I think it was Napoleon who said.. "Give me enough medals, and I will win any war"
Hold fire, earn a medal
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday May 12, 2010 15:51:31 EDT
U.S. troops in Afghanistan could soon be awarded a medal for not doing something, a precedent-setting award that would be given for “courageous restraint” for holding fire to save civilian lives.
The proposal is now circulating in the Kabul headquarters of the International Security Assistance Force, a command spokesman confirmed Tuesday.
“The idea is consistent with our approach,” explained Air Force Lt. Col. Tadd Sholtis. “Our young men and women display remarkable courage every day, including situations where they refrain from using lethal force, even at risk to themselves, in order to prevent possible harm to civilians. In some situations our forces face in Afghanistan, that restraint is an act of discipline and courage not much different than those seen in combat actions.”
ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Are things so bad, that we are going to start awarding medals for NOT shooting? I know what some of you are going to say... "Eric, we are killing women and children" My answer to that is... YEP!!! As unfortunate as that is, coalition forces have killed civilians who were either mistaken as enemy combatants, or were just caught in the line of fire. Now, it doesn't help matters much when the enemy is welcomed openly into these villages. Villages where they receive aid and comfort. Villages where they plan, and often execute attacks on coalition troops. Look no further than Wanat.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wanat
Now, bad guys using good guys and their houses for cover is nothing new..History is full of examples. What is also not new is hoping, if not knowing, that good guys will generally not kill civilians,or blow up their shit. It is when the enemy is counting on the good guy not shooting that things get hairy. If the enemy and the civilians who are supporting them KNOW that their villages, and every living thing in them MIGHT get blown off the face of the planet, the village elder might just tell the bad guy to pack sand, and move out.
In terms of collateral damage. I seem to remember watching B-17s carpet bomb Germany, and Japan on the History Channel. Operation Rolling Thunder in Vietnam indiscriminately bombarded hundreds of square miles. In today's world of Laser and GPS guided bombs the likelihood of collateral damage is small. I guided bombs to within 10 feet of the target. Guess what.. Bad guys died, the houses where the bad guys were hiding were destroyed, but the girls school didnt recieve a scratch, nor did the Mosque.
Eric's Law on Medals.
Anyone who receives a medal, or award above an ARCOM (Army Commendation Medal) should be required to immediately pin it on their dress uniform and proceed to the nearest VFW. Whereby they should be required to tell all present the circumstances by which the medal was awarded. If at the end of your story, a member of the VFW buys you a drink, you can proudly wear that medal. However, if at the end, that Veteran slaps the taste out of your mouth, looks at his friends and says " Can you believe that shit" or words to that effect you should immediately take that medal off or better yet, never been awarded it because you pulled the trigger.
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"Eric's Law on Medals." Are you implying that all the O's that work in the TOC don't deserve Bronze Stars w/ V's? That sir, is crazy talk. Coffee burns are a real danger on the modern battlefield.
ReplyDeleteRoss.. Like I said.. So long as the O or NCO in the TOC can look that old man in the eye at the VFW... He or She is good..
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I havent heard of a TOCie getting a V on their Bronze Star.
OK, I coulda sworn Gen McChrystal put the kibosh on this, but after research realize he just said no NEW medal is indicated, NOT that we shouldn't award "courageous restraint" with a medal:
ReplyDelete"The top general in Afghanistan said Thursday he believes the concept of “courageous restraint” should be recognized but that a new medal to do so isn’t the answer.
A spokesman for Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s International Security Assistance Force confirmed earlier this week that a proposal was making the rounds for a medal that would recognize heroic efforts to protect innocent civilians during combat — a key tenet of the force’s counterinsurgency strategy to win hearts and minds.
McChrystal said in response to a question on the proposal during a Pentagon press conference that he agrees with the concept and that courage in uniform “can come under actions that may not be as expected or as traditional, involving killing the enemy. They may involve protecting civilians.
“There’s a great photograph from the Marjah operation,” McChrystal continued. “I think it’s a U.S. Marine shielding an Afghan man and an Afghan child with his own body. He wasn’t shooting anyone. He didn’t kill any Taliban. But I would argue that he showed as much courage as any that I’ve seen on the battlefield.”
But, McChrystal added, “I don’t think we need a different medal to differentiate different kinds of courage.”
ISAF spokesman Rear Adm. Greg Smith said McChrystal has made his intent clear in video conferences with commanders and that it will be up to them to determine the appropriate level of such an award.
Possibilities might include the services’ various commendation medals, and the Bronze Star or Air Medal, awarded for meritorious achievement or acts of heroism “in connection with military operations against an armed enemy.”
Eric, I agree with your post.