Are military medals worth the medal they're made of?
In an election year, when the entire future of the U.S. military is called into question, presidential candidates have become terribly enbroiled over the issue of their own military records. Because of this, John Kerry, the democratic candidate for president, has proudly promoted his service record, claiming to serve honorably and win several medals, including three purple hearts.
However, ignoring the accusations by his fellow veterans, and the statement of a medical officer saying that one his wounds was self-inflicted, what if they were completely and utterly earned. All that that means is that Kerry has thrice won the "enemy marksmanship award," and that he's bad at ducking. I want to know about his other awards, and did he earn them?
Military medals have degenerated greatly since the days of the first purple hearts. To win a purple heart in it's heyday, was roughly equivalent to having a medal of honor. It meant something. Nowadays anyone can get it. A cousin of mine in the air force was standing next to a diplomatic compound, and recieved a small cut on the back of the hand when a nearby building was blown up. No further combat. Guess which medal he proudly wears? Perhaps I could get a medal for getting randomly hit by a bolt of lightning on duty.
In this day and age, medals are given out freely. In grenada, medals greatly outnumbered the forces who fought there. There was an average of almost 40 medals per defeated enemy soldier. This is not to say that there are not people who fight bravely, making sacrifices, that earn the right to wear a badge of courage, something that says "I did something," but how more shameful is it to those people, when the same medal is given to others, not for something extraordinary, but as a pat on the back for a job well done. When I recieve an award like that, it's like I'm at an Army Special Olympics....that's ok...everyone's a winner.
Medals deserve significance, I've seen battalion coins given for saving a life, at the same formation that someone got a medal for performing well at the army ball. What kind of message is that? You can get a Good Conduct Medal by staying out of jail more than once every three years, and in the 2nd Infantry Division, you have to have recieve an award before you're allowed to leave.
I hold that it's ridiculous to make such an issue over whether or not someone is good at being shot. Our country's medals, and the soldiers that earn them, deserve significance. And I will wear as few of mine as I can get away with, until I do something truly special that deserves one.