Asking Pentagon why it has reportedly decided to rank a new medal for drone operators above some combat medals ow.ly/hQPx9
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Senator Pat Toomey (@SenToomey) February 19, 2013While many of the petitions on the White House’s official “We the People” site have ranged from odd to outright ridiculous, there’s one that deserves serious attention, and it received a boost today from former Rep. Allen West.
Support the WH petition to lower precedence of new Drone Warfare Medal. It's an affront to Bronze Star recipients: wh.gov/dfzD—
Allen West (@AllenWest) February 19, 2013
The petition reads, in part:
Under no circumstance should a medal that is designed to honor a pilot, that is controlling a drone via remote control, thousands of miles away from the theater of operation, rank above a medal that involves a soldier being in the line of fire on the ground. This is an injustice to those who have served and risked their lives and this should not be allowed to move forward as planned.
Though some critics have dismissed the Distinguished Warfare Medal as a “video game medal,” for many supporters of the military, the question isn’t whether to honor the men and women who operate unmanned aircraft, but rather where the medal should rank. The Distinguished Warfare Medal would rank above the Bronze Star, and that has West and others concerned.
New medal for cyber/drone wars – higher than Bronze Star w/no personal risk? Crazy. This isn’t t-ball where showing up is enough. It’s war.—
Allen West (@AllenWest) February 14, 2013
There is no frakking way this thing ought to take precedence over a Bronze Star. stripes.com/news/us/pentag…—
Joshua Treviño (@jstrevino) February 14, 2013
In a slap in the face to people who actually fight wars, DoD says drone medal will remain ahead of the Bronze Star. defense.gov/news/newsartic…—
Brandon Friedman (@BFriedmanDC) February 19, 2013
@BFriedmanDC It's BS! The Drone medal may be combat related, but it is NOT combat! My son got 3 BSM, he was KIA. Drone ops go home at nite.—
Karen Meredith (@GoldStarMom) February 19, 2013
Asking Pentagon why it has reportedly decided to rank a new medal for drone operators above some combat medals ow.ly/hQPx9—
Senator Pat Toomey (@SenToomey) February 19, 2013
Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) today sent a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta expressing his concerns over the new medal’s ranking. His letter asks two questions:
- Where does DOD plan to rank the Distinguished Warfare Medal in the order of precedence, and what is the rationale?
- To what extent were members of the veterans community, particularly those with combat service, consulted on the planned order of precedence?
@SenToomey awesome. It should be ranked at the level of a campaign medal or meritorious service and below outsanding unit award—
Stephan Brodhead (@TheBrodcastnet) February 19, 2013
@sentoomey Thank you. I've wondered this myself. Seems a slap in the face to men I served w. in Iraq who went into danger almost daily.—
David Wood (@DavidWoodJr) February 19, 2013
For now, though, the medal stays put.
DoD says #drone medal will stay in current position, ahead of bronze star defense.gov/news/newsartic… defense.gov/news/newsartic…—
Amber Barno (@Amber1816) February 19, 2013
DOD Press Secretary George Little addressed the controversy today, telling the press that the Distinguished Warfare Medal will retain its ranking and is “not diminishing at all the importance of the Bronze Star.”
To be eligible to receive the award, a service member has to have direct, hands-on employment, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle operator dropping a bomb or a cyber specialist detecting and fending off a computer network attack.
Combatant commanders must certify the impacts of the action before the award is forwarded to the service secretary for approval. The secretaries may not delegate that authority.
Regardless of the Pentagon’s statement, plenty aren’t about to let the new medal rank above the Bronze Star, at least popularly.
Joystick Jockey? FT @flooraction: Toomey questions Panetta’s decision on the new medal for drone operators bit.ly/UEHSex—
Pølitical Møøse™ (@Political_Moose) February 19, 2013
Does a non-sentient drone even know it got a medal?—
Jim Stogdill (@jstogdill) February 19, 2013
Recipients of the new Drone Warfare Medal will be derided by most members of the Armed Forces. #TopGamerRibbon #TeaAndMedals4All #TGDN—
Al Pipkin (@alpipkin) February 19, 2013
New military drone medal outranks Bronze Star?! "Captain Doe toggled the drone to within 3 feet of the ground risking battery and antenna.."—
Robert Meyer (@bobmeyer667) February 19, 2013
