Ribbons
Responses: 71
MSG John Duchesneau
Okay - give the guy some credit. He did serve in Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan. He also has the Distinguished Flying Cross which is very rare for enlisted personnel.
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Suspended Profile
SGT Cesar Diaz - I see at least two along with many devices so he's got some of these multiple times.
Suspended Profile
He could probably make a disability claim for chest or back paint just from wearing all that.
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The Air Force has ribbons recognizing service or skills such as the overseas long tour and short tour, longevity, or marksmanship. The other Services use alternative devices such as service stripes on the sleeve or marksman badges. This tends to increase the USAF member's ribbon rack. Additionally, unit citation ribbons are intermingled with personal awards on the left side of the uniform.
Air Force members end up with been-there-done-that ribbons like all the other services. However, I don't see a lot of Air Force ribbon racks on similar RP threads with what might appear to be excessive medals. The Achievement and Commendation Medals (all Services have them) are fairly common. The bar is still high for the higher president awards such as the Air Medal, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Airman's Medal.
Air Force members end up with been-there-done-that ribbons like all the other services. However, I don't see a lot of Air Force ribbon racks on similar RP threads with what might appear to be excessive medals. The Achievement and Commendation Medals (all Services have them) are fairly common. The bar is still high for the higher president awards such as the Air Medal, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Airman's Medal.
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SSgt Jonathan Dickey
That is sort of the point of the entire conversation as to why the Air Force has a larger ribbon rack than the other services. They allow the awards to be approved at a lower level and it is expected you will get one when you PCS, that is not the case for all the services.
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MCPO (Join to see)
Josh, there is no such thing as a "PCS" award in the awards manual. The level of performance needed for an MSM is staggering - and when the average SNCO going to the Air Force Senior NCO Academy has four of them - when any sister service SNCOs may have one, while most have zero, what then? When a fifteen year Master Sergeant (E-7) has FIFTEEN Meritorious Service Medals, there's a breakdown in the system.
And LTC Coe, there's a huge difference in the services in how they reward and hand out candy.
And LTC Coe, there's a huge difference in the services in how they reward and hand out candy.
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SPC Stephen Gerard
Since that was a question, captain, I'll state that the answer is "yes, you don't."
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I voted Air Force, but I am pretty certain that the Army is a very close second.
From the posts I have read here on RP, both of these branches seem to have multiple medals for simply existing, totally abuse their achievement and commendation medals, and have taken the concept of "end of tour" awards to a perverse extreme.
From the posts I have read here on RP, both of these branches seem to have multiple medals for simply existing, totally abuse their achievement and commendation medals, and have taken the concept of "end of tour" awards to a perverse extreme.
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SPC Thomas Moosey
I don't think the Army abuses the achievement and commendation medals. Granted I earned 3 & 2 within 7 years, but that is was rare back in the 90s. I worked hard and did my job and was in the right places at the right times.
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SPC Randall Eichelberger
GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad - I also think part of the problem is awards are given based on rank not, instead, how the rank applies to the situation. When you're told 'I will never give a MSM to an E4' after you've spent quite a bit of time working a senior E6/E7 position and they give you an ARCOM, they also don't mean much to you. Things that merit higher awards typically are auto-downgraded simply because of a recipients rank. At the same time knowing that many awards are downgraded you have leaders submitting for a higher award to get the one they want their soldier to get. This doesn't apply right into the topic itself but it applies to why the award system has turned into a joke.
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SSgt (Join to see)
Part of what I find annoying about the "End of tour" (Or PCS/PCS/Midtour) ribbons is that receiving them becomes very luck based and not performance based.
I've known people who were at the same unit for the first 11 years of their career (since the Air Force doesn't have set stateside tour lengths) and other people who have been to 4 units within their first 5 years...
When those medals add points to Promotion scores, it seems rather messed up that you may be 5+ points behind your peers simply due to the bad luck of the assignment draw.
I've known people who were at the same unit for the first 11 years of their career (since the Air Force doesn't have set stateside tour lengths) and other people who have been to 4 units within their first 5 years...
When those medals add points to Promotion scores, it seems rather messed up that you may be 5+ points behind your peers simply due to the bad luck of the assignment draw.
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MSG Louis Alexander
Do I sense the air of jealousy in the wind? Well Marines so that you don't feel left out…we’ll recommend to the Department of the Navy and the Commandant of the Marine Corps to award you guys’ and gal’s…the Order of the Lavender, High Purple Medal for inconspicuous solidarity of primitive tribalism. Hopefully you will begin to gleam like the rest of us and feel more at ease with recognition from your beloved Corps. LOL Pretty soon we’re all be looking like the North Korean Army where they have badges covering both sides of their jacket and creeping down the trouser legs…hahaha
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Let's start off in the correct door on this topic. A ribbon and a medal are two different things and received for different reasons.
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The Air Force tends to have more Ribbons/Medals. The Army has more overall "flair."
But some of this is coming from little things like PME Ribbons, and Longevity Ribbons. IIRC the Air Force doesn't wear hashmarks, so they have a ribbon that denotes 4 years of service instead.
But some of this is coming from little things like PME Ribbons, and Longevity Ribbons. IIRC the Air Force doesn't wear hashmarks, so they have a ribbon that denotes 4 years of service instead.
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1LT Nick Kidwell
I soured on awards and ribbons on my deployment.
I and the rest of the LTs in our company were put in for an MSM for a deployment award, and the only guy who didn't get downgraded to an ARCOM by the LTC was the dude who didn't do much of anything but staff duty and admin garbage for the LTC.
Not the two of us that very effectively ran the TIF 24/7, not the guy who led the platoon that did detainee transport off-FOB...nope...the Admin dude who worked with the LTC.
This same LTC got a BSM for his Hooah-hooah stellar service on deployment...and later a BCD with loss of all rank, benefits, etc for his actions on the SAME tour.
It's a broken system for sure.
I and the rest of the LTs in our company were put in for an MSM for a deployment award, and the only guy who didn't get downgraded to an ARCOM by the LTC was the dude who didn't do much of anything but staff duty and admin garbage for the LTC.
Not the two of us that very effectively ran the TIF 24/7, not the guy who led the platoon that did detainee transport off-FOB...nope...the Admin dude who worked with the LTC.
This same LTC got a BSM for his Hooah-hooah stellar service on deployment...and later a BCD with loss of all rank, benefits, etc for his actions on the SAME tour.
It's a broken system for sure.
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MAJ (Join to see)
I'm right there with you 1LT Nick Kidwell. My own brigade downgraded every PL's award in my Company, along with one of the PSGs. It was done intermittently throughout the Battalion in a similar fashion. We all had the same mission set and received about the same amount of contact, so there was no real justification for it. Every squad leader in the Company received a BSM, so they ultimately received higher awards than most of their Platoon leadership. Of course the staff weenies who never went outside the wire got their BSMs.
The only thing my MSM means to me is the importance of equal standards and taking care of Soldiers. Last I checked it's in a box somewhere in my basement.
The only thing my MSM means to me is the importance of equal standards and taking care of Soldiers. Last I checked it's in a box somewhere in my basement.
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SGT Beau Thomas
His name is Nickolas Androsky and he's a former Airman 1st Class who served as a C-130 loadmaster at Pope AFB No. Carolina. The airman was court-martialed in 2003 for drug use. Percoset, mushrooms, nitrous oxide, and huffing shoe polish.
I did find on a stolen valor site that he did die in 2014. I'm sure some Airmen have army awards and tabs, but I bet you've never seen any prior service airmen with that much salad and silver on their chest, I never have.
I did find on a stolen valor site that he did die in 2014. I'm sure some Airmen have army awards and tabs, but I bet you've never seen any prior service airmen with that much salad and silver on their chest, I never have.
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SGT Beau Thomas
Sorry Sgt Jones, I new he was a stolen valor when I posted it, I was just being funny I thought. No harm no foul. ;0)
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Air Force... You can see a A1C with three rows of ribbons. Army is working hard to catch up.
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TSgt Joshua Copeland
A1C with 3 rows. Here is the likely bottom right up:
AF Training ribbon
Marksmenship
AF BMT Honor Grad
AF Expeditionary ribbon
GWOT-S
GWOT-E
NDSM
One of the unit awards
Maybe an Achievement form deployment or honor guard.
AF Training ribbon
Marksmenship
AF BMT Honor Grad
AF Expeditionary ribbon
GWOT-S
GWOT-E
NDSM
One of the unit awards
Maybe an Achievement form deployment or honor guard.
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