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Vets have a point on Distinguished Warfare Medal

By Staff | Mar 26, 2013

It isn’t easy to get veterans all riled up over the creation of a new medal to honor meritorious service, but that’s exactly what departing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta appears to have done shortly before stepping down last month.

In mid-February, in one of his final acts, Panetta announced the establishment of the Distinguished Warfare Medal to recognize service members for outstanding contributions to combat operations without ever having stepped foot on a battlefield.

The medal is intended to bestow honor to drone pilots and other so-called “cyber warriors” who rely on advanced technology to influence ground operations sometimes thousands of miles away.

“I have seen first-hand how modern tools like remotely piloted platforms and cyber systems have changed the way wars can be fought,” Panetta said in a statement announcing the new medal. “We should also have the ability to honor extraordinary actions that make a true difference in combat operations, even if those actions are physically removed from the fight.”

While some detractors were quick to label the new award the “Nintendo” medal, it’s not the creation of the medal that caused such a stir among combat veterans, lawmakers and the public.

Rather, it’s where the new medal has been placed on the hierarchy of military hardware – immediately below the Distinguished Flying Cross but above the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, which are awarded for service on the battlefield.

The outcry among veterans organizations was quick and to the point. In fact, on Feb. 27, his first day on the job, new Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel received a letter from the Veterans of Foreign Wars protesting
the ranking of the new medal.

While acknowledging the importance of recognizing those engaged in technological warfare, VFW Commander-in-Chief John Hamilton wrote that “medals that can only be earned in combat must outrank new medals earned in the rear.”

That same sentiment prompted calls from members of Congress for the Pentagon to reconsider the placement of the new medal.

New Hampshire Sens. Kelly Ayotte and Jeanne Shaheen were among a bipartisan group of 22 senators who signed a letter to Hagel urging him to do just that, saying placing the new award above the Bronze Star and Purple Heart “diminishes the significance of awards earned by risking one’s life in direct combat or through acts of heroism.”

Ayotte is also one of 28 co-sponsors on a bill introduced by Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., that would ensure the Bronze Star and Purple Heart retain their rank ahead of the new medal.

After initially defending it, Hagel did an about-face March 12 and ordered a review to determine where the new medal should rank among the military’s nearly 60 medals and ribbons. The review is expected to be completed by the middle of April.

No doubt technology has changed the face of warfare in today’s world. Actions taken thousands of miles away can be just as critical as those taken on the ground in the heat of battle – and the Pentagon is correct to recognized them as such.

But ranking the new Distinguished Warfare Medal above those that recognize valor or death on the battlefield was a significant error in judgment.

One we trust will be corrected next month when the Pentagon’s review is completed.

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