American Medal Ribbons

[sigma]

Why do officers in the American military have so many medal ribbons on their uniform. It seems they get a medal every time there is an R in the month.

[DJHawkes]

they get a ribbon for every tour, for any wound, gallantry merit and conduct, see here, it's complex but makes sense
http://www.ehow.co.uk/about_5494967_rules-wearing-military-medals.html

[DJHawkes]

http://www.americanwarlibrary.com/display/usn.htm
http://www.americanwarlibrary.com/display/usmc.htm
http://www.americanwarlibrary.com/display/usa.htm

[DJHawkes]

there are over 70 different medals in the army list, they use ribbon instead of metal medals in the US which makes it harder for us to interpret

[society]

Dot, you must be a history lover. Respect to you.

[DJHawkes]

for fun you could identify ever medal (ribbon) worn by the US Army chief of staff,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_T._Odierno

[DJHawkes]

this topic is so interesting society, in the UK we see our veterans and service personel parading in full military dress with their medals but in the us they leave the actual medal at home and use these small ribbons instaead, it looks impressive .

[EcclesCake]

Just a small point, it isn't just service personnel that get awarded medals in the UK, civilians do to.

[doctordb]

And animals.

[heathfield]

The reason there are so many medals around in the US is that everyone who is concerned in a military operation gets one. It's not just the guys dodging the muck and bullets, but all those uniformed pen-pushers in the Pentagon too.

[DJHawkes]

but aren't the uniformed pen pushers in the pentagon doing that job in the later years of their military career? They will have served in combat zones when they were in their early service, Winston Churchill wasn't always a fat grey haired politician and greatest world leader ever known you know. He fought all over the world when he was a young man.

[EcclesCake]

A desk job be it in the Pentagon or Whitehall is all part of a serviceman's career. Don't assume they are assigned a desk just because they are approaching retirement.

[DJHawkes]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awards_and_deco
rations_of_the_United_States_government

[EcclesCake]

I can't open your link but in my experience there are plenty of personnel in the Pentagon and other locations holding desk jobs in the US who are in all stages of their careers and it is the same with the UK services.

[Peter Pedant]

The rules are arcane and remind you a bit of the English
For one, you qualified if you had flown over the theatre of operations
but not if you had pushed a pen concerning it stateside

AND AND AND I am surprised that no one has mentioned that some US general committed suicide rather than admit he had sewn viet ribbons on his tunic when hem hem he hadnt qualified for them.

[jake-the-peg]

The Americans aren't the only ones who give medals to pen pushers!

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/11/14/article-1085565-0277153D000005DC-361_468x506_popup.jpg

Winston Churchill the Greatest war leader the world has ever known?

I wouldn't go down under and say that!

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/gallipoli.htm

Churchill had described that as the soft underbelly of Europe!

There were a quarter of a million allied casulties and Churchill resigned shortly afterwards.

He was also a disasterous chancellor of the exchecquer returning the UK to the gold standard at a rate that collapsed the economy and lead to the 1926 General strike.

I'd suggest you take a slightly more rounded view of Churchill - a real case of feet of clay!

[chakka35]

I'm told that I'm entitled to a National Service medal for the two years I put in after WWII was well over. Gosh, Im overwhelmed.

[heathfield]

Sorry, Chakka. The National Service Medal isn't an official issue medal...

http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/remembrance/medals/medal-faqs#nationalservice

[jonah20813]

But the yanks have never won a war.