A Battlefield Tourist

So Many Heros, So Little Action

Sep 24 at 9:09am by David Tate

For a long time now I have had trouble with how the US military, especially the Army, hands out medals.  My real issue is with how the Bronze Star is handed out these days… makes me dizzy at times.  Read this:

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) About 130 soldiers from a Manassas-based Virginia Guard military police unit are returning to Virginia after serving in Iraq since December 2008.

Guard officials say the 266th Military Police Company is scheduled to return Thursday. The unit is made up of soldiers from across Virginia.

The soldiers operated throughout Iraq as part of a team that trained, mentored and coached more than 1,000 Iraqi Police officers. They also conducted numerous missions and combat

patrols across the country.  During their tour, soldiers from the unit earned 21 Bronze Star Medals, four received Combat Action Badges and one received a Purple Heart.

21 Bronze Stars and four Combat Action Badges.  Are you kidding?   Four guys see combat and 21 get the Bronze Star?

The problem is the “V” device.  Get rid of it.  The Bronze Star is a hero’s medal; not an ‘atta boy’ medal.  Stop giving it for meritorious purposes. Redefine it I say!

It just sucks that there’s this whole slew of Bronze Star license plates out there that have the same meaning to the general public.  It’s almost a disservice considering the average person can’t distinguish between a man who single-handedly knocked out two machine gun nests on Tarawa versus an admin clerk who served the general a great cup of joe.