Posted on May 12, 2021
Why are we only allowed to wear one NATO Ribbon?
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The question is probably unanswerable, but why do you think that we are not allowed to wear the other ribbons if earned?
All of the ribbons are different in appearance (with exception to the non-article 5 for GWOT) and are awarded for different missions and time periods.
NATO Medals
- Article 5
- Non-Article 5
- Kosovo
- Balkans
- Operation Active Endeavor
Additionally, why do you think we're not allowed to wear them with the devices NATO authorizes? For example if you were involved in Resolute Support / Freedom's Sentinel an Afghanistan Service Bar comes with the medal and ribbon for our NATO allies, but we are not authorized those devices. I find that interesting since during World War II and Korea we used service bars on our medals.
All of the ribbons are different in appearance (with exception to the non-article 5 for GWOT) and are awarded for different missions and time periods.
NATO Medals
- Article 5
- Non-Article 5
- Kosovo
- Balkans
- Operation Active Endeavor
Additionally, why do you think we're not allowed to wear them with the devices NATO authorizes? For example if you were involved in Resolute Support / Freedom's Sentinel an Afghanistan Service Bar comes with the medal and ribbon for our NATO allies, but we are not authorized those devices. I find that interesting since during World War II and Korea we used service bars on our medals.
Awards
Military History
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 6
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Per the reg you found, US uniform standard is to wear one ribbon with attachments to indicate multiple awards.
Otherwise we’d all me walking around like North Korean generals.
I would like to see a simpler ribbon rack where redundant awards are removed when a more descriptive medal is earned
For example, with the award of the AFG campaign medal one should cease wearing national defense and GWOT in order to clean up the rack. AFG implied the other two.
It’s how many non circular medals one has not how many circular participation medals.
Otherwise we’d all me walking around like North Korean generals.
I would like to see a simpler ribbon rack where redundant awards are removed when a more descriptive medal is earned
For example, with the award of the AFG campaign medal one should cease wearing national defense and GWOT in order to clean up the rack. AFG implied the other two.
It’s how many non circular medals one has not how many circular participation medals.
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SPC (Join to see)
MSG (Join to see) - After that was explained to me that's how I look at awards now, they tell a story. The more you have the bigger the story, and I figure why not make it simplistic and amusing.
Of course there's the real awards, V devices and silver stars and so forth. I can't make a fun explanation for those and I don't really want to. The rest though, that's the gist of them.
I think I forgot some.
KDSM - You drank Soju for 30 days, don't deny it.
AGCM - Congratulations you didn't get caught or you sucked up for three years.
ARCAM - One weekend a month, two weeks a year (yeah right) and you didn't get a DUI.
ARCAM Alternative - Holy crap S1 actually processed it.
Of course there's the real awards, V devices and silver stars and so forth. I can't make a fun explanation for those and I don't really want to. The rest though, that's the gist of them.
I think I forgot some.
KDSM - You drank Soju for 30 days, don't deny it.
AGCM - Congratulations you didn't get caught or you sucked up for three years.
ARCAM - One weekend a month, two weeks a year (yeah right) and you didn't get a DUI.
ARCAM Alternative - Holy crap S1 actually processed it.
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CPT (Join to see)
SPC (Join to see) - A Drill SGT of mine didn't wear his purple heart, because it represented the enemy succeeded at his job.
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SPC (Join to see)
CPT (Join to see) - My Senior DS once said that the Purple Heart is an enemy sharpshooter badge, so I can understand the sentiment.
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SFC Casey O'Mally
CPT (Join to see) - One of two awards I ALWAYS said I never wanted.... The other being MoH. Because if I got EITHER of those, shit had gone wrong. SERIOUSLY wrong in the case of the latter.
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NATO isn’t the country you swore an oath to. It’s part of how it was all worked out with the US agreements. After Desert Storm US personnel didn’t receive some of the money/ gold offered by The Kuwait and Saudi Governments because US Soldiers don’t serve as a mercenary Army! Just chalk it up to that’s the rule and regulation. A lot of us never even earned or wanted to earn a UN or NATO Medal.
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SPC (Join to see)
I had heard that KSA offered gold devices on their version of the Kuwait Liberation Medal but I didn't know they literally offered us gold. I could see why the government would decline that offer.
It's just one of those rules that makes you want to ask why considering other historical parallels. Why did we allow the palm on the Vietnam medals but not these devices, why did we allow the bar on the Korean medal but not these ones, and so on.
It's probably not answerable, but it is kind of interesting all the same.
It's just one of those rules that makes you want to ask why considering other historical parallels. Why did we allow the palm on the Vietnam medals but not these devices, why did we allow the bar on the Korean medal but not these ones, and so on.
It's probably not answerable, but it is kind of interesting all the same.
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Suspended Profile
I worked with the Spanish Army and many had no awards. There were Captains with a single award and it was from another country.
SPC (Join to see)
While I can't speak for the Spanish Army Chief, I think it's difficult to compare honors and accoutrements between one armed force and that of another due to differences in standards, lineage, etc.
While I don't think we should be out hunting ribbons, I do think we have a cultural issue regarding awards in the Army. Those issues being ignorance of the regulation, laziness among admin personnel or leadership in processing an award, a power/inferiority complex among leaders regarding awards and rank, and the "I got screwed over so screw everyone below me" crowd.
While I've never served with the Spanish Armed Forces, I have met the British, Canadian, French, Norwegian, and a few others while overseas and I can say the issue isn't uniquely an American one. It seems virtually every unit is guilty of some such award violation regarding their respective nations military regulations.
While I don't think we should be out hunting ribbons, I do think we have a cultural issue regarding awards in the Army. Those issues being ignorance of the regulation, laziness among admin personnel or leadership in processing an award, a power/inferiority complex among leaders regarding awards and rank, and the "I got screwed over so screw everyone below me" crowd.
While I've never served with the Spanish Armed Forces, I have met the British, Canadian, French, Norwegian, and a few others while overseas and I can say the issue isn't uniquely an American one. It seems virtually every unit is guilty of some such award violation regarding their respective nations military regulations.
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Suspended Profile
From what I understood from my Spanish counterparts not only do they not have time in service type awards and good conduct awards but they don't have campaign awards which for most of us is probably 2/3 plus of our racks. It also sounded like they don't have much in the way of achievement awards.
SSG (Join to see)
It's funny you say this. I did a lot of work with UK SOF....same thing. 9th deployment, 3 medals.
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SPC (Join to see)
So their awards are primarily valor based would be my guess rather than service, achievement, and merit. That's interesting, it seems we had a shift after the Civil War with commemorative and local issue medals until the the change around WWI-WWII.
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