" the drone operators will now be eligible for military honors akin to those given to pilots who flew over the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan"
Bronze star now or 40 years ago?
1976? What's the significance there? The basic Bronze Star can be a service type award, with no requirement that it be tied to a specific heroic act. In fact it was issued en-mass to nearly everyone who earned their CIB in WWII.
What confuses folks is that there are tiers to the BS...that's why I laugh when I see a younger someone driving around with a Bronze Star license plate. Without a V, it's basically a wartime Meritorious Service Medal.
But it can be given in a combat situation as well. Why laugh when you see a younger someone with that plate? Is there something on that plate that tells you it was not?
The Bronze Star Medal was also awarded for acts of heroism during the war. A year after the medal was approved, the “V” device was introduced to designate a single act of heroism or valor from those who purely served in the infantry in combat during the war. Of the most notable soldiers who were awarded a Bronze Star Medal, twice, was Audie Murphy. Of his two Bronze Stars, one was for valor and one was for service.
Moving to other wars after WWII, we saw 30,359 BSMs being awarded in Korea. At that time, the Army did not appear to track how many were awarded with valor. The first war to track the “V” device separately was Vietnam with 170,626 BSMs with valor and 549,343 for Achievement/Service. Now Operation Iraqi Freedom, from 2003 to 2010, saw 99,886 Bronze Star Medals awarded in OIF for Achievement/Service. In addition to those, there were only 2,459 awarded for valor.
As we can see the Bronze Star Medal was not originally intended for a single act of heroism but for service in the while serving as an infantrymen in combat. Today that award has expanded to include all branches of the Army. If a logistics officer served in Iraq, he may be eligible for the BSM. It is counted among the highest honors one can obtain for service. With a very small quantity of Bronze Star Medals being awarded solely for a heroic act, one should not automatically assume that it is unjustifiably being awarded to soldiers that were not involved in direct action.
None to that actual year, I guess it was more to speak of recent vs past, I could have said 20-30 years too. Seems like there has been a few criticisms for the medal in say, 15 years or so. Some people have thought the award has been given out too many times, or for service that didn't quite fit the criteria.
True, but some of that criticism is born from the misconception that the BS is soley a valorous award. There is no requirement for an individual to be engaged in direct combat with the enemy.
Like Dennis said, the vast majority of BSs have been awarded for service during wartime/combat periods. Many to REMFs who never left the base...all the way back to WWII. Like I said earlier, a wartime version of the MSM/DMSM.
So folks sporting their BS license plate sans a valorous designation are going a bit over the top...IMHO.
(Maybe I'm just jaded. Heck, I'm not even impressed by a CIB/CAB anymore after experiencing first hand what it takes to be awarded one. Disappointing.)
Like Dennis said, the vast majority of BSs have been awarded for service during wartime/combat periods. Many to REMFs who never left the base...all the way back to WWII. Like I said earlier, a wartime version of the MSM/DMSM.
So folks sporting their BS license plate sans a valorous designation are going a bit over the top...IMHO.
(Maybe I'm just jaded. Heck, I'm not even impressed by a CIB/CAB anymore after experiencing first hand what it takes to be awarded one. Disappointing.)
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Meh. Who cares. As long as the awards don't rate higher than strictly combat awards like the Silver Star.
Contrary to popular belief, the Bronze Star is not necessarily a combat award unless it comes with a V device. Loads of REMFs get Bronze Stars so I have no beef with drone operators who actually perform above and beyond getting some form of recognition.[/QUOT
SMS your comments regarding the Bronze Star have taken me to a place I seldom go, one notch short of rage. You see I have a BS, ARC, VCG (unit citation), PUC, all earned notably while serving for 1st btn 5th Art First Infantry Division 1969 NW of Siagon, Op con to 2nd of the 2nd Mech. as a 13E20 for them. My BS has NO V designation BUT it came I can assure you for Meritorious Service during some pretty heavy ***** more than once. I did not save a life valiantly fighting my way through enemy lines, etc. What I did do is direct artillery a buttload for an Mech unit that was VERY happy to see and have it during combat. NOW help me understand just because my BS does not come with a "V" it was not earned in COMBAT.
Your comments have disrespected many who offered their lives in COMBAT for you and millions of other Americans so you could post the kind of ***** you have put on this thread today.
Please do me a favor and shut your **** mouth if you have not walked in others shoes. Oh and if you see my license plate with the BS on it please turn the other way because IT deserves far more respect than YOU could ever give it.
Meh. Who cares. As long as the awards don't rate higher than strictly combat awards like the Silver Star.
Contrary to popular belief, the Bronze Star is not necessarily a combat award unless it comes with a V device. Loads of REMFs get Bronze Stars so I have no beef with drone operators who actually perform above and beyond getting some form of recognition.[/QUOT
SMS your comments regarding the Bronze Star have taken me to a place I seldom go, one notch short of rage. You see I have a BS, ARC, VCG (unit citation), PUC, all earned notably while serving for 1st btn 5th Art First Infantry Division 1969 NW of Siagon, Op con to 2nd of the 2nd Mech. as a 13E20 for them. My BS has NO V designation BUT it came I can assure you for Meritorious Service during some pretty heavy ***** more than once. I did not save a life valiantly fighting my way through enemy lines, etc. What I did do is direct artillery a buttload for an Mech unit that was VERY happy to see and have it during combat. NOW help me understand just because my BS does not come with a "V" it was not earned in COMBAT.
Your comments have disrespected many who offered their lives in COMBAT for you and millions of other Americans so you could post the kind of ***** you have put on this thread today.
Please do me a favor and shut your **** mouth if you have not walked in others shoes. Oh and if you see my license plate with the BS on it please turn the other way because IT deserves far more respect than YOU could ever give it.
Cool your jets boatz. SMS is merely stating fact, there were MANY BS's awarded to people who've never even been in combat and fired a shot. Quited a few of them were self-awarded for noting of any particular note. He's not diminishing your award, they are.
If you don't like the fact that a BS in and of itself means very little, your beef is with DoD handing them out like candy, not those of us who recognize that they do.
Cool your jets boatz. SMS is merely stating fact, there were MANY BS's awarded to people who've never even been in combat and fired a shot. Quited a few of them were self-awarded for noting of any particular note. He's not diminishing your award, they are.
If you don't like the fact that a BS in and of itself means very little, your beef is with DoD handing them out like candy, not those of us who recognize that they do.
You too are NOT qualified to tell me what or where my beef should be directed. That idiot disrespected what I EARNED in combat. You too for that matter have disrespected it.
Let me ask you Glock what medals do you have? What combat experience do you have? Those answers could well tell the vets who been in COMBAT whether you have any credence in this matter at all.
God all mighty why oh why must people be allowed to make blanket statements about such topics as this that brings disrespect to combat vets that DID their share of what was required of them in a combat setting to only be disrespected because the metals and such they were given "have little or no" significance. I just don't get it. I damn well KNOW what I and countless others did in 1969 to represent my country in a war they expected such from us. Glock and SM you guys were never facing the draft, etc as Korean War and Vietnam vets did. You have no idea how touchy many of us are and rightly so for the manner in which those wars were prosecuted. You have no idea how it felt for soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many years to NOT be respected for offering our lives just like those to day have, all the while knowing better. Don't you dare preach to me about RESPECT for those in combat unless you have walked in another's shoes who did.
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