Saw this yesterday on foxnews.com:
The very nature of this medal requires that its recipients be judged at the highest standards, yet I would not want to think that the count is being sandbagged. (I also don’t like the suggestions that numbers of awards are derived from numbers of casualties.) Every act of heroism stands on its own, and we cannot (should not) manufacture or inflate the circumstances surrounding them. I do wish we had living recipients in this war, not because because I’d want anyone to go through what MoH holders have to go through, but because I know we have men like that now in the armed services. And they deserve to be recognized.
There is no question that every single day in Iraq and Afghanistan there are acts of heroism being performed by our Military, but………the criteria for the awarding of the Medal of Honor should stand and never be diminished by anyone thinking that not enough have been awarded to living Servicemembers.
If there is a qutoa put in place, say 1 MOH per 1.5K killed or what ever the number is placed at it will bring less honor to the MOH and the people that have EARNED it in the past.
If memory serves correct, 75% of ALL MOH recipients received posthumously.
wtc: you might not be far off the mark. what is true is that since vietnam, 100% have been posthumous.
Historically speaking, there have been many occasions when the Medal was awarded for what many of you would likely feel is not good reason.
Take, for example, the regiment of volunteers during the Civil War who were awarded it en masse for simply staying in the fight when their terms of enlistment expired. Granted, their awards were later rescinded, but the point is made nonetheless.
I think there is a real issue here, though, of actions that have been recommended for the Medal and have been downgraded to a service cross (be it DSC, Navy Cross, AFC).
I personally believe that Marine Sergeant Major (then-First Sergeant) Brad Kasal should have been awarded it. Because his Navy Cross took two years to be awarded, I suspect he was recommended for the Medal of Honor. However, in his marked humility, SgtMaj Kasal has never commented on this.
I don’t know why the services have been so hesitant to award it to living heroes. Perhaps it’s a financial issue, since there is a nice monthly stipend paid to recipients for their lifetime. It’s not much in the grand scheme of things, but maybe that’s why.
Perhaps there is a desire to maintain the standards of the Medal of Honor, but when I see the Army and Air Force hand out medals the way that they do, I find this reason hard to believe as well.
I don’t know why.
Personally, I believe whatever review is undertaken (if it is) should have representatives on it that have earned a Medal of Honor themselves.
In my eyes, they are the supreme subject matter experts on what action is worthy of a Medal of Honor.
Not some congressional aide or Pentagon staff weenie.