Our broken awards system

It's really not worth getting into. We all know our awards system is broken. There is no parity between the services for what actions, meritorious or valorous, merit an award at any particular level. The Marine Corps is excessively stingy, particularly for awarding valor awards for younger enlisted Marines, and I'll just say some other services have in some cases given out certain awards, especially the Bronze Star without V, a bit too leniently. I'm over it. The only awards that really matter are the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon. Or whatever y'alls equivalents are. Even then I've been wounded more times than I've been awarded the Purple Heart (ain't nobody got no time to go to the aid station) and there are a lot of guys running around with some pretty shakey write ups for their Purple Hearts and Combat Action Ribbons. So what does it all matter? I'll tell you what matters.

I know what I did in Iraq, Afganistan, Africa and all the other shitty places I've spent my adult life in. I got some trinkets for some of the things I did, scars from others, some good memories, and some things that keep me up at night. I don't really care what some Tech Sergeant did to get her Bronze Star. Yes it's kind of a joke. That's not one of the things that keep me up at night though.

At the end of the day, I got to go to war with some of the baddest pipe hitters in our nation and press trigger on some of the biggest douchebags on the planet. That's a reward in and of itself. You can keep your bronze star for merit.
 
I think I speak for most folks in the Army SOF community when I say the only BSMs that matter are BSMVs, same with ARCOM to ARCOMV.

I'd say that within the USASOC realm, we are pretty good with what we give out as far as DSC/SS/BSMV/ARCOMV. Some MoH and DSC write ups are pretty comparable, but from what I've seen- a good enough job is done.

As to the original post- when something happens regarding the AF on the ground, it blows their AF minds because they aren't used to it- so they get an award. The Army has a larger number of SOF on the ground, which usually comes along with more awards due to the nature of the mission. The Marine Corps has a large number of conventional infantry on the ground, conventional infantry in the Army and Marines seems to be pretty tight with awards.

Unfortunately, with people getting killed by IEDs- there's not much action to reward. There's just a boom- it's a say reality of our "global contingency operations." (ominous tone gesturing towards Iraq 2.0)
 
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There was a time when the V did not exist. The BSM is a combat award, if the guy never left the wire and did his job an ARCOM is perfectly good enough. Soldiers who were out there sucking just like the PLT SGT on the mountain rate more than a AAM. Also NAMs with Vs...wtf, not a N/M Commendation? As I've never in my life seen an AAM "V". Also, an ARCOM "V" tells me it should be a BSM. But that's just me. I also believe the COAs are toilet paper and that you can justify an AAM for a soldier doing his job, the higher CoC just needs to be on the same track.
 
ThunderHorse said:
There was a time when the V did not exist. The BSM is a combat award, if the guy never left the wire and did his job an ARCOM is perfectly good enough. Soldiers who were out there sucking just like the PLT SGT on the mountain rate more than a AAM. Also NAMs with Vs...wtf, not a N/M Commendation? As I've never in my life seen an AAM "V". Also, an ARCOM "V" tells me it should be a BSM. But that's just me. I also believe the COAs are toilet paper and that you can justify an AAM for a soldier doing his job, the higher CoC just needs to be on the same track.
Click to expand...
Right, the BSM is a combat award, the MSM is the non-combat equivalent, not ARCOM.

A BSM (or in some cases ARCOM) can be awarded for contributions done over the course of a deployment. A BSMV/ARCOMV is for one specific valorous act.

Why should an ARCOMV be the same as a BSM? Its one lower in precedence, and one is a valor medal while one isn't.

COAs are toilet paper- maybe the guy should've done better and got an AAM, maybe his command dropped the ball.

The system evolves- purple hearts used to be a valor award.
 
My reasoning behind the ARCOMV should be a BSM has little to do with myself. I just look at what I've seen and think, did it get downgraded or was the command not diligent. ARCOMs are both a combat and non-combat award. If one guy is awarded an ARCOMV and the PSG and PL were awarded BSMVs for that action, whatever that one guy did stood out enough. Granted we're wargaming this.

I've seen good Soldiers get COAs for doing a consistent job. It's toilet paper because it helps very little overall versus an AAM. What if the Soldier earned the COA, interesting, I had a Soldier who did just that with a DUI. Why he's still in the Army, IDK, happened before I got to the platoon. I told my NCOs he was getting one, and they said: "Sir, for an ETS award?!" I said yes, adverse action less than a year ago. His section leader told him to bring in a list of accomplishments so he could write an AAM. Well he earned his COA by not bringing in that list. It was a new section leader that didn't know him that well if anyone is asking.
 
I agree with the COA part, but valor awards are given out for specific events- so a platoon sergeant and private wouldn't be getting them at the same time anyway. As the award goes up the chain, commanders can downgrade it or upgrade it.

2nd platoon doesn't all get valor awards for taking the hill, specific people in the platoon might for specific actions.
 
Shit I didn't even rate an end of tour award hell 75% of the company didn't. But you best belive that every one in the TOC got at least an ARCOM. To top it all off three of them got some Air Force medal for watching movies with our TACP. But those of us outside the wire damn near every single day got impact AAMs. It really chaps my hide when my soldiers busted their assessment day in and day out and they got a bs AAM while the fobbits got fat and got an ARCOM or BSM.
 
Etype said:
A BSM (or in some cases ARCOM) can be awarded for contributions done over the course of a deployment....
The system evolves- purple hearts used to be a valor award.
Click to expand...

Yes, it is evolving but seems broken indeed. A 1SG on Meade got an ARCOM for being the internet police???:hmm:

http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/2014/12/31/moerk-commendation-award-trolling/21103073/

"First Sgt. Katrina Moerk said she never sought recognition for correcting soldiers' unethical behavior online, but received it anyway, and from high places.
Lt. Gen. James McConville presented Moerk an Army Medal of Commendation at a Dec. 15 ceremony at the Pentagon and the senior non-commissioned officer received in-person praise from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

Moerk, the first sergeant of Charlie Company, 741st Military Intelligence Battalion, out of Fort Mead, Md.,."


Other side of the coin :thumbsup::

http://thelibertyzone.com/2014/12/27/an-arcom-for-that/
http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=57425

"Folks have been sending the link to the Army Times article about the dust up of the ARCOM for 1SG Moersk, who trolled folks on a video, apparently. I say “troll” because I’m fairly convinced that is what she did, given my experience with her since I commented on the story earlier. As soon as she saw my post, she emailed it (via Twitter) to Sergeant Major of the Army Ray Chandler as well as the Pentagon’s G-1 and to the chief of the SHARP Program. And then she took the time to call me an “asshat” on Facebook."

The comments...holy shit the comments!!! I'm dying!!!:ROFLMAO:
 
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Although the video was in very bad taste, it was satire.... does this MSG take herself that seriously, that she had to go to the SMA instead of addressing her issues with the soldiers and their CoC? From Barracks whore to attention whore.... oh sorry the first part of the last comment was déclassé and o! noes! sarcastic.
 
x SF med said:
Although the video was in very bad taste, it was satire.... does this MSG take herself that seriously, that she had to go to the SMA instead of addressing her issues with the soldiers and their CoC? From Barracks whore to attention whore.... oh sorry the first part of the last comment was déclassé and o! noes! sarcastic.
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Agree that Joe is going to be Joe: that's why we have NCOs. Why would big Army support jumping the CoC and support slamming John Q Public, who happens to be a serviceman, when they make inappropriate comments:
-on a non-DOD site
-as a regular citizen

What the fuck was the MSG doing on YouTube during working hours anyway (an assumption, but pretty fair I'm sure)? How many man hours were spent on her investigation?
 
The system's been broken since WW2. Maybe even before. Offhand I can think of a half-dozen examples involving Marines and officers I served with who either got what they didn't deserve or didn't get what they earned. And the fuckin Bronze Star for administrative merit or for crossing the street without getting hit by a bus needed to disappear many years ago. I know two former soldiers, one was an admin guy who typed reports for MACV-Pleiku who got it because he was a Buckeye and his CO was a Buckeye...the other was driving his Plt Sgt and XO in a jeep down a dirt road, got caught in an L ambush, Sgt and XO were immediately killed, he grabbed the M60 and returned fire until he got hit in the throat. Both got the Bronze Star. One got a V. Guess which one used to brag about it?
 
Ocoka One said:
The system's been broken since WW2. Maybe even before. Offhand I can think of a half-dozen examples involving Marines and officers I served with who either got what they didn't deserve or didn't get what they earned. And the fuckin Bronze Star for administrative merit or for crossing the street without getting hit by a bus needed to disappear many years ago. I know two former soldiers, one was an admin guy who typed reports for MACV-Pleiku who got it because he was a Buckeye and his CO was a Buckeye...the other was driving his Plt Sgt and XO in a jeep down a dirt road, got caught in an L ambush, Sgt and XO were immediately killed, he grabbed the M60 and returned fire until he got hit in the throat. Both got the Bronze Star. One got a V. Guess which one used to brag about it?
Click to expand...

Those types of actions are so ingrained in the system, I don't know if it will ever go away. The "good ole boy" network is alive and well -- even in the military. I wish it wasn't so, but I don't think that many of those that make those decisions care about what I think.

As always, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
 
Dusting off an old thread because I saw an email from Mountain Tactical Institute asking if there is a Silver Star bias against junior enlisted troops. They include some data collected from their own research, but the point of the article is more to get the opinions of servicemembers. They chose the Silver Star since it is a combat valor only award, not one that can be awarded for meritorious service. I look forward to seeing the opinions others post. I personally think there is a bias against junior enlisted for a lot of awards, if not all of them.

Is There a Silver Star Award Bias Against Junior Enlisted? - Mountain Tactical Institute
 

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