That’s raised questions why so few have received the Medal of Honor since the nation has been at war for more than a decade. During the Vietnam war, by contrast, the Medal of Honor was given to more than 250 recipients.
The military will review the cases of about 1,000 Silver Star and fewer than 100 Service Cross recipients through 2017, Pentagon spokesman Matthew R. Allen said Monday.
For Thomas Hagel, an Army veteran who received the Bronze Star and was recognized for valor in combat in Vietnam, the review makes sense. In his time at war, the three-time Purple Heart recipient said he witnessed overlooked acts of heroism, and soldiers who received medals “that never should have been given.”
“Anything they can do to give recognition to combat veterans who deserve it, (I’m) all for it,” said Hagel, a retired University of Dayton law professor.
New recognition
The Defense Department will create two new devices as the change takes effect over the next year.
- The letter "C" on a uniform ribbon would signify direct involvement in combat.
- The letter "R," which stands for "remote," could be placed on a noncombat medal to indicate the role of drone pilots and cyber warriors in support of combat operations from a remote location.
- The existing letter "V" — in use for decades — would continue to signify valor in combat, but the Pentagon wants the criteria on how its awarded standardized throughout the services "to ensure unambiguous recognition of combat valor," Allen said in an email.
Retired Air Force Maj. Michael Banzet, a former tanker pilot who served in Iraq for a year training Iraqi military cadets, backed recognition of extraordinary service, but had concerns about “medal inflation.”
“People should be proud of their service and they shouldn’t need an individual medal to demonstrate that,” said Banzet, 48, of Oregonia near Springboro. “… Just doing your job should not merit a different medal. If you perform in an extraordinary fashion, than perhaps.”
Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta had announced plans in 2013 to give drone pilots and cyber warriors the newly created Distinguished Warfare Medal.
Two months later, those plans were scuttled by his successor, Chuck Hagel, who was wounded under fire alongside his brother, Thomas, in combat in Vietnam. Veterans groups complained about the medal’s placement above the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
“Our concern was the ranking,” said Joe Grassi, the American Legion director of the national security division and an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan. “Our position was that the medal shouldn’t be senior in ranking to the medals earned by troops in harm’s way.”
Still, drone pilots and operators should be recognized, he said, endorsing more specific descriptions through letter devices on ribbons. “I think that when you are dealing with military awards, the more specific you can be, the better.”
Grassi said he supported the review of Silver Star and Service Cross medals to see if those cases merit the Medal of Honor as long as standards to award the highest military recognition don’t change.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars objected to the Distinguished Warfare Medal, but supports the use of the letter “R” device “which when affixed properly to an already existing noncombat medal will recognize the invaluable contributions that service members contribute daily to the fight from afar,” spokesman Joe Davis said in an email Monday.
Thomas Hagel questioned what level of combat recognition drone pilots should receive.
“I can’t imagine a scenario where a drone pilot sitting in a container in a Utah desert thousands of miles from direct combat would deserve, for example, a Bronze Star with a v device, v for valor,” Hagel said. But he added he backed the latest attempt to recognize their contribution.
In 2013, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said a device, such as the letter “R” on ribbons, would replace the medal.
Drones at war
The 178th Wing at Springfield Air National Guard Base has drone operators who, from their base in southwest Ohio, fly remotely piloted vehicles on overseas missions. Troops on the ground have often called on drone fliers to attack insurgents when soldiers are under fire or want to keep enemy combatants under surveillance.
Col. Bryan Davis, commander of the 178th Wing at Springfield Air National Guard Base, was cautious in his assessment of how the decoration changes, including the addition of the letter “R,” will affect drone operators.
“With it being announced so recently, we don’t really know what the impact or criteria of the device is, which makes it difficult to comment on,” he said in a statement released through a spokesman.
“However, we do feel it is extremely important to recognize the work of our Airmen in the (remotely piloted aircraft) community,” the drone pilot and former F-16 aviator said. “They have a key role in supporting our service members overseas and we support them getting the awards and recognition they deserve.”
Corey T. Yoder, a Navy veteran who served in Iraq, said new letters placed on military ribbons aren’t needed.
“I don’t think it’s necessary to distinguish what level combat you were in,” he said. “To me, that’s almost like you’re bragging. As service members, we clearly know what you did in the service.”
Navy SEALs wear a gold Trident device on their uniforms while infantry soldiers and combat engineers have uniform markings that distinguish what they do, he said.
Yoder, 30, of Celina, was a Navy sailor and aviation ordnance handler for the land-based P-3 Orion. He said he served at Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq.
“Anybody that was over there took mortar rounds … but I don’t need a letter on a ribbon to say my base got shelled,” he said.
Mike Gomia, commander of the American Legion Post 218 in Middletown, served as a supply and transportation clerk in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam war. Though he saw no combat, he received a Bronze Star because he went “above and beyond” his requirements, he said.
He also served with a graves registration unit, identifying bodies flown back to the United States.
Gomia, 67, said he was “very grateful” to receive his Bronze Star in December 1969, but he understands if the military decides to change how it recognizes combat participation.
So does Butch Frederick, commander of the VFW Post 1069 in Fairfield.
“I have the deepest respect for them,” he said of veterans who saw combat duty. “I’m all for it. We should always honor our veterans.”
Frederick, 68, said he served as a radio interceptor analyst during Vietnam. For that, he said, he received a service medal.
Staff writer Rick McCrabb contributed to this story.
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