CF Service Medals

[Haggis]

Shades of the Warrior badge anyone?  Remember what the reaction in Cbt Arms units was like to a guy that only made Bronze?  No, no discrimination there. :

Nope...no discrimination at all.   Even Reservists were treated fairly when Class B Employment Opportunity messages came to almost universally read "Only members who have acheived the Warrior Programme Gold Status are eligible to apply".  Everyone now knew where they stood.

 

[geo]

Haggis... your attitude is showing!

 

[Infanteer]

Some of the responses were getting quite ascerbic - I removed them as they weren't adding anything that hasn't already been said.  It seems people are digging in and refusing to acknowledge the viewpoints of others (ie: "jealous" vs "gimme" - when neither is probably completely true).

My final comments on this before I pull out to viewer mode:

1.  The combat badge is a debatable one - Dirty Patricia, among others, has certainly pointed out that those who would merit one earned it.  And I definately support a badge that recognizes service in combat over something like the Golden Jubilee which is a true "gimme".  However, I am concerned over the way this one is going to be pitched (gold/silver/bronze) as opposed to a simple way the Aussies do it.  As well, I am leery of some outside effects that Teddy Ruxpin has highlighted - the murkey method of defining "action", careerism coming in, etc, etc.  There is nothing else that is more deserving of badge/medal recognition, but is this something that needs further amplification outside of the SWASM/GCS and your infantry capbadge?  I wonder if there was any debate over something like this in the Canadian Infantry Divisions in 1945?

2.  The Sacrifice Medal - the only reason I expressed dissent on this one is that we had a perfectly suitable system for recognizing wounds in service that has served us since the First World War.  Is it neccesary to change that for the sake of change?

3.  Other Awards/Badges - Badges for tough courses - Pathfinder, Assaulter, Ranger - whatever, I'll comment on them if I ever earn them.  I hope that we maintain some sense of balance so we don't look like some Soviet General.  Same with medals.  The GCS will not survive first contact (to quote someone else) as a catch-all ribbon full of bars - which I am happy to see.  I like to see medals for genuine service - it maintains a tradition of centuries that we've held to recognize service.  What I don't like are medals awarded willy-nilly for no real reason (Jubilee) or medals that some to become gimme's for service (Is the MSM now awarded to the chain of command for every battlegroup?)

Anyways, those are my opinions.  I'd encourage everyone else to consider why they hold their opinions and why others may hold a diverging opinion before they start going on the attack on this and related threads.  This is an emotive issue, and everyone has a stake in it.

Cheers,
Infanteer

 

[Journeyman]

Well, there's a militia Colonel wandering around Ottawa, wearing ribbons for Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan... having spent, oh...32, 33 days in each theatre. I can't wait to see how he weasles a Combat Badge.

op:

 

[KevinB]

I've always been upset there was never a DB medal - that way I would never have had to keep explaining why I was a Cpl (or Pte) again...

I never collected my CPSM, nor my GCS, for the unit seemed to go out of there way not to accomodate/facilitate it for me (and in one case outright blatantly lying on paper to me).

Bah -- I figure the troops earned them -- they should be entitled to wear them and wear them with pride -- it seems a lot of professional jealousy is coming into play from those who never have been and done that.

I'm sure the beer and bratwurst guys moaning long enough got them the NATO SSM, and while they where there -- they did not "done that" and most of them are too big now for the T shirt anyway...

 

[geo]

Well, there's a militia Colonel wandering around Ottawa, wearing ribbons for Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan... having spent, oh...32, 33 days in each theatre. I can't wait to see how he weasles a Combat Badge.
op:

Does it make any difference that he's "militia"?

 

[Staff Weenie]

Nope - I've seen Reg F Officers do exactly the same thing - folks who were sent over for a 28 day TAV falling ill on the last day and held for 2 more to get their 30 days...

That sort of behaviour is everywhere.

 

[dapaterson]

Well, there's a militia Colonel wandering around Ottawa, wearing ribbons for Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan... having spent, oh...32, 33 days in each theatre. I can't wait to see how he weasles a Combat Badge.

op:

Ah yes, what a "unique" individual he is.  He made many friends when claiming to have served with the boys in black - not knowing that there were members of said unit in the audience where he spoke...

 

[Dirty Patricia]

I never collected my CPSM, nor my GCS.....

There is no GCS for you here, but we can mount a shot gun shell for you!

 

[GUNS]

I've always been upset there was never a DB medal - that way I would never have had to keep explaining why I was a Cpl (or Pte) again...

I never collected my CPSM, nor my GCS, for the unit seemed to go out of there way not to accommodate/facilitate it for me (and in one case outright blatantly lying on paper to me).

Bah -- I figure the troops earned them -- they should be entitled to wear them and wear them with pride -- it seems a lot of professional jealousy is coming into play from those who never have been and done that.

I'm sure the beer and bratwurst guys moaning long enough got them the NATO SSM, and while they where there -- they did not "done that" and most of them are too big now for the T shirt anyway...

"beer and bratwurst guys"  WTF. I was one of those guys and I never "moaned" for a medal and I never asked to go to Germany. I, along with many others were posted.

I knew nothing of the SSM until told by word of mouth from a friend whom I served with.  

Soldiers deserving of medals, should get medals. How one wears their medals is up to them.

Those seeking a medal just for the purpose of just having them. Stand next to a WW II Veteran on Remembrance Day .

From what has been posted here, it would appear, medals have replaced hockey cards as a collectors item.

For those who earned their medals for doing their job, congrads.

For those who find a way to get their hands on a medal, ----------------(fill in the blank)

 

[KevinB]

There is no GCS for you here, but we can mount a shot gun shell for you!

Cool - I'll be in around end March  ;D

 

[1feral1]

Well, there's a militia Colonel wandering around Ottawa, wearing ribbons for Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan... having spent, oh...32, 33 days in each theatre. I can't wait to see how he weasles a Combat Badge.

op:

we got alot of staff weenies (and the like) here too, who spend mininum time in theatre for whatever reasons, but NO ICB/ACB.

No big deal, many others go and spend 6 months there, aand still don't get one.

Cheers,

Wes

 

[IntlBr]

Well, there's a militia Colonel wandering around Ottawa, wearing ribbons for Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan... having spent, oh...32, 33 days in each theatre. I can't wait to see how he weasles a Combat Badge.

op:

Just because I'm new... how does one get a tour to be only 33 days?  Are tours shorter than the generic 6 months for more senior types?

 

[geo]

Some individuals are sent over to cover off positions that suddenly open up - sickness, injuries, that sort of thing.

 

[Michael OLeary]

Just because I'm new... how does one get a tour to be only 33 days?  Are tours shorter than the generic 6 months for more senior types?

See this link for some examples, some medals only require 30 days or less to be eligible.

http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/cmdp/mainmenu/group05

 

[Disenchantedsailor]

without even checking the link SWASM and CPSM come to mind (with SWASM you have to have left Canada, or Tampa Bay to get it in less than 90 Days)

 

[geo]

note.... if you get your "blightie" and are evacuated out of Afghanistan... you qualify for your Star

 

[Journeyman]

Just because I'm new... how does one get a tour to be only 33 days?  Are tours shorter than the generic 6 months for more senior types?

Some individuals are sent over to cover off positions that suddenly open up - sickness, injuries, that sort of thing.

Thanks for providing yet another example of why some people are told to 'stay in their lanes' -- yep, a constant flow of Colonels being back-filled for "sickness, injury, that sort of thing" :

The reference, C of G, is to the never-ending trail of "experts" who find some need to be in-theatre without actually contributing to the fight. The Staff Annoyance Visits, the Tech visits (when you don't hold the equipment they're expert on), Padres from units providing a few augmentees, representatives from both Air Intelligence and NBCD (despite the Taliban having neither an airforce nor NBC weapons).....quite often for the 30 days necessary to get a gong.

Then having this "expertise," they proceed to pontificate....."harrumph, well, when I saved the Saudis......er, saw a postcard of Tarnak Farms.....er, dammit, single-handedly defeated Al Qaeda...."

A painfully large number of these people have absolutely no experience/ability to fix anything in-theatre, and are not in a position to fix any problems at the planning/deploying end. But as long as they look pretty in their Mess Kit and don't let facts interrupt a good story.....

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

I'm sure the beer and bratwurst guys moaning long enough got them the NATO SSM, and while they where there -- they did not "done that" and most of them are too big now for the T shirt anyway...

Hmmm, I expected better from you........


I said it before and I will always say it, everyone has basically done the same thing.................................what was asked of them at that particular time.

Everything else is just good/bad timing.

 

[PMedMoe]

I said it before and I will always say it, everyone has basically done the same thing.................................what was asked of them at that particular time.
Everything else is just good/bad timing.

Thanks, Bruce.  I, for one, prefer to call mine the Schnapps and Schnitzel Medal.  SSM, get it?   
I went over as a reservist when the bases in Germany were closing.  I served from Jan-Aug and only got full time pay.  No TD, no FSP, so to me, it was just like a tour. 
Not every reservist who went got the medal as most of the Class B contracts were not 180 days.  I was lucky enough, being a Tfc Tech, to get an extension to mine. 
Do I think I deserved that medal?  Sure.  Maybe we weren't fighting a war or anything, but I spent over 6 months away from my 2 year old daughter (yes, I know I volunteered) with nothing else but full time pay to show for it.