One stripe Sergeant with 20 awards?

[Marinefelon]

You are not authorized to wear the GWOT EX with Afghanistan or Iraq Campaign, the Campaign medals are a replacement to the GWOT EX.

Yes you can

If you got the GWOT ex Before Iraq had its own campaign medal... then you did a 2nd Tour you can wear both

[Nedward]

I see. But are you able to wear the GWOT EX and Afghanistan Campaign?

[Tennessee Top]

Disagree there are only 5 possible unit awards

PUC, JMUA, NUC, MUC, Battle E


And
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medal
Combat Action Medal

These are Personal awards below Purple Hearts. Although enlisted guys will not see those 1st 3.

Actually...

I was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal as the Detachment Commander, MSG Detachment, Port au Prince, Haiti in 1988. We were named the #1 detachment for the MSGBn that year and I won the "Detachment Commander of the Year" award (equal to DI and recruiter of the year). True, that particular medal is normally given to commanders (officers)...which I was.

[rchrdharris]

Some guy told me I might be deserving of more medals than I've been given. Anyone know how I find out? I have ND, VNsvc, VNcamp, ComAct, VNCross, GC, PH.

[1stRad2671]

And
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medal
Combat Action Medal

These are Personal awards below Purple Hearts. Although enlisted guys will not see those 1st 3.

That's odd I got an Air Medal w/V and a star, and I wasn't even air crew.



Plenty of enlisted have received Air Medals.

[Marinefelon]

Saying those 3 are more often then not seen by officers

[Zulu 36]

Saying those 3 are more often then not seen by officers

Perhaps in the Corps the Meritorious Service Medal is rare for enlisted. It is not uncommon in the Air Force and Army for Senior NCOs (I have one). The Defense MSM, however, is rare for enlisted, as is the Joint Commendation Medal.

[Sgt Leprechaun]

Concur, although the MSM is typically a 'retirement' award in the Corps these days, but I've seen SNCO's wearing them on AcDu as well.

Great discussion.


Some guy told me I might be deserving of more medals than I've been given. Anyone know how I find out? I have ND, VNsvc, VNcamp, ComAct, VNCross, GC, PH.

Uhh..'some guy'?

Easiest way to check is ask for your SRB records. Next easiest is to look up your old unit in the unit awards manual, we have a link for that as a sticky in this section.

[cubawatcher]

A lot of it depends on the unit clerk.He's told by "someone" to put in for certain awards and they may or may not be approved.When we left Nam in 65 after only about 4 months there and rotated back to the states we were later given a PUC and a Naval Unit Commendation award.Also Viet Cross of Gallantry-ribbon only no medal and all the other associated lettuce that went with time in country.Did I do anything personally to earn these-maybe not-but it was well above my pay grade and since most of these are unit awards and I always figured as a Marine I was part of a TEAM I'll accept and wear them.My father,father in law and step father all served in the pacific during WW11 and received about 3 ribbons apiece even though they spent several years there.Like some wag said "you don't get what you deserve,you get what you negotiate."

[Joshjames1234]

You are not authorized to wear the GWOT EX with Afghanistan or Iraq Campaign, the Campaign medals are a replacement to the GWOT EX.

Somewhat true. If you served in Iraq or Afghanistan before 2005 when the campaign medals were released, you rate the GWOTE. However, you do have the option to replace the GWOTE with the campaign medal you served in. (You can't get both for the same deployment.) Nowadays, however, you would only rate the campaign medals for service in Iraq/Afghanistan. There's a list of other countries (Qatar, etc) that would rate the GWOTE today.

Sgt Leprechaun: Agreed...I've been to quite a few retirement ceremonies this year for Gunnies, Master Gunnies, and Sergeants Major...the Meritorious Service Medal does seem to be a retirement gift these days!

[Corpsmanup24]

Just a little thought. Look at the ones to the right of and above the National Defense Ribbon. That's what we always did when I was on active duty. I had 4 one with two stars to the right and above. After I got out my unit was awarded a PUC and 2 NUCs, the VN Cross of Gallantry, Civil Actions Medal, I was awarded a CAR later in life along with the VN Campaign with Device, VN Service with FMF and 4 stars, Expert Pistol, Expert Rifle. We didn't get sea deployment or overseas duty or I would have had quite a few more. I also didn't receive the FMF Badge. Things change, but, the people serving don't. Semper Fi.

[MAR1N3]

Good evening Marines,

The other day I saw a Marine who's uniform astonished me, to say the least. I saw a Sergeant (E-5) with one service stripe, and five rows of four ribbons. Yes, that's twenty ribbons...I did a double-take to make sure I was seeing the correct amount of rows/stripes, and I was. Unfortunately, when I saw this Marine in the packed elevator (which I had to get off at the next floor), I only had enough time to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks...I was unable to tell how many of those were personal awards.

And since then, I've been thinking about it. The Commandant has 21 ribbons, and the SMMC (we all know just how much he has done) has 22. I mean, I'm even trying to think of the best possible scenario, with each deployment being in a different place, each unit/personal decoration being different, etc...

Most people get the basic three (ND, GWOT, GC), and if you go to Afghanistan, see combat and get wounded, that's an additional 5 (Campaign, NATO, Sea Service Deployment, CAR, PH). Go to Iraq, spends time as a POW, and his unit earns a Presidential Unit Commendation, a Joint Meritorious Unit Award, and he leads in combat and gets a Commendation Medal with "V" device, that's another 5 (Campaign, POW, PUC, JMUA, Comm).

So far this guy’s stack is only at 13.

In 7 years or less, he probably could only do one B-billet, so that's one, and say he got a NAM and a MUC, that's two more. And even if he did a year in Japan and got an Overseas Service ribbon and did a 30-day training exercise in Korea and gets a Korea Defense Service Medal, there's another two. So far, that's 18.

Comes home, spends time in the States, and receives a Humanitarian Service Medal for all the community service his team does, along with a Unit Commendation, because his unit is just that hot.

Then, while he is home, he runs into myself at the Marine Corps ball, and I am so astonished when I see this guy in the elevator, that my brain short-circuited and I couldn't even think to ask SNM about how the HECK he got all those medals…especially before his second enlistment!

Has anyone seen something similar? The more I think about it, there just HAD to be at least a few he faked. Thoughts?

Now a days is much easier to get ribbons and medals than it was when I served. Too much action going on around the world or ribbons and medals are being made in China that is much cheaper to manufacture and to hand them out. HAHAHA. (just teasing guys).
I served from 1994-98. Not too much going on then. Just Kosovo, Liberia, Bosnia, just to say a few. When I was assigned to my second duty station, I had just been meritoriously promoted to Cpl and I had more ribbons and badges than my own CO, XO, WO3, SSgt, and Sgt. (I only had three ribbons, Imagine that). When I checked in, I could feel all eyes on me since I looked like Chesty Puller compared to them. I had been with 8th Marines and deployed to Liberia during Operation Assured Response-Liberia and Operation Quick Response-Liberia. Back then, not everyone could qualify with the Beretta 9mm. I had qualified with it, had my sharpshooter pistol badge and my 3x Expert Rifle badge. From operations Assured Response and Quick Response I got my HSM and JMUA. That made three for me since I already had the NDSM. One month there, the CG of 2ndMarDiv awarded me the N&MCAM for actions in Operation Assured Response. General Livingston sure made my citation sound like I was a hero. You couldn't believe the jealous look from all the Cpl's and Sgts that were on their 2nd Enlistment and had nothing to show for. Shortly after that, I received my "cookie", bringing me up to five ribbons. Talk about making an entry in a new duty station. HA!
Anyhow, that goes to show you that it's all possible. Specially now a days that there's so much going on. You have to be in the right place, at the right time.

Semper Fi

[William Hardy]

Good evening Marines,

The other day I saw a Marine who's uniform astonished me, to say the least. I saw a Sergeant (E-5) with one service stripe, and five rows of four ribbons. Yes, that's twenty ribbons...I did a double-take to make sure I was seeing the correct amount of rows/stripes, and I was. Unfortunately, when I saw this Marine in the packed elevator (which I had to get off at the next floor), I only had enough time to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks...I was unable to tell how many of those were personal awards.

And since then, I've been thinking about it. The Commandant has 21 ribbons, and the SMMC (we all know just how much he has done) has 22. I mean, I'm even trying to think of the best possible scenario, with each deployment being in a different place, each unit/personal decoration being different, etc...

Most people get the basic three (ND, GWOT, GC), and if you go to Afghanistan, see combat and get wounded, that's an additional 5 (Campaign, NATO, Sea Service Deployment, CAR, PH). Go to Iraq, spends time as a POW, and his unit earns a Presidential Unit Commendation, a Joint Meritorious Unit Award, and he leads in combat and gets a Commendation Medal with "V" device, that's another 5 (Campaign, POW, PUC, JMUA, Comm).

So far this guy’s stack is only at 13.

In 7 years or less, he probably could only do one B-billet, so that's one, and say he got a NAM and a MUC, that's two more. And even if he did a year in Japan and got an Overseas Service ribbon and did a 30-day training exercise in Korea and gets a Korea Defense Service Medal, there's another two. So far, that's 18.

Comes home, spends time in the States, and receives a Humanitarian Service Medal for all the community service his team does, along with a Unit Commendation, because his unit is just that hot.

Then, while he is home, he runs into myself at the Marine Corps ball, and I am so astonished when I see this guy in the elevator, that my brain short-circuited and I couldn't even think to ask SNM about how the HECK he got all those medals…especially before his second enlistment!

Has anyone seen something similar? The more I think about it, there just HAD to be at least a few he faked. Thoughts?

It is totally possible. I did 11 1/2 with the Corps and finished up my time with Army National Guard. Did a tour in Nam in '69 and a tour in Iraq in '06. My signature shows the federal ribbons, but not the state awards. Don't get so paranoid, some people just hang around a long time. I have 2 hash marks for my time in the Corps, but I did another 20 plus in the Army National Guard and have 7 if my count is right (1 for every 3 years). This also gave me what I call duplicate awards since I have Good Conduct medals for both services. I have my ribbons and medals for Nam and for Iraq, plus others I got during peace time such as the JSCM. I also rate 4 or 5 more state awards, but the site I use for my signature does not currently have those listed. Most of my rack I got for hanging around for a long time, like having been awarded the NDSM 3 times (Vietnam-Desert Storm-The War on Terror).

[Carpshooter]

Prior Army they get medals for everything

That's correct as I was a weekend Warrior in the Army NG and they had a ribbon for about everything !

[SBYates]

You are not authorized to wear the GWOT EX with Afghanistan or Iraq Campaign, the Campaign medals are a replacement to the GWOT EX.

MEU's that go into CENTCOM rate GWOT EX, and if you do another deployment you rate, whatever Campaign Medal.

For the twenty ribbons, if you go on a deployment like I just got back from, 26th MEU, We did HA/DR in Pakistan, then part went to Afghanistan. And then did missions in Egypt and Libya. Some guys got 7 ribbons alone, and we haven't even seen a unit award come out, so it is possible these days. Oh by the way, those guys that went to Afghan got both the GWOT EX and Afghan.