myself, because I believe if a drone operator (for example) deserves a medal based on stress levels, then most low wage earning civilians deserve them too for the shite they face daily from ignorant bosses... but that's a whole new thread subject...

While stress is certainly a real. How does one measure it? What is highly stressful for one is moderately stressful for another and no stress for yet another. Stress can also be self-generated. My first 3 months were terribly stressful for me. Nothing whatever happened but I lived in a flack jacket and fully expected to be killed any second. Thus Metal of Stress !st Class?
Actual actions are much easier to quantify, i.e.: a bullet hole, loss of several pounds of your personal hamburger, charging a machine-gun nest, etc.

Njaco said:

Having never served, can I give a different perspective on this?

I see a few posting that someone at a desk, behind a monitor gets no where near the level of danger that the grunt on the ground or air experiences. But is what he does integral to the mission or does he make a difference? And sometimes is that difference large enough to warrant a "good job" as in a medal? Well, I know some 911 operators, who sit behind screens who for the most part do mundane things but they sometimes get a call where they make a difference and are rewarded for that. It would seem to me that would be similar. If a drone operator does something that saves lives or makes a difference to the outcome of a battle, why shouldn't he/she be rewarded?

Just my 2 cents.

Click to expand...

Chris, that drone operator should be rewarded/decorated, but not, IMO, with the decorations that are reserved for those that face the bullets.

We all agree that EVERY service member deserves respect, but I make a big distinction between those in the combat MOSs, of which there are only a handful, and the rest of the support personnel.

We can never hand out battle stars, CIBs etc, or any valor decorations to those not on the front line.

Steve

I defer to you, kind sir!

It was just an observation that I was making and in my heart of hearts, I agree that those on the frontlines deserve something....ah, different and more rewarding.

ToughOmbre said:

Chris, that drone operator should be rewarded/decorated, but not, IMO, with the decorations that are reserved for those that face the bullets.

We all agree that EVERY service member deserves respect, but I make a big distinction between those in the combat MOSs, of which there are only a handful, and the rest of the support personnel.

We can never hand out battle stars, CIBs etc, or any valor decorations to those not on the front line.

Steve

Click to expand...

This says it all. By all means, create a new medal for particularly skillful drone manipulation. But don't put it on the same level as the Silver Star. Is their job stressful? No doubt. Is their job putting them in mortal danger? No. Do they have to spend months on end away from their families and loved ones, never quite sure if they're truly "away" from the front lines? No. The worst they're going to have to endure is a traffic jam on the way in to base in the morning, maybe getting into an accident with some morning commuter who's juggling the cellphone, bagel, and cuppa' Starbucks. The combat medals are just that. For combat troops. Best I could have gotten, bein in subs, was a unit commendation or a Navy Achievement Medal (NAM's are worth points on advancement exams, as well as President Unit Citations and Battle E's, and therefore worth striving for). I understand that, and nobody on the boat was pushing for Silver Stars or anything. Because we weren't in active combat. Launching a Tomahawk or Harpoon at a target 1000 miles away means that the most danger we were in would be the guy pushing the button...he might have hit it wrong and bruised his finger. Did we contribute? Of course. Did we view our service to be on the same level as those in the trenches? No. Subs haven't been depth-charged in decades. Now...if that were to happen, actual naval combat on the open ocean where there was an equal chance that a sub would be detected and fired upon, then yes, THAT would qualify us for combat awards. But until then, no.

Completely agree Steve.