Not sure where this belongs, but I earned this medal last January. I didn't find out about it until yesterday, though. Maybe I'll wear it next week. Maybe not, I dunno. I don't want to be the first (everybody in my unit got it). It'll be my third one, which is exciting, because two ribbons looks weak and gay. So does three, but at least its more than two. Good timing because I planned on getting my picture taken soon.
Steve,
Are you REQUIRED to wear every decoration you're awarded? A "War on Terrorism Service Medal" is one I might be (speaking for myself only) reluctant to wear.
Interesting link, though. Is there a website where you could see and identify various medal ribbons? Just curious, 'cause I've got my friend Charlie's ribbons from his Marine Corps service in the 1950's. Don't know what they stand for, but it would be fun to find out.
#342
maddog: nope, I'm not required to wear all or any of my ribbons. And I dunno about a website for Marines medals. I have a book for Air Force ones. Try about.com they have all kinds of military stuff. I got the above picture from defenselink, though, I think.
Maddog, whether or not you are required to wear any or all of your ribbons is usually dependent on your command. Some will have various policies including requiring ribbons or medals for various functions or inspections, while others will be more lenient.
On another note, things sure have changed. Ensign Steve, you've been in the service for less than a year and you already have 3 ribbons? I served for 5 years and didn't have that many! Of course, that may have something to do with differences between the various services.
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I can see by your coat my friend that you're from the other side.
There's just one thing I got to know,
Can you tell me please, who won?
-- Wooden Ships by David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Paul Kantner
What branch of service were you in? I have the BMT graduation ribbon (which I know the Navy doesn't have, but I'm not sure of the others), so that's a given for everybody. I also have National Defense, which everybody in every branch who enlisted or re-enlisted after 9/11/2001 has. And now my new one, which everybody in my unit got. I know an E-4 who has nine ribbons. He's a bit of an overachiever, though. The Air Force gives away ribbons the way the Navy gives away stripes. Personally, I'd rather have the stripes.
Oh, and you're absolutely right about the first thing. The Air Force standard is to wear none, some, or all of your ribbons. But my last post we were required to wear them all. Here, the standard is the same as the AF. None, some or all.
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Last edited by Ensign Steve; 03-09-2005 at 12:40 AM.
Oh, and thanks for the move. I originally had typed a bit about the two new medals and I couldn't decide if it belongs in PD or CE. But then I decided I wanted only to talk about me me me. I just forgot to move it myself. THANKS!
I wound up with 8, myself. Although none of them mattered, as far as promotions were concerned. IIRC, this is how they'd look:
With a few OLCs (oak leaf clusters) to boot! I got the National Defense one (that's the one with red on the outside and the yellow stripe in the middle for you civilians) because when I joined up in '93, we were still involved with cleanup operations from Desert Storm, etc.
I pulled up some random bigwigs' profile to confirm getting the order right. As you look at them here, the most important/highest honor is on the upper left (the wearer's upper right). The good ensign will be able to correct me if I've got this wrong. It's been a few years and I may be mistaken.
eta: Congrats, Ensign, on your latest decoration. I'm sure you may already know that the ones you want for promotion purposes are the Achievement medal or higher.
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As you look at them here, the most important/highest honor is on the upper left (the wearer's upper right). The good ensign will be able to correct me if I've got this wrong. It's been a few years and I may be mistaken.
Looks good to me. I have no idea where to put this new one, however. I think I'll wait a week and see where others are wearing theirs.
Quote:
eta: Congrats, Ensign, on your latest decoration. I'm sure you may already know that the ones you want for promotion purposes are the Achievement medal or higher.
Thanks a bunch! For now I'm just happy to have anything, cuz it looks good in pictures.
I wonder why my employer doesn't give out ribbons and medals. For instance: The Recovery from the Brink of Bankruptcy Campaign ribbon, or the Decimated 401K ribbon, or the Can't Retire Until I'm Dead ribbon.
Actually, according to my manager, I should be thanking my lucky stars I've even got a job, let alone a good job.
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Sleep - the most beautiful experience in life - except drink.--W.C. Fields
The Army and Marines have a "War on Terrorism" medal for people who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq. This pisses me off for two reasons:
1) the war in Iraq has about as much relation to the war on terrorism as the Minnesota Vikings have to Scandinavian history. Propaganda doesn't belong on the uniforms of the people who, unlike the top suits at the Defense Department, have actually served in combat. Save the lies for the press releases, Rummy.
2) Soldiers and Marines who have served tours of duty in BOTH theaters still only get ONE medal.
The Army and Marines have a "War on Terrorism" medal for people who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
If I'm not mistaken, that medal is available to all branches of service. It's one of the two new GWOT medals, the "GWOT Expeditionary Medal." Mine is the other one, the "GWOT Service Medal."
Not much to tell: AF Training Ribbon for completing BMT. BMT Honor Grad: self-explanatory.
This is actually one I'm kinda proud of: AF Small Arms Expert Marksmanship -- got this for having to qualify with the M9 Beretta 9mm -- and get this: it was the first time I'd ever shot a handgun! Got to fire that when I was selected volunteered to be a SF Augmentee (I believe I've talked about this somewhere else before).
Let's see ... what else? PME grad ribbon because I completed ALS (Airman Leadership School -- for SrA who will be staying in to prepare them to be NCOs). Longevity ... I forget how often that gets awarded. (AF) Good Conduct -- after every 3 years of honorable service.
The highest ranking one I got (and there were 3 of those, so it's the ribbon and 2 OLCs) was the AF Outstanding Unit Award. Our base was the first to have the C-17 Globemaster III and as such, we got to show it off and run it through its paces to convince the AF brass and the Pentagon to buy more. She's really quite an amazing bird: interior cross-section as big as a C-5, but can land at strips that a C-130 can (needs only a 3000' runway -- for a big bird, that's short, trust me).
eta: can't remember if it was a link somewhere or a downloadable program, but there was a ribbon generator. You selected which ones you had (OLCs and devices too, IIRC) and it did up a graphical representation of what it should look like on your uniform (much like I did above, but neater).
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Through with oligarchy? Ready to get the money out of politics? Want real progressives in office who will work for the people and not the donors? Want to help grow The Squad?
The Army and Marines have a "War on Terrorism" medal for people who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
If I'm not mistaken, that medal is available to all branches of service. It's one of the two new GWOT medals, the "GWOT Expeditionary Medal." Mine is the other one, the "GWOT Service Medal."
What did you do to get awarded that one? Or do they hand those out like gold stars in Kindergarten?
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Sleep - the most beautiful experience in life - except drink.--W.C. Fields
It's because of the unit I work in. Apparently we did something really good to, erm, service the war effort. Don't ask me. I just work here.
That's how those type medals get awarded. Sort of like how I qualified to wear the National Defense ribbon.
Also like the aforementioned Outstanding Unit Awards: they set certain dates for the awards, so anyone assigned to such a unit -- even for one day -- is authorized to wear the ribbon. That happened to several troops in my shop. They PCS'd in about a week before the end of the closeout date and were thus authorized to wear the ribbon, even though they'd probably spent most of that time settling into their dorm rooms and attending a lot of welcome/familiarization briefings.
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Through with oligarchy? Ready to get the money out of politics? Want real progressives in office who will work for the people and not the donors? Want to help grow The Squad?
News of me
Maybe I'll wear it next week. Maybe not, I dunno. I don't want to be the first (everybody in my unit got it). It'll be my third one, which is exciting, because two ribbons looks weak and gay. So does three, but at least its more than two. Good timing because I planned on getting my picture taken soon. 
A republic, not an empire.
Got to fire that when I 
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