Bronze Star Abuse Reappears

[OVERWATCH]

Bronze Star Abuse Reappears

November 30, 2005: American troops are grumbling about what is perceived as disrespectful use of Bronze Star medals as “attaboy” awards for officers and senior NCOs who serve in Iraq, or for lower ranking personnel you want to pin a medal on for no good reason (like giving an IED victim, who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, something in addition to a Purple Heart). This awards inflation was a very unpopular aspect of the Vietnam war, and became a major embarrassment after the 1983 Grenada invasion (where the army tried to award more medals than there were troops involved, but the public caught wind of it and forced the brass to back off.) Another such scandal appears to be brewing.

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htmoral/articles/20051130.aspx

[Vindex]

Hey why not? If your over there getting shot at might as well get all the shiny metals you can.

[Niko Bellic]

It seems this escalates over time. I've heard back during WW2 and Korea, you had to risk your life for an Army Commendation Medal, but when I was in, they gave those away for wearing a pressed uniform with shiny boots everyday. Even up until Desert Storm, you had to perform some act of unusual bravery to get the Bronze Star, but now we see this. That Jessica what's-her-name who was the first POW of this war was given a Bronze Star after she was rescued, and all she did was wreck her truck.

[Vindex]

I think it is a bad attempt for moral boosting.

[Sinclair]

This is simply a bad idea. Makes the medals worth less, makes people distrust medals in general.

Why not improve morale by improving, say, troop protection from IEDs? Wait, no, that would cost money.

[Ambrosio Spinola]

Can I get a silver star with my bag of Cheetos?