No, Playing "Combat" Solitaire *Doesn't* = a Bronze Star

Livin' My Vietnam Fantasy....

Published on February 15, 2005 By greywar In Current Events

When is enough enough? Honestly I thought I had seen the bottom of the retardation barrel already in my 14 year tour through the Military Intelligence kingdom of loathing but I was wrong.

Our illustrious unit has decreed that all members of the unit who are deployed here in Iraq will get an award when we go home. Furthermore the minimum award will be an Army Commendation Medal (ARCOM). Of course since it is a combat zone administrative awards higher than an ARCOM (such as a Meritorious Service Medal (MSM)) are not authorized so it is either write a soldier up for the ARCOM or the next step up to the Bronze Star. Bronze Star? Are you people fucking high? Here is the key in the award description:

Awards may be made for acts of heroism, performed under circumstances described above, which are of lesser degree than required for the award of the Silver Star.

At the risk of breaking kayfabe we ain't doing any hero stuff here. There are guys kicking in doors and sweeping neighborhoods week in and week out who deserve their Bronze Stars while we sit here and get fat at the KBR chowhall.

Perspective guys! Perspective! A Bronze Star won't actually make your dicks any bigger.

Comments

ParaTed2k

on Feb 15, 2005

We kind of had the opposite problem during Desert Storm. After the rest of my team redeployed from Iraq back to Saudi Arabia (I and my tacsat radio was loaned to another unit for awhile), our SGM but all the enlisted on the team in for Bronz Stars. It was a nice gesture and all, but as you (and most the thinking world) know, if everyone on a team "distinguished themselves" equally meritoriously, then (while it would show how great the team was) no one really went "above and beyond" enough to deserve recognition.

Well, since the guys at G1 were of the thinking type, of course, all the medals were downgraded. The sad part was, there were a couple of guys on the team whose performance really did deserve a bronze star (IMHO), but, even though their award requests were more glowing, whatever he said about them was watered down by the rest of them.

Of course we all know that there are times we'll get medals (or other recognition) when we deserve them and times we'll get them when we really didn't. So it all comes out in the wash right?

P.S. If you ask my wife what things on my uniform really mean, she will start pointing and say, "that ones means he was gone for 3 weeks, that one means he was gone for 7 months.... etc.. etc... etc... ;~D

greywar

on Feb 16, 2005

"that ones means he was gone for 3 weeks, that one means he was gone for 7 months.... etc.. etc... etc... ;~D

*chuckle* that exatly illustrates my point realy... There are folks out there doing massive shit that deserve these awards and units like ours only water down the award to the point where deserving folks don't get them either. The sad thing is that since our awards are approved through our own pogue chain of command they will likely be approved.

chiprj

on Feb 16, 2005

A Bronze Star won't actually make your dicks any bigger.

Apparently, the black berets didn't work and we still don't feel like tough guys without the next step in the process...

Hyperborean Wanderer

on Feb 16, 2005

I'm having an issue here where I'm trying to get a soldier awarded an AAM for some work he did outside the normal scope of duties. He stepped up and showed some initiativem and his actions made life a lot easier for the rest of his platoon, but because I am only asking for an AAM, he may not get it. The awards thing in the army has always bugged me. Maybe I'll write in up in my blog too.

ParaTed2k

on Feb 16, 2005

but because I am only asking for an AAM, he may not get it. The awards thing in the army has always bugged me. Maybe I'll write in up in my blog too.

Hyperborean, I learned kind of early on that an AAM is nothing but a downgraded ARCOM. If you want the troop to get an AAM in this type of situation, put in for an ARCOM, don't hold back with bullet statements (as I'm sure you didn't), and lean on G1 if given the chance.

pseudosoldier

on Feb 16, 2005

an AAM is nothing but a downgraded ARCOM

I was sure we had seen this enough in our unit that HW would have remembered... AAMs are downgraded to BN Coins, or perhaps an Impact High Five (or Impact Good Game, if the CSM is feeling frisky).

ParaTed2k

on Feb 17, 2005

AAMs are downgraded to BN Coins, or perhaps an Impact High Five (or Impact Good Game, if the CSM is feeling frisky).

This kind of ties in with the article on "Funeral Details" can't remember who wrote it though). I did 2, 6 weeks rotations. After the first one our NCOIC put us in for AAMs because of all the compliments he had received about our performance. The BC downgraded them to a spiffy new "Cerficates of Achievement". He told our NCOIC that, while Funeral Detail is a very important detail and doing it well is equally important, there just isn't that much to doing it well.

The next time our unit got the rotation, most of us volunteered again. This time, the BC had to come with us because the vet we were honoring was a retired Major. After we completed the rotation, the BC himself was the one who put us in for the AAM. Apparently, even Field Grade Officers can be taught!!! ;~D

chiprj

on Feb 17, 2005

AAMs are downgraded to BN Coins

I was in a unit once, where as a joke, an AAM got downgraded to push ups! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! It was an on the spot thing where we had an insanely short BN run - literally a sprint around the block (it was our BC's last run before the change of command). Our cadence caller did his absolute best to try and call cadence throughout the sprint. When we got back, the company commander (who knew ahead of time about the length and speed of the run), called the guy forward and pinned an AAM on him on the spot! Right when he was about to turn it over to the guy to talk (like they always do at a small awards ceremony), the commander turned back and pulled the award off him and dropped him instead. Then dropped the entire company. We LOVED it! Absolutely hilarious!

pseudosoldier

on Feb 17, 2005

This kind of ties in with the article on "Funeral Details" can't remember who wrote it though).

I believe that was our very own chiprj.

BC downgraded them to a spiffy new "Cerficates of Achievement".

At least you get promotion points for those. God forbid it were Certificates of Appreciation...

Moderateman

on Feb 17, 2005

have they done away with "presidential unit citations"? or service citations for specific war in a specific country?

greywar

on Feb 18, 2005

have they done away with "presidential unit citations"? or service citations for specific war in a specific country?

No they still have those but no one cares much for them since they are not worth anything promotion wise....

singrdave

on Feb 21, 2005

I met a guy in PLDC that was a carpenter. Yes, a carpenter. And the dude had 14 AAMs, multiple ARCOMS, etc., as a SPECIALIST. Here's the thing: whenever his unit got a call for a reviewing stand or whatever, their daily duties were perceived as "above and beyond" because who wields a hammer in today's modern Army?!?!
So he and the guys in his unit would get an AAM, almost automatically. Figures. He had the bling, that's for sure.

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