For everyone’s info, the meritorious service medal was CREATED to serve as the NONCOMBAT version of a bronze star. In the air force it is often used as a retirement medal or awarded to Major’s and above if they command a Squadron or higher (Company/Battalion/Regiment for the army and marines), in an expeditionary unit overseas for at least 6 months. But IF the expedition is to a theater in the middle east even adjacent to iraq/afghanistan, it is usually upgraded to bronze star EVEN if there was NO combat involved. In other words, the MSM exists for situations like that, but somehow higher ranking brass still get the medal specifically designed for minor combat heroism. It would be like saying enlisted-men and nco’s wounded in combat get a purple heart, but if you have shiny oak leaves, eagles, or stars on your uniform you can get a purple heart for injuring a groin muscle at the gym. Also, that very same bologna exists for the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal. It is the most beautiful decoration in my opinion; a silver star burst medallion with a large sapphire colored jewell in the middle. Yet it is essentially ONLY awarded to Colonels and Generals for basically just doing their jobs for a decade. What would be an Air Force Commendation medal or MSM for everybody else somehow gets upgraded about 10 steps if your job involves lots and lots of paperwork, meetings, and expensive business dinners.
I have as well. But as an E3 I was also coined by the BC and one of my battles as an E3 was coined by a General who was a post commander. My battle aided another unit who were short for out mos for like 2 weeks or something and during a training event I was told I went above and beyond my job description, but in my head I was just doing my job. Still it is nice to see lower enlisted get recognized for the work they do. As I go up further the only way the mission gets completed is because the lower enlisted do their jobs and do them well. I just sit and do the paperwork. Every win is their win not mine, and I make sure they know that. If they ever do fail, well reality is I failed them thats on me not them and I make sure the shit stops rolling at me.
In my last unit they pulled all the NCOs into a room and explained to us that we weren't allowed to recommend an ARCOM to anyone under E6. Was a total joke lol
This is true. Anyone enlisting! Take note! If you bust your ass doing your job, StaffSGTs job and warrant officers job your going to get a Letter of Appreciation and they will walk away with a medal. 😁
i hear this alot my dad was sent to Somalia for something EOD related, he was an E-4 at the time and after being their for a few months they all got put in for Navy Coms or Achievement, then in the end they said it wasn't fair to give only half of his mobile unit it since the other half wasn't selected. Ended up getting a shittyy Unit Commedation instead lmao
100% accurate (as a medic) at JRTC before going into the box we were refueling a truck, someone sprinted over asking for a medic we did our whole thing(took care of the patient) and the other guys involved all got arcoms (not medics) but not me and my fellow medic.
@@nickgerr1991requesting medical service for your battle buddy is above and beyond in your opinion? If you don’t do this then you have zero worth to the military, if you can’t even ask for help to save a life then you don’t deserve to serve your country
@@nickgerr1991 a medics job isn’t to run a get help either, it is to begin working on the casualty. I wouldn’t consider it to be going above and beyond by asking for help to save someone’s life
@@nickgerr1991 like you’re in the military, that is your job, mission comes first, and part of the mission is ensuring your fellow soldiers aren’t dying
This is 100% true. Plus when awards DO get awarded, there seems to be a rank associated with the award given. E1-E5 Achievement E6-E9 Comm Officers Bronze Star Let's be real...only BSVs count anyway. Lol.
This is 💯 facts! Omg this brings back memories and I hope those higher ups that took credit for my work are depressed, Divorced, and devastatingly broke from said divorce. IN THAT ORDER!
I hope they don't take credit for the one's who did the work. I'm considering joining as an officer, and I see a lot of enlisted vs officers, but I'd hope to be one who takes credit for what collectively everyone has done, as should everyone else.
I’ve seen this so much. Big reason to not stay in. The discrimination in treatment, awards and much more is insane. One of my daily responsibilities is to make sure anyone I meet or know, do not join the military.
@@SethAKPII'm pretty close to going officer infantry in hope to get my masters for free and be a strength coach for college when I get out is this low IQ in your opinion
Was given an Arcom for being in the field 30 days and volunteering for every duty and I was the only lower enlisted who had a license for everything. Before my Arcom. It was declined 3 times. Only reason I got it. Was I knew a full bird Col who saved his ass in a bind on a detail. My roomate saved 3 lives from a running forklift in an ammo bunker. The oxygen was depleted in the bunker. His Soldgiers medal was denied. He threatened to ETS and was told he would get a free pass at his promotion board for E5. They actually kept their word…
I was in the california air national guard as a security forces staff sergeant (similar to army MP buck sergeant). It was quite literally the easiest job available and still get all the benefits of a frontline marine rifleman haha. But anyway, i worked my behind off and excelled beyond anyone in my squadron (air force’s companies). At the end of a 6 yr enlistment i was honored with a meritorious service medal for all the extra things i volunteered for in that time, deployments, airman of the year for the wing (regiment), specialized duties, advanced training TDY’s, etc. The only other people at my base who even had that medal were ranked Major or higher, or were SMSGT (E-8) or higher. But then along comes our base Colonel who had the only bronze star on base; he got it for being a group commander (battalion CO) on some 6 month cake walk deployment to UAE or Saudi or something. They said it wasnt what he did, but the “level of responsibility he had on his shoulders during that time.” Haha, meanwhile some infantryman assaults a fortified position with his squad and silence and enemy MG and they all get Army Achievement Medals with the V for Valor (or V for Very sorry you dont have brass on your collar).
It’s also only captains and above too. I’ve been screwed while an E before but as a junior officer, it’s a bloodbath but captains always come out on top
My buddy went to Korea for 23 days, needed just one more week to get the Korean Defense Medal. The unit left on the 23rd day, the Gunny that was in charge of running administration for the Unit miraculously needed to stay back a week with a few Officers to make sure they had all their stuff in tact. 😂
My buddy got put in for a bronze star by our BC for shooting down 2 drones over al asad he got denied by the CG and idk how some of these butter bars got them. We literally will be walking through the b’s and mofos will walk up to him and say “ u saved my life bro” and he’ll say “bro stfu” 😂 but hey it is what it is
Medals don’t mean shit ones you get out, get an education better. No one know who you unless you work and be good to others and respect. Yes I have a DD 214..
Bullets my friend bullets… you can sit at your desk and sign off on everything and say “signed off on X amount of papers with stellar efficiency resulting in strategic victory” or say “I gave 69 people the aid they needed and saved their life” the officer guy just used bigger words, thus, he gets a medal
Nijmegen 1986: we were tasked to set up tents. We were 5 medium sized tents in and the OIC a Major, showed up and said we had to start over because he wanted to see 1 rope , 1 tent when he looked down the line. So we had to start all over and erect 25 GP Mediums…. And he was awarded an ARCOM. We got zero!
I got a sweet ARCOM which was originally a Bronze Star recommendation and downgraded....all the POGs in the TOC and all Officers got Bronze Stars. Half never left the wire and got fat at BAF.
As a military awards clerk. I can verify this is often 100% true.
For everyone’s info, the meritorious service medal was CREATED to serve as the NONCOMBAT version of a bronze star. In the air force it is often used as a retirement medal or awarded to Major’s and above if they command a Squadron or higher (Company/Battalion/Regiment for the army and marines), in an expeditionary unit overseas for at least 6 months. But IF the expedition is to a theater in the middle east even adjacent to iraq/afghanistan, it is usually upgraded to bronze star EVEN if there was NO combat involved. In other words, the MSM exists for situations like that, but somehow higher ranking brass still get the medal specifically designed for minor combat heroism. It would be like saying enlisted-men and nco’s wounded in combat get a purple heart, but if you have shiny oak leaves, eagles, or stars on your uniform you can get a purple heart for injuring a groin muscle at the gym. Also, that very same bologna exists for the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal. It is the most beautiful decoration in my opinion; a silver star burst medallion with a large sapphire colored jewell in the middle. Yet it is essentially ONLY awarded to Colonels and Generals for basically just doing their jobs for a decade. What would be an Air Force Commendation medal or MSM for everybody else somehow gets upgraded about 10 steps if your job involves lots and lots of paperwork, meetings, and expensive business dinners.
I have actually seen this first hand. Amazing!
As have I.
Outstanding!
Seen it too
I have as well. But as an E3 I was also coined by the BC and one of my battles as an E3 was coined by a General who was a post commander. My battle aided another unit who were short for out mos for like 2 weeks or something and during a training event I was told I went above and beyond my job description, but in my head I was just doing my job.
Still it is nice to see lower enlisted get recognized for the work they do. As I go up further the only way the mission gets completed is because the lower enlisted do their jobs and do them well. I just sit and do the paperwork. Every win is their win not mine, and I make sure they know that. If they ever do fail, well reality is I failed them thats on me not them and I make sure the shit stops rolling at me.
We had an officer on my tour write himself up
Wait huh?
Why? For what?
Is that even possible for consideration? I thought someone else had to recommend you for it.
My O4 wrote her own award then submitted to the O6 smh lol
What's her name I want to look up the citation, lol
In my last unit they pulled all the NCOs into a room and explained to us that we weren't allowed to recommend an ARCOM to anyone under E6. Was a total joke lol
Not even E-5s? That sucks
This is true.
Anyone enlisting! Take note!
If you bust your ass doing your job, StaffSGTs job and warrant officers job your going to get a Letter of Appreciation and they will walk away with a medal.
😁
Our readiness NCO gave himself a MSM for taking care of soldiers DTS during a MOB and still messed it up. But he got one
Seen so many Bronze star citations for officers but the enlisted that do the work barely get the recognition.
"All he did was sit in an office" 🤣
As a retired Army Master Sergeant I can attest to this being the case a lot. Also the medals we were put in for were always automatically downgraded.
i hear this alot my dad was sent to Somalia for something EOD related, he was an E-4 at the time and after being their for a few months they all got put in for Navy Coms or Achievement, then in the end they said it wasn't fair to give only half of his mobile unit it since the other half wasn't selected. Ended up getting a shittyy Unit Commedation instead lmao
This is painfully hitting close to home 🤣
100% accurate (as a medic) at JRTC before going into the box we were refueling a truck, someone sprinted over asking for a medic we did our whole thing(took care of the patient) and the other guys involved all got arcoms (not medics) but not me and my fellow medic.
So you want a cookie for doing job? The others went above and beyond their own mos it seems.
@@nickgerr1991requesting medical service for your battle buddy is above and beyond in your opinion? If you don’t do this then you have zero worth to the military, if you can’t even ask for help to save a life then you don’t deserve to serve your country
@@ArizonaGuns their primary mos isn't medic. Going above and beyond your primary mos is what gets you medals
@@nickgerr1991 a medics job isn’t to run a get help either, it is to begin working on the casualty. I wouldn’t consider it to be going above and beyond by asking for help to save someone’s life
@@nickgerr1991 like you’re in the military, that is your job, mission comes first, and part of the mission is ensuring your fellow soldiers aren’t dying
This is 100% true. Plus when awards DO get awarded, there seems to be a rank associated with the award given. E1-E5 Achievement
E6-E9 Comm
Officers Bronze Star
Let's be real...only BSVs count anyway. Lol.
My unit after iraq was E7 and up with all officers got bronze stars. E6 and below were lucky if they got anything to include a thank you.
This is 💯 facts! Omg this brings back memories and I hope those higher ups that took credit for my work are depressed, Divorced, and devastatingly broke from said divorce. IN THAT ORDER!
I hope they don't take credit for the one's who did the work. I'm considering joining as an officer, and I see a lot of enlisted vs officers, but I'd hope to be one who takes credit for what collectively everyone has done, as should everyone else.
I’ve seen this so much. Big reason to not stay in. The discrimination in treatment, awards and much more is insane. One of my daily responsibilities is to make sure anyone I meet or know, do not join the military.
Even as an officer?
@@dutch4973 correction, enlist*. I think the officer life is much better. Money, treatment and power.
@@SethAKPII'm pretty close to going officer infantry in hope to get my masters for free and be a strength coach for college when I get out is this low IQ in your opinion
Was given an Arcom for being in the field 30 days and volunteering for every duty and I was the only lower enlisted who had a license for everything. Before my Arcom. It was declined 3 times. Only reason I got it. Was I knew a full bird Col who saved his ass in a bind on a detail. My roomate saved 3 lives from a running forklift in an ammo bunker. The oxygen was depleted in the bunker. His Soldgiers medal was denied. He threatened to ETS and was told he would get a free pass at his promotion board for E5. They actually kept their word…
That's why I dont gauge SM's impact on the military by their chest candy.
I was in the california air national guard as a security forces staff sergeant (similar to army MP buck sergeant). It was quite literally the easiest job available and still get all the benefits of a frontline marine rifleman haha. But anyway, i worked my behind off and excelled beyond anyone in my squadron (air force’s companies). At the end of a 6 yr enlistment i was honored with a meritorious service medal for all the extra things i volunteered for in that time, deployments, airman of the year for the wing (regiment), specialized duties, advanced training TDY’s, etc. The only other people at my base who even had that medal were ranked Major or higher, or were SMSGT (E-8) or higher. But then along comes our base Colonel who had the only bronze star on base; he got it for being a group commander (battalion CO) on some 6 month cake walk deployment to UAE or Saudi or something. They said it wasnt what he did, but the “level of responsibility he had on his shoulders during that time.” Haha, meanwhile some infantryman assaults a fortified position with his squad and silence and enemy MG and they all get Army Achievement Medals with the V for Valor (or V for Very sorry you dont have brass on your collar).
It’s also only captains and above too. I’ve been screwed while an E before but as a junior officer, it’s a bloodbath but captains always come out on top
"why no one joins the army?"
Everyone e6 and up got bronze stars on my deployment. Everyone e5 and below got an aam.
My buddy went to Korea for 23 days, needed just one more week to get the Korean Defense Medal. The unit left on the 23rd day, the Gunny that was in charge of running administration for the Unit miraculously needed to stay back a week with a few Officers to make sure they had all their stuff in tact. 😂
Still pissed I didn't get good conduct.
As a medic this is true 😂
Accurate, and that's the problem.
My buddy got put in for a bronze star by our BC for shooting down 2 drones over al asad he got denied by the CG and idk how some of these butter bars got them. We literally will be walking through the b’s and mofos will walk up to him and say “ u saved my life bro” and he’ll say “bro stfu” 😂 but hey it is what it is
They gave an arcom to an officer for a 3 week TDY in my unit
Medals don’t mean shit ones you get out, get an education better. No one know who you unless you work and be good to others and respect. Yes I have a DD 214..
Rank has its privileges
Seen this happen a bunch of times.
everyday i find a reason not join
[INTERNAL SCREAMING]
Officers: turning bronze stars into participation trophies 🤦😡🤷♂️
Oh my God this dude's shorts are spot on!! lol Doing the Lord's work buddy.
There’s a reason they call it the Brown Star.
Holy fuck I never looked at it that way
Ooooo,
Lmao
🤣👍
This is why nobody is joining 😂
This is 100% true.
The way its always been......
The amount of truth..... is very unfortunate
Hell I think we’ve all seen this before
As long as we tracking!!!
Sounds about right.
Glad I got my Arcom
Truth!!!!
Bruh needs more subscribers
And why aren’t gen z joining and why retention is bad
Can someone explain why this happens? Why does it seem so unfair and seems like they do this on purpose?
I have seen this first hand
Bullets my friend bullets… you can sit at your desk and sign off on everything and say “signed off on X amount of papers with stellar efficiency resulting in strategic victory” or say “I gave 69 people the aid they needed and saved their life” the officer guy just used bigger words, thus, he gets a medal
Can confirm I was the VBIED
Memorial
How much work you look like you do in front of the right people.
Nijmegen 1986: we were tasked to set up tents. We were 5 medium sized tents in and the OIC a Major, showed up and said we had to start over because he wanted to see 1 rope , 1 tent when he looked down the line.
So we had to start all over and erect 25 GP Mediums….
And he was awarded an ARCOM. We got zero!
I know this is true from personal experience
100% true
Disgusting, they need to award our Corpsman and the army medics
So damn true…
Yep that's exactly how it is with medals, medals are useless
Officers earn awards for pushing paper, sucks to be enlisted
Get,not earned
It sucks, but it’s true.
facts
Truth 😑
So true. Enlisted are treated like shit in some units . The officers get all the credit for doing they’re job . Enlisted are lucky to get a Fn coin .
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Every bde hhc.
I disagree.
Officers pull their weight and do "Office" tasks for a reason.
I got a sweet ARCOM which was originally a Bronze Star recommendation and downgraded....all the POGs in the TOC and all Officers got Bronze Stars. Half never left the wire and got fat at BAF.