"New US military award - inauguration duty" Topic

So the US military has a new award – the "Presidential Inauguration Support Ribbon" which is given to troops who deployed to Washington in support of the inauguration.

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Pretty sure the ribbon should be for surviving the food during supporting the inauguration. It was more dangerous than the non-existent terrorists who failed to emerge and launch a coup.

Oh, please.
It WAS a coup attempt, but incredibly and incompetently unorganized.

And the living conditions, just sleep on the floor of the corridor.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
Bunker Talk blog

We can have differing opinions on whether the capitol riot was an attempted coup but there has been no armed insurrection since the guard was deployed in large numbers. Pretty sure CNN would've mentioned that if there had been an assault during the inauguration or after.

CNN's so call "armed insurrection" in which not a single weapon was confiscated according to the FBI. The only shot fired was at an unarmed insurrectionist. If this was a real insurrection, our government would be under different leadership right now. Meanwhile the Capitol is surrounded by razor wire fence. We look more like a totalitarian government then a democracy of the people. What are all the troops doing in DC anyway? There are more troops in DC than there was during the Civil War. They should be at our southern border dealing with that crisis. Funny how you are required to have a negative covid test to enter the US unless you illegally cross the southern border then it is OK to come here and spread the virus. I heard it's costing tax payers 500 million a month to pay for the Guard to stand around DC and do nothing. What an embarrassment this once great country has become.

"Pretty sure the ribbon should be for surviving the food during supporting the inauguration. "

Yes, because of the color of the ribbon, it's been called the Purple Stomach Award… ;-)

There are more troops in DC than there was during the Civil War.

Not really.

At the peak of post January 6 reaction there were 26,000 Guardsman in DC for January 20. There are a bit under 5,000 Guardsman left in DC primarily due to the confusion around the Q-anidiots and their plus/minus March 4 fantasy du jour.

At the lowest point in the ACW (after the initial period) DC has just under 10,000 defenders when threatened by Early after Grant had pulled the heavy artillery regiments into the Army of the Potomac. Two divisons of VI Corps were moved back to DC to secure against Early.

So will there be a ribbon for those who missed out defending America from insurrection but weren't able to be deployed to save DC? Why be elitist about ribbon sprinkling?

I continue to be amazed at the people who call the Jan 6 riot an armed insurrection without providing any supporting evidence. Armed usually means weapons, and that usually means firearms, not improvised clubs, knives, etc.

There was no attempt to overthrow the US government. Some not so bright people got over excited and rioted. It happens. Ask the citizens in Portland, Seattle, Wisconsin, Detroit, Chicago.

A ribbon for sleeping on the floor ! Hey I and
lots of others wound up sleeping on floors back
in '63.

Guess that doesn't count, eh ??

Now where are we headed ? And why is it so crowded
in this handbasket ??

Not really.

At the peak of post January 6 reaction there were 26,000 Guardsman in DC for January 20. There are a bit under 5,000 Guardsman left in DC primarily due to the confusion around the Q-anidiots and their plus/minus March 4 fantasy du jour.

At the lowest point in the ACW (after the initial period) DC has just under 10,000 defenders when threatened by Early after Grant had pulled the heavy artillery regiments into the Army of the Potomac. Two divisons of VI Corps were moved back to DC to secure against Early.

So by your own numbers, 26,000 is greater than 10,000. So YES Really. And speaking of numbers, illegal border crossings exceeded 100,000 in February and no covid tests required. I guess that is good news for some of you.

By the way, what is a "Q-anidiots"? I've never heard of that; is it some sort of fake news conspiracy theory?

Bottom line … they did their duty when called upon … and did it well. I don't see the problem. I got an oversea ribbon for 22 months in the ROK. Maybe that should be with Oak Leaf cluster ?

And about 8-10 years ago, I was sent a Korean Defense Service metal. Of course I left the ROK in '85.

So again, they did their duty during an important time in US history.

So by your own numbers, 26,000 is greater than 10,000.

There are a bit under 5,000 Guardsman in DC. At no point in the ACW after the initial ramp up was the number of Union soldiers in DC under 10,000.

There are more troops in DC than there was during the Civil War.

Present tense thus incorrect. Saying that for a brief period in January and February there was a time when there were more troops in DC than an equally brief period in the ACW would be correct.

I think the only people interested in this fringe group, outside of this fringe group, are left leaning media and those who watch left leaning media. No one else cares.

Sure had out the medal. You would not want to diminish the value of military awards any further.

How many actually mean anything?

My Dad fought in W.W. II and got a total of 3 medals. I call them the "Thanks for being there" awards. W.W. II Victory, American Campaign and Asiatic / Pacific Campaign.

My bachelor party was at a Marine Corps hall. Needed a Marine to rent the hall, so a buddy came to meet with the post CO and present his DD214.

He was in the Marines 5 years (air wing) from 1979 to 1985 and had 14 or 16 medals. Never in harms way except for Go-Go bars in the PIs. He had one medal w/ cluster for "Fleet Deployment". I asked him what that was. He said he took a boat ride, twice.

They tried to give one of these awards to my former agency for the Marathon bombings in Boston. Nobody accepted them.

So they expanded the criteria to anyone who drove through one of two counties in the area (yes, drove through, just tell us that at one point in a 30 day period you drove in within 40 miles of Boston, but don't have to be directly involved in the event) and will give you a medal. They tried to just give them away. Still nobody put in for the medal.

I'm sure that many will wear this medal with pride.

No insurrection at all. Not even close.

About the new medal; I would never begrudge any serviceman for wearing an authorized medal. But I think we all know some medals are more important than others. I myself have a few medals which I feel were received for simply breathing. Am I authorized to wear them? Sure. Do I wear them? Sure. What bothers me is when a drone pilot receives an Air Medal. An Air Medal is given for heroism in aerial combat. How is flying a drone, while sitting on the ground hundreds, maybe thousands of miles away from the combat zone heroic in any way. Should a drone operator be awarded for showing superior skill in mission accomplishment? Sure, but it certainly shouldn't be an Air Medal which should be reserved for guys with their butts in the seat engaged in aerial combat with their life on the line.

I believe the Army gives two types of Air Medals, valorous which is earned in combat and meritorious which can be earned in other ways such as simply hours/missions in a combat zone. I believe the valor/merit distinction also exists for awards such as the Bronze Star where one can only be earned in combat whereas the other is fairly common for sitting in a TOC doing "meritorious" stuff in a combat zone. Looking at you Tom Cotton.

With both the Air Medal and the Bronze Star, there is a serious difference in gravitas between valor and merit.

Does the Airforce have a valor/merit distinction on some awards?

Your point is taken. There is a distinction. An aircrew may receive an Air Medal for a single act of heroism in flight or through flying a certain number of combat sorties. In both cases the aircrew has put their lives at risk. Drone operators need a separate medal for their accomplishments, so as not the water down the significance of the Air Medal. The individual risk to life is not comparable; unless you count choking on Cheetoes while flying your drone from your comfy trailer traveling at 0 knots.

My Father's Silver and Bronze Stars were for Valor … and he also got a Purple Heart … so that is self explanatory … For actions in WWII France.

My 4 metals – MSM, ARCOM and 2 AAMs were for merit … Few chances of real sustained combat '79-'90. Even if things could get a bit "dicey" on the ROK DMZ. As I said I had 2 tours there … But nothing that would be considered for "valor", per se.

Regardless some did see the elephant during that time. And were awarded metals for valor … and even some gold stars on their jump wings, for a combat drop.

We also had "thanks for being there" metals too. E.g. like an Overseas ribbon, National Defense, Korean Service Def. Metal. I had one or two others. Can't remember … couldn't have been that important ?

You don't join the military looking for metals …

National Defense

We called that the "road guard" ribbon.

I suspect the USAF created this problem (drone piloting) by insisting genuine pilots (who must be officers) have to be the drone pilots. This creates unhappy pilots and serious retention problems thus lame attempts including Air Medals (Meritorious- still better in your jacket) and full flight pay. Letting the enlisted kids ( I think a current experimental idea?) who grew up playing video games including flight sims would solve this as the kids are generally thrilled and the $4 USD million+ the US invested in getting the pilots into a real cockpit is better realized as an investment.

We called that the "road guard" ribbon.

😆 Never heard that one !!!! 👍👍

Very sad.

An outgrowth of the "everyone gets a trophy" concept of recognition in the PC age.

"An outgrowth of the 'everyone gets a trophy' concept of recognition in the PC age."

Actually, no. Guard soldiers who worked previous inaugurations received the DC Guard's Community Service ribbon. All the DC Guard did was create a separate ribbon for inauguration service to distinguish it from the more generic Community Service. It's really no different from a state Guard's State Active Duty service ribbons.

The larger point being that there are "medals" and than there are medals. All should be worn with pride, but just like there is a difference between being in a "combat zone" and actually being in combat. There is a big difference.

The larger point being that there are "medals" and than there are medals. All should be worn with pride,

Yes as I said, there are metals for Valor, for Merit and just for being there. The system has worked that way for sometime …