The Pentagon is creating a new high-level military medal that will recognize drone pilots and, in a controversial twist, giving it added clout by placing it above some traditional combat valor medals in the military’s “order of precedence.”
The Distinguished Warfare Medal will be awarded to pilots of unmanned aircraft, offensive cyber war experts or others who are directly involved in combat operations but who are not physically in theater and facing the physical risks that warfare historically entails.
The new medal will rank just below the Distinguished Flying Cross. It will have precedence over — and be worn on a uniform above — the Bronze Star with Valor device, a medal awarded to troops for specific heroic acts performed under fire in combat.
While I'm all in favor of recognition for anyone who does a superior job in the military, I don't care if it's an infantryman or a quartermaster, ranking the medal for a drone pilot above the Bronze Star for Valor is just wrong. These are guys on bases in the Continental US, driving drones over Continental Assholistan. Unless they get into a car wreck while commuting they're going to tuck their kids into bed and spoon with their wives that night. Even for the Distinguished Flying Cross the pilot has his ass in the sky, and if the sneeze-pin snaps off the whiffle tree on his plane he's going to have a bad day even if Mohamed Jihadist doesn't have a weapon that can reach him, if that happens to a drone an expensive piece of hardware gets turned to scrap metal and the pilot STILL gets to go home.
Oh, please. Flying a drone entails no personal risk at all. I can see offering those guys an airman's equivalent of the Army Commendation Medal, but ranking it above a Bronze Star? A Bronze Star actually requires you to be in theater, which those RC pilots can't claim. They don't qualify for the Aerial Achievement Medal, which is for "sustained meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight."
This is another ticket-punch medal that doesn't deserve to be above an award that entails "distinguished by heroic or meritorious achievement or service, not involving participation in aerial flight, in connection with military operations against an armed enemy." (Bronze Star citation, which does not require heroism, but does require actual military operations.)
+1000 to all the above remarks. This isn't just silly, it borders on criminal. I have a nephew who commands a drone unit in New Mexico, his previous posting was to an AC-130 squadron. I doubt even HE would approve.
Last edited by Rod on Thu Feb 14, 2013 11:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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If they must have a REMF medal, put it just above the Commendation Medal, and certainly below the Sustained Aerial Achievement Medal.
Of course I'm still pissed that they are giving "wings" to people that haven't graduated from UPT and don't operate in an environment that will kill you before you get into enemy airspace if you let it.
When I was in, remote sensor operators that operated from ground shelters linked to airborne sensor platforms made noises they should get wings and award credit because their sensors were in the air. Back t hen the result (rightly) was much derision and scorn from their fellow Intel types that had spent their time boring holes in the sky and with skin in the game.
...even before I read MHI, my response to seeing a poster for the stars of the latest Twilight movies was "I see 2 targets and a collaborator".
Randy, I think my dad's response to those noises was "Okay, asshole, you come listen to the Vietnamese talk about how they're trying to shoot your specific plane down for a while. I'll hang back in Guam and Taiwan and drink."
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CByrneIV wrote:I have no problem with medals and commendations for meritorious service not involving personal risk of harm... Particularly if they are in support of, or in command of, those who DO.
But yeah, ranking it above ANY medal for valor, is offensive, idiotic, and dishonorable.
That's pretty close to my opinion, too. It's entirely appropriate to honor exceptional feats of arms, whether or not they involve personal risk. Especially when a lot of positions that do - don't. If done correctly. The question is whether they should rate above decorations for valor. And I'd say no...not normally.
MarkD wrote:
These are guys on bases in the Continental US, driving drones over Continental Assholistan. Unless they get into a car wreck while commuting they're going to tuck their kids into bed and spoon with their wives that night. Even for the Distinguished Flying Cross the pilot has his ass in the sky, and if the sneeze-pin snaps off the whiffle tree on his plane he's going to have a bad day even if Mohamed Jihadist doesn't have a weapon that can reach him, if that happens to a drone an expensive piece of hardware gets turned to scrap metal and the pilot STILL gets to go home.
Actually, it's more like spending a quarter or your tour deployed forward for launch and recovery duties. Forget about seeing the family, you'll spend nights flying, weekends doing paperwork. One program I worked on just started the fifth year of a 6-month deployment. It's not a cushy job.
MarkD wrote:
These are guys on bases in the Continental US, driving drones over Continental Assholistan. Unless they get into a car wreck while commuting they're going to tuck their kids into bed and spoon with their wives that night. Even for the Distinguished Flying Cross the pilot has his ass in the sky, and if the sneeze-pin snaps off the whiffle tree on his plane he's going to have a bad day even if Mohamed Jihadist doesn't have a weapon that can reach him, if that happens to a drone an expensive piece of hardware gets turned to scrap metal and the pilot STILL gets to go home.
Actually, it's more like spending a quarter or your tour deployed forward for launch and recovery duties. Forget about seeing the family, you'll spend nights flying, weekends doing paperwork. One program I worked on just started the fifth year of a 6-month deployment. It's not a cushy job.
OK, I engaged mouth before loading all facts. Still, they're not in danger, so their medal shouldn't rank above medals for valor. "Not a cushy job" is relative, there's "Oh crap, I need some sleep and the food sucks." and there's "Oh crap, I need some sleep, the food sucks, and someone just shot at me.".
