Air Force brings back Good Conduct Medal

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Air Force brings back Good Conduct Medal
Award to be retroactive to cover airmen who joined since 2006
By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, February 12, 2009

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Air Force Good Conduct Medal is back. The medal is being awarded retroactively to 2006, when it was discontinued, so airmen’s records are being updated "just exactly like that policy change never happened," said Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Rodney J. McKinley.

Enlisted airmen who have not had disciplinary problems over the past three years will be getting a new cluster on their Good Conduct Medals, and other airmen who joined the service since 2006 will be eligible for their first medal, McKinley said Wednesday.

"They will have the records updated today, and as far of actual presentation and pinning on, that’s at the command’s discretion," said Denise Harris, chief, Air Force awards policy and programs.

The award recognizes enlisted airmen who have demonstrated exemplary behavior for three years.

The Air Force Uniform Board initially recommended discontinuing the medal because the Air Force expects airmen to display good behavior all the time, McKinley said.

"That was not really vetted out to all the major commands and we didn’t really have a chance to really discuss whether or not it was the right thing to do to discontinue the Good Conduct Medal," he said.

In January 2008, the Air Force held an awards and decorations summit that recommended bringing the medal back, said Lt. Gen. Richard Y. Newton III, deputy chief of staff for manpower and personnel.

Air Force Secretary Michael B. Donley ultimately approved reinstating the Good Conduct Medal in November, Newton said.

"We needed to give [Air Force Personnel Center] the time work out all the procedures and how we were going to go back and make this happen," McKinley said.

The decision to reinstate the medal was not "a slam" against the Air Force officials who decided to rescind the award, he said. Those officials had good intentions but rescinding the medal was seen as "taking something away from our airmen," McKinley said.

"And what was the Air Force’s gain for that? Did we get better? Did we improve Air Force capability by taking away the Good Conduct Medal? My answer is no. What we did is anger a lot of people," he said.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

More, Please Sir
February 13, 2009: The U.S. Air Force has decided, by popular demand from air force personnel, to bring back the Good Conduct Medal for enlisted troops. Three years ago, it was decided to eliminate the award, mainly because there were too few air force personnel who didn't qualify for it. Since these awards are supposed to distinguish exceptional behavior, the Good Conduct Medal had, the air force brass reasoned, outlived its usefulness.

They reasoned wrong. The troops like their chest candy (ribbons they wear on their uniforms, or actual medal if they are wearing the fancy dress uniform). Just because nearly everyone got the Good Conduct Medal was no reason to eliminate the award. The reinstatement is retroactive, so no one will lose their ribbon.

Since 1941, the U.S. Army (and the U.S. Army Air Force, which became independent in 1947) has been handing out the Good Conduct Medal. The award was given to troops who served for at least three years, and didn't get into trouble. The intention was to encourage a largely conscript force, many of whom didn't want to be in uniform, to behave themselves. It never really worked, at least it did not have a major impact on troop behavior. It did make it easy, when veteran troops were wearing their dress uniforms, to pick out those who had not been in trouble.

The U.S. military has been all volunteer since 1972. But, for all practical purposes, the U.S. Air Force has been all volunteer since the end of World War II. Even with the draft, there were still plenty of young men and women willing to volunteer for air force service. And given a choice between the high tech, and more comfortable air force, and the army, a disproportionate number of the volunteers went to the air force. The air force rarely had to take any draftees after World War II. Since everyone was a volunteer, that created a much more disciplined, and well behaved, force. A force that no longer needed a medal to tell them they are well behaved, or so the generals thought. But for a force that rarely sees combat, medals for all sorts of "good behavior", or "commendation for outstanding work", have proliferated. The marines, who see the most combat, give out the fewest medals. The air force, on the other hand…

Ellie