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Years ago, my first unit I was able to wear their Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC). Now, when I transferred I had to remove it, and when you are a new soldier the removal of a little bling is a big deal.
So it got me asking myself, was I in the unit during the time the MUC was awarded? No, no I was not, but it was CLOSE!!!!!!!!!! Had I enlisted in the USAR a month sooner I would have been ON THE BOOKS at the time the MUC was awarded to my unit while they were down range.
Now……….. the sweet aspect of this MUC was if I had been on the books I’m pretty certain it would be classified as a permanent award even for the fact I was only a Future Soldier without a single day in TRADOC and not a single day at a Battle Assembly.
Not that it would be a good idea, but I could have worn it at Basic Training if that was the case. Push comes to shove I wouldn't be guilty of anything.
I also have an ARCOM for a deployment, and while there are things I did that legitimately earned it, sometimes I feel I did nothing more than play X-Box in a safehouse with an SF Alpha team.
Likewise, there are things I’ve done that I busted my ass for that went entirely unacknowledged. So it all balances out.
What about you guys………..
So it got me asking myself, was I in the unit during the time the MUC was awarded? No, no I was not, but it was CLOSE!!!!!!!!!! Had I enlisted in the USAR a month sooner I would have been ON THE BOOKS at the time the MUC was awarded to my unit while they were down range.
Now……….. the sweet aspect of this MUC was if I had been on the books I’m pretty certain it would be classified as a permanent award even for the fact I was only a Future Soldier without a single day in TRADOC and not a single day at a Battle Assembly.
Not that it would be a good idea, but I could have worn it at Basic Training if that was the case. Push comes to shove I wouldn't be guilty of anything.
I also have an ARCOM for a deployment, and while there are things I did that legitimately earned it, sometimes I feel I did nothing more than play X-Box in a safehouse with an SF Alpha team.
Likewise, there are things I’ve done that I busted my ass for that went entirely unacknowledged. So it all balances out.
What about you guys………..
Medals
Awards
Unit Awards
Posted 3 y ago
Responses: 13
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I have multiple “glad you’re gone” awards. It was standard practice to give a service member an award when they PCSed. I have two AF Commendation Medals and two AF Meritorious Service Medals for leaving an assignment and going to the next. Other near-useless ribbons include the AF Training ribbon for completing pilot training. I received my wings for that! Combat readiness medal for being airdrop qualified for 4 years, aka, my job. And there’s the ever popular NDSM you get for surviving your first day in the military apparently.
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LTC John Mohor
Jim not everyone surprisingly enough qualified for the NDSM. It is in fact now the most awarded medal across the US Armed forces but it only was awarded during wartime sitiuations; Korea, Vietnam, Dessert Storm, and Global War on Terror. It originally had the second award denoted by an Oak Leaf. By Vietnam it became a star. With service in the reserves I met a couple NCOs with the ribbon and two stars(Vietnam Desert Storm and GWOT before they retired
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Lt Col Jim Coe
LTC John Mohor thanks for the correction. I was commissioned during the Vietnam era, so my first NDSM came with my gold bars. I earned the star because I was on active duty during Desert Storm.
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I had a couple downgraded then a time period screw up over my 26 years. I received an ARCOM and MSM that covered virtually the same time period with one going a few days past. No idea how they screwed it up. A Colonel, I barely knew of never worked for downgraded it to ARCOM while my former BN Commander also a Colonel now working at the two star Level HQ submitted it as well. Years went by then I had two awards awaiting me at the current unit I was assigned to S-1 said I had two for the same thing I said fine which one came first by date of approval? The MSM so I took possession of both they had my name on it never paid attention to the ARCOM never tried to add it to my records( it even had mistakes in the citation itself) never wore it. By the time I’m coming up for LTC bam suddenly it’s in my record and on my ORB. By this time the unit that processed and down graded it after the two star had signed the MSM was folded deactivated and in the history books. By this time it’s to close to the board to figure out how to remove it so I did the only thing I could I could and drove on. I had a ARCOM downgraded to an AAM as an Artillery LT, way later I was awarded an ARCOM as a Major by an Artillery Officer not involved previously so I called it even. I still ended up with three MSMs after 26 years and none of it gets me a free cup of coffee ;-)
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CPT (Join to see)
Roger that sir. During a USAR FTX I was told to submit awards a few days into the exercise. So I was literally writing up the awards before the exercise was even completed. They wanted all awards submitted prior to us leaving the filed.
The Chain of Command giving the awards was not mine.
I submitted a soldier for an ARCOM (yes, and ARCOM for an FTX) and a year later that soldier ended up getting two ARCOMs for the exact same event and the exact same citation. What I think happened is my original submission got lost, and my S1 was asked to re-submit the 638. I'm guessing each submission ended up on different COL desks. Then POOF two got issued to the soldier, and each with it's own order number.
Not being my chain of command, and being the song and dance we had to get that far for getting awards through them I chalked it up to the good things that happen when the army is messed up, and I was happy for the soldier.
The Chain of Command giving the awards was not mine.
I submitted a soldier for an ARCOM (yes, and ARCOM for an FTX) and a year later that soldier ended up getting two ARCOMs for the exact same event and the exact same citation. What I think happened is my original submission got lost, and my S1 was asked to re-submit the 638. I'm guessing each submission ended up on different COL desks. Then POOF two got issued to the soldier, and each with it's own order number.
Not being my chain of command, and being the song and dance we had to get that far for getting awards through them I chalked it up to the good things that happen when the army is messed up, and I was happy for the soldier.
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LTC John Mohor
CPT Richard Lesher amazingly enough my “broadest” command award was my second AAM where I started as a member in the 8th ID and ended as a credit to the 1st Armored Divisionnall in the same citation. At the top with my name unit and 8th then the bottom 1AD.
Hell I didntveven catch it until I was back at home. It was processed the very same month 8th ID as a parent unit was deactivated furling colors and 1AD became the new Division my battalion fell under. I still remember with 15 Days left in the Army I had to change myleftvsleeve patch on class As to go with my ETS orders home
Hell I didntveven catch it until I was back at home. It was processed the very same month 8th ID as a parent unit was deactivated furling colors and 1AD became the new Division my battalion fell under. I still remember with 15 Days left in the Army I had to change myleftvsleeve patch on class As to go with my ETS orders home
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