Combat Action Requirements

[MotorT3521]

If your so sick of "people like me" then why continue to post on this forum? If you dont like it, find something you do like to talk about. But thank you for the help and the info.

[doesitmatter]

i post on this forum because i am bored at work. i opened this thread because i thought i might be able to help you. i dont meet too many "people like you" on this forum but i have met plenty of wannabes in my time in the Marines.

i just cant believe you would even research the possibility of you rating a CAR.

[MotorT3521]

Again, thank you for the help, i really appreciate it.

[Preacher]

Some info for ya:

14. Combat Action Ribbon (CAR)

a. Authorization. SECNAVNOTE 1650 of 17 February 1969.

b. Eligibility Requirements

(1) Awarded to members of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard (when the Coast Guard or units thereof operate under the control of the Navy) in the grade of captain/colonel and junior thereto, who have actively participated in ground or surface combat. Upon submission of evidence to their commanding officer, personnel who earned the Combat Infantryman Badge or Combat Medical Badge while a member of the U.S. Army may be authorized to wear the CAR.

(2) The principal eligibility criterion is that the individual must have participated in a bona fide ground or surface combat fire-fight or action during which he/she was under enemy fire and his/her performance while under fire was satisfactory. Service in a combat area does not automatically entitle a service member to the CAR. The following amplifying remarks are furnished as guidance.

(a) Personnel in riverine and coastal operations, assaults, patrols, sweeps, ambushes, convoys, amphibious landings, and similar activities who have participated in fire fights are eligible.

(b) Personnel assigned to areas subjected to sustained mortar, missile, and artillery attacks actively participate in retaliatory or offensive actions are eligible.

(c) Personnel in clandestine or special operations such as reconnaissance, SEAL teams, EOD teams, and Mine Countermeasures operations are eligible when the risk of enemy fire was great and was expected to be encountered.

(d) Personnel aboard a ship are eligible when the safety of the ship and the crew were endangered by enemy attack, such as a ship hit by a mine or a ship engaged by shore, surface, air or sub-surface elements.

(e) Personnel eligible for the award of the Purple Heart would not necessarily qualify for the Combat Action Ribbon.

(f) Personnel serving in peacekeeping missions, if not eligible by the criteria cited above, are eligible to receive the award when all of the following criteria are met:

- the member was subject to hostile, direct fire,

- based on the mission and the tactical situation, not returning fire was the best course of action, and

- the member was in compliance with the rules of engagement and

his orders by not returning fire.

(g) The CAR will not be awarded to personnel for aerial combat since the Strike/Flight Air Medal provides recognition for aerial combat exposure; however, a pilot or crewmember forced to escape or evade after being forced down could be eligible for the award.

(h) Under Public Law 106-55, the CAR may be awarded retroactively to 07Dec41.

c. Operations. An individual, whose eligibility has been established in combat in any of the following listed operations

is authorized the award of the CAR. Only one award per operation is authorized. The listing is not all inclusive as the CAR has been awarded in minor operations and for specific actions. Subsequent awards will be indicated by the use of a Gold Star on the ribbon:

(1) Southeast Asia. From 01Mar61 to 15Aug73.

(2) Dominican Republic. From 28Apr65 to 21Sep66.

(No ships qualified)

(3) USS LIBERTY (AGTR 5). 08Jun67 and 09Jun67.

(4) USS PUEBLO (AGTR 2). 23Jan68.

(5) Operation FREQUENT WIND. (Evacuation Operations, Saigon) 29Apr75 and
30Apr75. (No ships)

(6) Operation MAYAGUEZ. 15May75. (No ships)

(7) Grenada. 24Oct83 - 02Nov83. (No ships)

(8) Lebanon. 20Aug82 to 01Aug84. (No ships)

(9) Persian Gulf

(a) COMNAVSPECWAR Task Unit Tango - 22Sep87

(b) USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS (FFG 58) - 14Apr88

(c) Operation PRAYING MANTIS - 18Apr88

SAG BRAVO

COMDESRON NINE STAFF embarked on (DD 976)

USS MERRILL (DD 976)

HSL-35 DET 1

USS LYNDE MCCORMICK (DDG 8)

USS TRENTON (LPD 14)

CONTINGENCY MAGTF 2-88

HSL 44, DET 5

SAG CHARLIE

USS WAINWRIGHT (CG 28)

USS BAGLEY (FF 1069)

HSL-35, DET 7

USS SIMPSON (FFG 56)

HSL-42, DET 10

COMMANDER, NAVAL SPECIAL WARFARE TASK

GROUP MIDDLE EAST FORCE

SEAL TEAM TWO, THIRD PLATOON

SAG DELTA

COMDESRON TWENTY-TWO

USS JACK WILLIAMS (FFG 24)

HSL-32, DET 2

USS JOSEPH STRAUSS (DDG 16)

USS O'BRIEN (DD 975)

HSL-33, DET 2

CO, SPEC BOAT UNIT TWELVE

SEAL TEAM 5, PLATOON C

(d) USS ELMER MONTGOMERY (FF 1082)
USS VINCENNES (CG 49) - 03Jul88

(e) Persian Gulf MCM Operations. Specific units during 19Nov87 to 01Apr88;
14 to 20Apr88; 20 to 23Apr88; and 02Aug90 to 10Sep91.

(10) Operation JUST CAUSE (Panama). 20Dec89 - 31Jan90. (No ships qualified)

(11) Operation SHARP EDGE. 05Aug90 - 24Aug90. (No ships qualified)

(12) Operation DESERT STORM. 17Jan91 - 28Feb91.

(a) The Secretary of the Navy approved the CAR as an exception to policy for the following ships that operated north of 28.30N and west of 49.30E from 17Jan91 to 28Feb91:

USS ADROIT (MSO 509) USS AVENGER (MCM 1)

USS BEAUFORT (ATS 2) USS BUNKER HILL (CG 52)

USS CARON (DD 970) USS CURTS (FFG 38)

USS DURHAM (LKA 114) USS FIFE (DD 991)

USS FORD (FFG 54) USS FORT MCHENRY (LSD 43)

USS PAUL F. FOSTER (DD 964) USS HAWES (FFG 53)

USNS HASSAYAMPA (T-AO 145) USS HORNE (CG 30)

USS IMPERVIOUS (MSO 449) USS JARRETT (FFG 33)

USS KIDD (DDG 993) USS LASALLE (AGF 3)

USS LEADER (MSO 490) USS LEFTWICH (DD 984)

USS MACDONOUGH (DDG 39) USS MCINERNEY (FFG 8)

USS MISSOURI (BB 63) USS MOBILE BAY (CG 53)

USS NASSAU (LHA 4) USS NIAGARA FALLS (AFS 3)

USS NICHOLAS (FFG 47) USS OKINAWA (LPH 3)

USS OLDENDORF (DD 972) USNS PASSUMPSIC (T-AO 107

USS PORTLAND (LSD 37) USS PRINCETON (CG 59)

USS RALEIGH (LPD 1) USS TRIPOLI (LPH 10)

USS VREELAND (FF 1068) USS WISCONSIN (BB 64)

USS WORDEN (CG 18)

(b) The following ships were approved for the dates indicated:

USNS COMFORT (T-AH 20) 26Feb91

USS GUAM (LPH 9) 25-26Feb91

USS IWO JIMA (LPH 2) 26Feb91

USS OGDEN (LPD 5) 25-26Feb91

USS MISSOURI (BB 63) 12Feb91 and 25Feb91 VC-6 Detachment

EODMU Detachments

USS RICHMOND K. TURNER (CG 20) 19-24Feb91

USS VALLEY FORGE (CG 50) 16-28 February 1991

USS LEADER (MSO 490) 23Mar91

(13) El Salvador. 01JAN81 to 01FEB92.

(14) Operation RESTORE HOPE (Somalia). 5Dec92 - 31Mar95. (No ships qualified)

(15) Cambodia. 01JUN92 to 15NOV93.

(16) Operation ASSURED RESPONSE (Monrovia, Liberia). 07Apr96 to 18Apr96. (No ships qualified).

(17) Kosovo Campaign. Specific units designated from 24Mar99 to 27Jan00.

d. Administrative Procedures. SECNAV determines which operations meet the criteria for this award. Requests for determination of eligibility of individuals for operations subsequent to 1975 should be sent to SECNAV via the chain of command including CNO or CMC, as appropriate, unless specifically delegated by SECNAV.

[Preacher]

Most up-to-date info:

CLARIFICATION OF COMBAT ACTION RIBBON (CAR) ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Date Signed: 2/24/2006
ALMAR Active Number: 010/06

R 240022Z FEB 06
FM CMC WASHINGTON DC(UC)
TO AL ALMAR(UC)
UNCLASSIFIED//
ALMAR 010/06
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC/MRA/FEB/AMP//
SUBJ/CLARIFICATION OF COMBAT ACTION RIBBON (CAR)
/ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA//
REF/A/DOC/SECNAV/07JAN2002//
POC/J. R. TAYLOR/LTCOL/CMC (MMMA)/-/TEL:703-784-9206/-//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. THIS ALMAR PROVIDES CLARIFICATION OF THE
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR THE CAR.
2. PER REFERENCE (A), THE TWO ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR THE CAR ARE:
(1) THE INDIVIDUAL MUST HAVE PARTICIPATED IN A BONA FIDE GROUND OR
SURFACE COMBAT FIRE-FIGHT OR ACTION DURING WHICH HE/SHE WAS UNDER
ENEMY FIRE AND (2) HIS/HER PERFORMANCE WHILE UNDER FIRE WAS
SATISFACTORY.
3. USING THIS DEFINITION AS A BASELINE, THE FOLLOWING GUIDANCE IS
PROVIDED:
A. THE EVOLUTION IN WARFARE THAT HAS OCCURRED DURING COMBAT
OPERATIONS IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ, ESPECIALLY IN REGARDS TO THE
THREAT POSED BY IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICES (IED), CAUSES
CONSIDERATION TO BE GIVEN TO ELIGIBILITY FOR THE CAR.
B. THE USE OF THE WORD "OR" IN THE PHRASE "FIRE-FIGHT OR ACTION"
CLEARLY ALLOWS A COMMANDER CONSIDERABLE LEEWAY IN DETERMINING
ELIGIBILITY BEYOND THE SCOPE OF A FIRE-FIGHT ENGAGEMENT ONLY.
C. PURSUANT TO THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE CAR, I CONSIDER
EXPOSURE TO A DETONATED IED AS BEING UNDER ENEMY FIRE. THEREFORE,
MARINES WHO TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTIONS DURING SUCH AN ENGAGEMENT MEET
BOTH CAR ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.
4. THIS GUIDANCE IS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. IT IS ALSO RETROACTIVE
TO 7 OCTOBER 2001. U.S. MARINE CORPS FORCES CENTRAL COMMAND WILL BE
RESPONSIBLE FOR COORDINATING A REVIEW OF THOSE INDIVIDUAL CASES
PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED BUT NOT APPROVED FOR THE CAR. FURTHER
AMPLIFYING GUIDANCE ON RETROACTIVITY WILL BE PUBLISHED VIA SEPARATE
CORRESPONDENCE.
5. AS WITH ALL INDIVIDUAL AWARDS, THIS GUIDANCE REQUIRES JUDGMENT
IN APPLICATION AND WILL REQUIRE THE PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT OF
COMMANDERS AT ALL LEVELS.
6. KEEP ATTACKING, M. W. HAGEE, GENERAL, U.S. MARINE CORPS,
COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS.//

[Backhaus 1103]

You don't rate a CAR, no way in hell dude. If you rate a CAR then I rate a Purple Heart for having rounds almost hit me. Would I wear the Purple Heart? Fu*k to the mother fu*king no. People have died to get that award just like people have actully been in combat to get a CAR. If they start giving them away for that you can have mine. I'm not wearing that sh!t.
The only way to get a CAR and not get in a firefight is get blow up and get hurt.

[doesitmatter]

thank you backhaus i thought i was the only one that was gonna call bull**** on this kid. you were in marjah? me too. good times....not really.

[Preacher]

MotorT,
According to this criteria, if the headwire was attached to an IED, or as us Vietnam Vets called them (Booby Trap), and it exploded and injured people when hit, then you would be eligible for the CAR. If however, it was not attached to an IED or other explosive device and only to two posts on either side of the road, then no you are not eligible for the CAR. But I would still talk to your Senior Enlisted Advisor (SgtMaj) to make sure, as criteria is constantly changing.

[Backhaus 1103]

Yea, it was fun...for the most part.

[hrscowboy]

gentlemen let me also remind you that if you recieve rockets or mortars inside your compound you rate the CAR but the C.O. will have to put the Company in for it and proof that the event happened such as after action reports or daily reports..

[Backhaus 1103]

Can't forget about IDF...but does that mean if Camp Leatherneck take one round that everyone on that b!tch gets a CAR? I fu*king hope not.

[hrscowboy]

well it happened at Mag 16 but ole charle used to walk rockets down the flight line sometimes 1 rocket other times 10 or 12 it just depended on how he felt that night..

[hrscowboy]

hahaha good ole charle he could make a boring night get real lively..

[kman311]

im so sick of people like you trying to get a CAR on a technicality. it cheapens the award for the people that really earn it. i had to fight my way out of Marjah to get my CAR. you want one because you had to duck?

ok, I laughed

[390 Mach I]

If your so sick of "people like me" then why continue to post on this forum? If you dont like it, find something you do like to talk about. But thank you for the help and the info.

ok, I laughed

Me too...

at the ridiculousness of the OP.