Thursday, October 8, 2009

Quickie: The Bronze Star, not an ‘atta boy’ medal

Bronze Star Medal; Decoration of the U.S.Image via Wikipedia

David Tate of The Battlefield Tourist had trouble with how the Bronze Star is handed out these days. He writes:

“Four guys see combat and 21 get the Bronze Star? The problem is the “V” device. Get rid of it. The Bronze Star is a hero’s medal; not an ‘atta boy’ medal. Stop giving it for meritorious purposes. Redefine it I say! It just sucks that there’s this whole slew of Bronze Star license plates out there that have the same meaning to the general public. It’s almost a disservice considering the average person can’t distinguish between a man who single-handedly knocked out two machine gun nests on Tarawa versus an admin clerk who served the general a great cup of joe.”