I thought this was a joke. No way this was real. Then I saw it one a real news site. It wasn't sarcasm or anything. Medal for Courageous Restraint. You don't fire at the terrorists. Someone seriously is considering this.
Unfortunately in war civilians do get killed. It's a fact of life. It's been going on now since forever. The debate should be were the Nazis in that church? Was the Taliban in that guy's house? Before that trigger was pulled. In this day and age, terrorists dress like civilians and hide behind women and children like the cowards they are.
A soldier has to ask himself is it worth it? An answer you will not find on some moronic blog.
In terms of medals, yet another one? When the war on terrorism started, the call for new medals came as well. One that was good was the Combat Action Badge. This is new age of combat, more than just the Infantry and Medics see action. Engineers, mechanics, clerks, clerks, and everybody else can wind up being fired upon by the enemy. This is no front or rear echelon anymore. It is all front line. So a separate badge was made for the non-combat arms. I agreed with that.
Then quickly came the crap. The Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal. Apparently the National Defense Service Medal wasn't good enough. They gave to you as well. A while later the Afghan and Iraq Campaign Medal came along. These were preferred over the GWOTEM, but in reality all for medals could have been covered by the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and by amending the Armed Forces Service Medal.
Das Wunderkind Gen. Stanley McChrystal piped up about the subject. While we both agree that we don't need another medal, we very much disagree as to the circumstances to get one. He pointed out an instance of a Marine protecting a man and child from attack with his own body. He emphasized the fact that the Marine didn't fire back. It should be noted that he is a hero for putting his life on the line. Now While I'm sure that a Marine can't be awarded a Soldier's Medal, I'm certain the are plenty of other Navy and Marine Corps medals available.
Those that want a Medal for Courageous Restraint apparently don't know there is already a medal for doing nothing.
It's called a Bronze Star.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
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