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Michael, I never meant to try to diminish Pte Barry's gallantry. Just slam our system.
As for OMM and MMM, I don't know anybody that has received one of those. I know or know of people that have received the MSM, MB, and MID, and all for good reasons (heroic acts that saved soldiers or civilians lives in the Balkans). I have also heard of people getting other orders or decorations for less than heroic exploits (the less said the better), but they certainly look good pinned to these individuals chests......
It's all about who you save, who writes the recommendations, and who sees you doing it....... I think that some people only recommend pers for awards so that THEY look good, not neccesarily that the other pers actually deserves it. We used to joke in Bosnia about throwing our Troop Leader into a mine field that we already had covertly marked and cleared safe areas. We'd all crawl in, with camera crews filming, get our VC's, MB, Star of Courage, whatever, and never have to go on parade again (how true that is, I still wonder....). If the Tp Ldr was killed or injured, that's the price of fame ;D.
I seem to remember my buddy, who was more of a military history buff than I am, tell me about the numbers of officers getting medals in Korea, vs the number that the soldiers received. It seems it was the opposite ratio of what the US awarded. Not that I was shocked to hear that, but still a little disheartening. As I recall from him telling me, there was an officer that received a medal for action that his unit saw, and he wasn't even in the country at the time. Didn't turn it down, either, I guess.
Anyway, don't want this thread to veer off of what it was supposed to: acknowledge the heroics of a fellow soldier. I never did find out or hear how the fella made out (recovering from his wounds and all). Does anybody have that info???
Al
As for OMM and MMM, I don't know anybody that has received one of those. I know or know of people that have received the MSM, MB, and MID, and all for good reasons (heroic acts that saved soldiers or civilians lives in the Balkans). I have also heard of people getting other orders or decorations for less than heroic exploits (the less said the better), but they certainly look good pinned to these individuals chests......
It's all about who you save, who writes the recommendations, and who sees you doing it....... I think that some people only recommend pers for awards so that THEY look good, not neccesarily that the other pers actually deserves it. We used to joke in Bosnia about throwing our Troop Leader into a mine field that we already had covertly marked and cleared safe areas. We'd all crawl in, with camera crews filming, get our VC's, MB, Star of Courage, whatever, and never have to go on parade again (how true that is, I still wonder....). If the Tp Ldr was killed or injured, that's the price of fame ;D.
I seem to remember my buddy, who was more of a military history buff than I am, tell me about the numbers of officers getting medals in Korea, vs the number that the soldiers received. It seems it was the opposite ratio of what the US awarded. Not that I was shocked to hear that, but still a little disheartening. As I recall from him telling me, there was an officer that received a medal for action that his unit saw, and he wasn't even in the country at the time. Didn't turn it down, either, I guess.
Anyway, don't want this thread to veer off of what it was supposed to: acknowledge the heroics of a fellow soldier. I never did find out or hear how the fella made out (recovering from his wounds and all). Does anybody have that info???
Al