The Sunday Telegraph reported that a British Major, a member of the Royal Artillery, who was attached to the 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment, was arrested for falsifying his accomplishments in order to be awarded a Military Cross.
There has been concern about so-called “medal inflation” creeping into the Armed Forces, under which units have ended up with a larger haul of medals for actions in Helmand than they would have received under similar circumstances in previous conflicts.
Not wishing to stir up a hornet’s nest, it is also my observation that while the Bronze Star is permitted to be awarded for Meritorious Service in a combat zone and with Valor Device for Military Actions in a zone, perhaps it is time for the United States Military to develop a separate and distinct award for Meritorious Service in a combat zone. I have wondered, for a while, that perhaps since the Distinguish Service Cross (Army), the Navy Cross (Navy, USMC), and Air Force Cross (USAF) are the second highest awards, that perhaps we should consider making both the Bronze Star with V Device and the Silver Star the Bronze and Silver Military Cross, while retaining the Bronze Star for Meritorious Service in a combat zone. I am not sure what should be done with the Silver Star? Of course, this will cause a huge administrative nightmare for all the services, so it may not be practical.
Medal inflation is nothing new. Heck, we had a presidential candidate a few years ago whose chief claim to fame was based on it.
I just wrote a term paper on the topic of fraudelent medals and the manipulation of service records from veterans of the Vietnam war. The Stolen Valor Act of 2005 was passed by Congress to address the problem. During my research, I learned about the tragic suicide of Admiral Boorda in 1997. Admiral Boorda’s service record was going to be released to the public by Newsweek or Time. This is a real issue that affects veterans, as well as active service members lives, in dealing with trauma, recognition and healing. If you are interested in my paper, please email me and I’ll share it.
Here is my email: yamiyugikun@yahoo.com