Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire A NEW LOW FOR THE ARMED FORCES

Remember as Jag says, “the Military is the ONLY way”.

Sorry to hear about your friend, Jorge.

Babies were "delivered" in the fields and ditches of the world for hundreds of years before we had specific hospital wards for it. I mean basically everything pre-1900 when hospital births became common.

Thank you. FYI for all, this gent earned the Silver Star flying an RF-8 Crusader doing a Bomb Damage Assessment (BDA) run on the Paul Doumer bridge in Hanoi after we finally dropped it. He flew "alone and unafraid" (bullshit, I bet he didn't crap for a week after the run ) and as you can imagine, the NVA were pretty pissed and they put up one HELL of a AAA show for him. Super guy.

My uncle Roy fodamshure EARNED his Silver Star in the Pacific, had the bullet holes to go with it. And my Dad earned his DFC and two Air Medals, his Bird Dog had the bullet holes.

But I guess now there's a new meaning for "fruit salad."

Hope your buddy's final flight is a smooth one, Jorge.

Lotsa truth in that statement.

A DFC for delivering a baby? That is absolutely ridiculous...I will bet a LOT of disgusted conversations took place behind closed doors when this was getting pushed through.

The USAF I served in is long gone. Sickening. Both demonrats and republicrats have served to diminish a great fighting force.

My father's first cousin got a DFC for doing 27 missions over France and Germany in a B-17. They even survived a midair collision with another B-17. The 9 men in the other B-17 did not survive. My cousin also got one for doing 25 Dust Off missions in Viet Nam. He did more than 25 missions but if you survived 25 you got the DFC. He was the crew medic.

Yea, delivering a baby somehow doesn't quite measure up.

kwg

Give them a Nobel peace prize. It’s already totally corrupted. Save the military awards for real heroism.

Laughable..............my son got out because he couldn't take the BS any longer.

MM

My uncle received the DFC for fighter flights over Europe in WW11 among other commendations.
My oldest son comes out of the AF next year an E9, wasn’t the original plan at this time but he’s had it as well.

Hats off to you who’ve served regardless of awards.

Osky

Look at who the Chief is….along with Milley.

Let's those of us that care hold the honors to those that deserve, not what is being put fourth

I’m a former C-17 loadmaster. This decoration is disgusting.

My bros in my old unit participated in the evac from Kabul and it was crazy. They deserve an air medal for their actions. The DFC is the aerial equivalent of a BSM. Definitely not called for here.

I got 5 Air Medals over the course of many years of my missions in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan, but those were for quantity, not quality. I never thought I deserved a medal for any of it. (Yeah we got shot at, many bullet holes found in post-mission inspections, but I never felt individually vulnerable).

Before that I was a crew chief and subsequently a pilot for the Army guard flying rescue… I had WAY more close calls and “hero” moments doing that than when I was in the AF, but there aren’t (many) medals when you’re a guard guy doing the job day in and day out.

jfc

I don't understand why anyone would consider military service inner current environment

The difference's in criteria the various services, and even units, use for awards has always been a subject of ridicule and scorn. I saw it in the Navy in the various wings, other services and the conflicts I served in and IMO you really need to just be able to look at your own ribbon rack and be able to say to yourself "yea, I deserve that". I retired with 6 rows of ribbons but the one's that were really important to me were the couple with "V"s on them. The rest were just "I was there" and "nice job" stuff.

But as an aviator the misuse of the DFC hits particularly hard. The fact they were airborne is irrelevant as they were not crew performing a job required for the mission. The could have done the same mission in a bus.

Criteria: The Distinguished Flying Cross Medal (DFC) is an award that is bestowed upon any officer of enlisted personnel of the United States Armed Forces who distinguishes themselves in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight."

A bronze star, while still an overreach, would be far more appropriate.

Criteria: The Bronze Star Medal (BSM or BSV) is an award presented to United States Armed Forces personnel for bravery, acts of merit or meritorious service. When awarded for combat heroism it is awarded with a V device for Valor. It is the fourth highest combat award of the Armed Forces.

But then I retired 16 years ago and even then the Navy was getting unrecognizable from the one I was commissioned with 1987. I know all generations say that but the policy and cultural changes (not mission, not capability)the last 20 years in the Navy dwarf any other period I can think of in their proud history.

When there is no war the military has to make up stuff to justify importance.

The irony is when real dirt eating combat is in the works genuine award deserving heroism is so common it often goes unnoticed. Simple small unit esprit de corp drives heroism.

Heroism is not heroism if a persons life is not seriously and extraordinarily endangered by their heroic action.

I don't even bother suggesting the military as an option to young people anymore.