thedrifter
03-13-07, 04:21 PM
Conway wants medals awarded faster
By Kimberly Johnson - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Mar 13, 2007 15:29:57 EDT
The Marine Corps is investigating whether it can expedite awarding of top valor medals, the commandant told Marine Corps Times.
“The concern has been that we’re taking too long on some of the more senior awards,” Commandant Gen. James Conway said Friday. Marine Corps Times accompanied the Corps’ top officer last week as he held town hall meetings with Marines in St. Louis and Miami. “Unfortunately, in some cases, we have Marines who are already out of the service as opposed to receiving their Silver Star or Navy Cross in front of their shipmates. They’re brought back, and it’s awarded to them, and they’re in coat and tie. And it’s just not right.”
Corps officials are reviewing the entire awards process, looking for logjams in the system.
“We’ve looked at it, and there are instances in the approval process where it seems to be taking too long,” Conway said. “We’re going to apply some rigor against it and see if we can’t do some things to speed the process.”
One of the biggest delays is forwarding the award request to the Marine expeditionary force level from the originator, which is likely at the platoon level, he said.
“If you … subdivide the amount of months it was taking to do that, then you can see … where different people with different hands on it was taking some time,” Conway said.
“We’re going to look in those two areas and see if we can’t do something about tightening them up,” he said. “There may be some way to take a look and maybe see if maybe there’s [something sequential] there that can be applied that won’t in any way diminish our conviction that we’re applying the award to the right person.”
Corps officials are also taking another look at the Bronze Star and whether regulations for awarding it need clarification, Conway said.
“The Bronze Star is sometimes confusing to people,” he said. “We’re looking to see if we’re applying the right criteria against the Bronze Star with the ‘V.’ If we need to, we’ll go to the secretary of the Navy with a recommendation for a change in how we do business.”
At the center of the confusion is that Bronze Stars are awarded for both combat valor and meritorious service, he explained. “If you’re looking at a person wearing a Bronze Star, if it doesn’t have the ‘V’ on it for valor, then it may mean one thing. If it’s got a ‘V’ on it, you assume it was for a valorous act.
“I got to say if we had it to do all over again, I think we’d probably do it differently,” Conway said, meaning that it would be clearer what actions rate the combat distinguishing device, and what actions rate the meritorious version of the award.
In an interview last year, Sgt. Maj. John Estrada, sergeant major of the Marine Corps, said the award is not always clear-cut.
“The thing is, the ‘V’ is just not for valor. The distinguishing device is obviously authorized for wear if it’s for acts or service involving direct participation in combat operation,” Estrada said. “It’s not specifically for valor.”
However, when Conway was commander of I Marine Expeditionary Force in 2004, he laid out guidance that showed “V” meant you needed to be shot at.
“The criterion is in some ways similar to the [Combat Action Ribbon], with the central requirement that the Marine or sailor had to be under fire. Simply operating in the [area of operations], or within range of enemy systems, does not warrant presentation of the ‘V’ device,” it stated.
Ellie
By Kimberly Johnson - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Mar 13, 2007 15:29:57 EDT
The Marine Corps is investigating whether it can expedite awarding of top valor medals, the commandant told Marine Corps Times.
“The concern has been that we’re taking too long on some of the more senior awards,” Commandant Gen. James Conway said Friday. Marine Corps Times accompanied the Corps’ top officer last week as he held town hall meetings with Marines in St. Louis and Miami. “Unfortunately, in some cases, we have Marines who are already out of the service as opposed to receiving their Silver Star or Navy Cross in front of their shipmates. They’re brought back, and it’s awarded to them, and they’re in coat and tie. And it’s just not right.”
Corps officials are reviewing the entire awards process, looking for logjams in the system.
“We’ve looked at it, and there are instances in the approval process where it seems to be taking too long,” Conway said. “We’re going to apply some rigor against it and see if we can’t do some things to speed the process.”
One of the biggest delays is forwarding the award request to the Marine expeditionary force level from the originator, which is likely at the platoon level, he said.
“If you … subdivide the amount of months it was taking to do that, then you can see … where different people with different hands on it was taking some time,” Conway said.
“We’re going to look in those two areas and see if we can’t do something about tightening them up,” he said. “There may be some way to take a look and maybe see if maybe there’s [something sequential] there that can be applied that won’t in any way diminish our conviction that we’re applying the award to the right person.”
Corps officials are also taking another look at the Bronze Star and whether regulations for awarding it need clarification, Conway said.
“The Bronze Star is sometimes confusing to people,” he said. “We’re looking to see if we’re applying the right criteria against the Bronze Star with the ‘V.’ If we need to, we’ll go to the secretary of the Navy with a recommendation for a change in how we do business.”
At the center of the confusion is that Bronze Stars are awarded for both combat valor and meritorious service, he explained. “If you’re looking at a person wearing a Bronze Star, if it doesn’t have the ‘V’ on it for valor, then it may mean one thing. If it’s got a ‘V’ on it, you assume it was for a valorous act.
“I got to say if we had it to do all over again, I think we’d probably do it differently,” Conway said, meaning that it would be clearer what actions rate the combat distinguishing device, and what actions rate the meritorious version of the award.
In an interview last year, Sgt. Maj. John Estrada, sergeant major of the Marine Corps, said the award is not always clear-cut.
“The thing is, the ‘V’ is just not for valor. The distinguishing device is obviously authorized for wear if it’s for acts or service involving direct participation in combat operation,” Estrada said. “It’s not specifically for valor.”
However, when Conway was commander of I Marine Expeditionary Force in 2004, he laid out guidance that showed “V” meant you needed to be shot at.
“The criterion is in some ways similar to the [Combat Action Ribbon], with the central requirement that the Marine or sailor had to be under fire. Simply operating in the [area of operations], or within range of enemy systems, does not warrant presentation of the ‘V’ device,” it stated.
Ellie