thedrifter
12-06-06, 07:01 PM
December 06, 2006
DoD looks for ways to improve medals process
By Rick Maze
Staff writer
Under pressure to move faster and in a more uniform manner in awarding medals for valor in combat, defense and services officials said Wednesday they want to do better but also don’t want to make mistakes in haste.
Faced with statistics that show it is taking longer to issue combat awards and that the services, particularly the Marine Corps, appear to be increasingly stingy with medals for valor and heroism, the House Armed Services military personnel subcommittee is pressing for changes.
Rep. John McHugh, R-N.Y., the subcommittee chairman, said something isn’t right. “I am concerned that the military services recently may have introduced, inadvertently, more stringent criteria into the Medal of Honor awards process than has existed in the past,” he said.
While McHugh was careful to say, “There are no evil actors here,” he said it also appears the awards process has evolved to the point that a person’s branch of service makes a difference in what award he or she might receive.
A key example is shown in statistics for the number of Bronze Stars for meritorious service awarded in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, McHugh said. The Army had handed out more than 52,000, the Air Force 3,849 and the Navy 1,080. The Marine Corps has issued 1,466, despite having deployed far more troops for ground combat duty in those operations than the Air Force and Navy.
The Defense Department is in the midst of a review of the combat awards process. The review began in September and is expected to be done in June.
Michael Dominguez, principal deputy secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said the review is looking at ways to improve and possibly speed up the awards process, but added that those processes “are not on autopilot.”
“Valor and heroism are subjective concepts,” he said. “It always will be a tough judgment call.”
While some have complained that it takes an average of 10 months for some valor medals to be awarded, such as service crosses, Dominguez said speed isn’t everything. “We must get it right the first time,” he said.
Ellie
DoD looks for ways to improve medals process
By Rick Maze
Staff writer
Under pressure to move faster and in a more uniform manner in awarding medals for valor in combat, defense and services officials said Wednesday they want to do better but also don’t want to make mistakes in haste.
Faced with statistics that show it is taking longer to issue combat awards and that the services, particularly the Marine Corps, appear to be increasingly stingy with medals for valor and heroism, the House Armed Services military personnel subcommittee is pressing for changes.
Rep. John McHugh, R-N.Y., the subcommittee chairman, said something isn’t right. “I am concerned that the military services recently may have introduced, inadvertently, more stringent criteria into the Medal of Honor awards process than has existed in the past,” he said.
While McHugh was careful to say, “There are no evil actors here,” he said it also appears the awards process has evolved to the point that a person’s branch of service makes a difference in what award he or she might receive.
A key example is shown in statistics for the number of Bronze Stars for meritorious service awarded in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, McHugh said. The Army had handed out more than 52,000, the Air Force 3,849 and the Navy 1,080. The Marine Corps has issued 1,466, despite having deployed far more troops for ground combat duty in those operations than the Air Force and Navy.
The Defense Department is in the midst of a review of the combat awards process. The review began in September and is expected to be done in June.
Michael Dominguez, principal deputy secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said the review is looking at ways to improve and possibly speed up the awards process, but added that those processes “are not on autopilot.”
“Valor and heroism are subjective concepts,” he said. “It always will be a tough judgment call.”
While some have complained that it takes an average of 10 months for some valor medals to be awarded, such as service crosses, Dominguez said speed isn’t everything. “We must get it right the first time,” he said.
Ellie