"Gord Beaman" ) wrote in message . ..
"Brian" wrote:


"M Power" wrote in message
. com...
It's unfortunate that this
happens, but it does. PFC Lynch is yet another example of crappy
politics at work. Regardless of your *opinions* on this matter, the
*fact* is that PFC Lynch was awarded a medal she did not deserve.

Which was my original point. I'm not trying to excoriate Lynch, it's just
depressing to see medals like Bronze Stars handed out for soldiers just
doing their jobs. I felt the same way about the 3 dolts who got captured
during the Kosovo conflict. Lynch certainly did not ask for the attention or
the medal. In fact, I'm sure she'd have rather just been sent back to the US
quietly. The Army is too busy touting her as some hero and basically
exploiting her for PR reasons.


This is quite true.

No, it is not, Gord. You are buying into the argument of a guy who has
classified the ambush as a "traffic accident", tried to blame Lynch
for her own predicament, and failed to acknowledge that Lynch has not
been the only 507th Maint Co troop who received the BS (a Sgt.
Campbell got one, along with a Sgt Rose, who also garnered the "V"; by
my not necessarily complete count, at least two other soldiers from
the 507th who were captured received BS's and one, a Pvt Miller,
received the Silver Star--not bad for a "traffic accident"). Mr Power
has the concept of the Bronze Star all screwed up--but the fact is
that without the "V", as in this case, it is an award for "meritorious
*service*" (hence the verbage in the US Army description of the award
criteria, "Awards may be made to recognize single acts of merit or
meritorious service"), has been, and is, given to folks who've never
seen a shot fired in anger and served in staff and support roles far
behind the lines. Nor is this a new twist to the award--the record
holder, a MG named Pendleton, received *nine* BS's during his career,
and only *one* of those had a "V" device attached.

From the 8 June 2000 Stars and Stripes:

"A recent review by the Stars and Stripes of the way the Bronze Star
was awarded to U.S. personnel involved in the airstrikes on Yugoslavia
found that the Air Force awarded 185 of the medals, the vast majority
going to officers and top commanders. Only 25 enlisted Air Force
troops got the nod. Of all the medals awarded, only one in 10 actually
was in the combat zone. In the Navy, most of the 69 Bronze Stars
awarded went to officers out in the fleet where Yugoslavia's navy made
the Adriatic and Ionian seas part of the combat zone; although at
least four were awarded to staff officers in Naples, Italy, for work
far from harm's way. The Army, which had 5,000 troops positioned in
Albania, also part of the combat zone, awarded no Bronze Stars."

And you think Lynch demonstrated less exemplary service than *they*
did? How about the other soldiers who received awards of the BS in the
507th--are you going to yank their ribbons away as well? On what
grounds?


It's also sad that the average person will be
more impressed with her getting the medal and all the obvious PR
bull**** than to be impressed with the Army if it had followed
the proper procedures WRT medals and given her only those she had
earned then scooting her home quietly. This is what SHOULD have
impressed the most people.

Why all of this animosity for a *service* award that is routinely
given to staff pogues, including non-officers (though not quite as
routinely), and has also been awarded to many of her fellow unit
members without engendering all of this hoopla? The problem I have
seen in these threads is that most folks (surprisingly for a military
related newsgroup) can't seem to grasp just how commonplace the BS as
a service award really is, and that her award in no way implies
"heroism" on her part.


Perhaps it's really true when they say "Bull**** baffles Brains".

Only so far as the bullship baffling those brains that can't seem to
grasp what the BS w/o V device really is.


Or "We get the kind of government that we deserve". Gee.

Huh?

Brooks