M14 Forum

mikev · September 15th, 2011, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nicholst55

My point? The military awards system has been broken for a very long time. What we're seeing today is just the latest round of it. I know that if I see someone with a Bronze Star these days that doesn't have a 'V' device (for valor), I scoff at them.

I totally agree. I've got buddies (LTCs) who were "there" and they all were awarded Bronze Stars while in theater.

Totally "cheapened" what a Bronze Star medal meant that were earned during WWII, Korean and Vietnam wars (and today's theaters of war) by the young E-1 to E-4s and young NCOs.

For officers today, the BSM is handed out like candy while the "real" heros (enlisted and junior NCOs) are lucky to get AAMs and ARCOMs...

Michael · September 16th, 2011, 09:50 PM

Don't think for a swcond that VN awards were any more fair-or not, than at any other period.

Rank, politics and policy have a lot to do with awards.

You'll notice it's about the same in civilian professians.

fallscity1 · September 19th, 2011, 05:32 PM

My squad was attached to A co 3-69 Armor 3rd ID in Sept of 2005. they were short handed from casualties. I spent 30 days as a Bradley dismount in the city, humvees didnt go out, to many losses.
A co had the north, and B co had the south.
We worked from PB Uvanni.

nice little place...Uvanni... lol... had to burn the poop, 1 hot delivered in every other day and you only got it if you were lucky enough to be there and not on 24 hr ambush/OP ops... we were glad to head north back to our AO in Tikrit when the 30 days was up, lucky too, squad that replaced us took casualties on day 1 in city...

It was amazing to see the difference in another AO. In and around Tikrit at the time we only had to deal with IED's, mortars/rockets, and VBIEDs, little to no small arms or RPG's... Samarra at that time was the opposite, a typical day consisted of all of the above, fortunately never co-ordinated. it was the wild west of the Salahdin province in 2005.

Whatsinaname181 · September 19th, 2011, 07:12 PM

we used to pop shooters from the top of uvanni after we gave it to the damn IP/IA. small world :D right smack center of town, every day small arms fun time. we used it as a staging area for SKT/SNIP operations etc. heres a picture of it towards the end of my deployment, if this doesent say morter TRP, i dunno what does.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fallscity1

My squad was attached to A co 3-69 Armor 3rd ID in Sept of 2005. they were short handed from casualties. I spent 30 days as a Bradley dismount in the city, humvees didnt go out, to many losses.
A co had the north, and B co had the south.
We worked from PB Uvanni.

nice little place...Uvanni... lol... had to burn the poop, 1 hot delivered in every other day and you only got it if you were lucky enough to be there and not on 24 hr ambush/OP ops... we were glad to head north back to our AO in Tikrit when the 30 days was up, lucky too, squad that replaced us took casualties on day 1 in city...

It was amazing to see the difference in another AO. In and around Tikrit at the time we only had to deal with IED's, mortars/rockets, and VBIEDs, little to no small arms or RPG's... Samarra at that time was the opposite, a typical day consisted of all of the above, fortunately never co-ordinated. it was the wild west of the Salahdin province in 2005.

anagram-sam · September 21st, 2011, 04:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael

Rank, politics and policy have a lot to do with awards.

You'll notice it's about the same in civilian professians.

So true!

Philz M1A · February 2nd, 2012, 06:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by heyjowee

I would say it's mostly dependent on the unit. Some of our POGs got CABs while we were taking indirect fire.

I've lost all respect for military awards after seeing what some people got BSMVs and Silver stars for.

Although I agree that to some extent, the awards process seems to have become diluted I would not say that I have lost "all respect" for every award. I learned a while ago to stop worrying about what everyone else is wearing and just focus on what I could control.

Reference the CAB, some Infantry types seem to scoff at it for some reason. The perception seems to be that everyone wearing a CAB got it while in line at the Green Bean watching a mortar round fall 500 meters from their position. While true it does not represent the blue cord of the Infantryman, there are no doubt Soldiers who have earned a CAB while in very precarious situations.

Again I cannot speak for anyone but myself, but I know that my CIB (and those of my Soldiers who were awarded them) had to pass through multiple levels of command for approval, and had to be accompanied by sworn statements / storyboards / intel reports...all which proved engaging/being engaged by the enemy. It was a process and took some time before approval was granted. It's not like we returned from a mission one day and someone said "oh heeeeey, you went outside the wire? Here's your CIB, congrats!"

There will always be those who think their version Basic Training was harder, those who went in the 90's will look down on those going now. Those who went in the 70's and 80's will scoff at those who went in the 90's. Those who were in BCT in the 60's will....you get the idea. The same thought process goes for awards. Bottom line is trying to worry about everyone else can be a time consuming process and usually ends up being a fruitless endeavor.

Cheers

CAVman · February 2nd, 2012, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael

Don't think for a swcond that VN awards were any more fair-or not, than at any other period.

Rank, politics and policy have a lot to do with awards.

You'll notice it's about the same in civilian professians.

I must agree...
I was in RVN for 14 months...
Since then, nothing in my readings have convinced me that it really was any different in any other war, before or since...
I agree that it's not really all that different from 'office politics'.
Certainly there were/are Exceptions, especially down closer to the Unit level.
Some have absolutely, positively deserved the 'medals' they were awarded as recognition for extraordinary events...many posthumously!
Others, while deserving the same, simply get ignored or 'shafted'.
And, sadly, some get awards that are totally un-deserved!
To 'rank, politics and policy, I would also add 'personality'...
Some guys make waves, and get 'ignored'...
Other guys seem destined for 'stardom'!
Just Like 'Life' in general.
Anyway, That's MY Experience.

CAVman in WYoming

CAVman in WYoming