I thought it might be time to address what we military folks already know, so that those without our experience might better understand some things. In particular, I want to speak about Awards and Decorations, better known to the uninitiated as Medals and Ribbons. No, the two aren’t intechangeable.
When I completed Basic Training I received approval to wear the National Defense Service Medal. There is a medal to go along with the ribbon, but until I owned a Mess Dress uniform, I never had the need to put it on. Medals aren’t worn except when in formal attire. We referred to the NDSM as “Alive in ’75” because automatic award ended with our involvement in Vietnam. It has since returned with the Gulf War in 1991.
I have two boxes of awards, medals, citations, etc., sitting in my attic. I don’t have an “I love Me Wall”. When I retired, I entered a completely new life, and it felt just that dramatic. But when I taught at USAFA, I brought all those things into my classroom one day to show all my students. I also had a world map mounted on foam board with pins showing all the places I had lived and worked during my career.The display went all the way around the room, and the cadets were duly impressed.
But that wasn’t the point. I explained to them that I had simply done my job, and done it well. In 20 years, they would also have similar collections. Those things come to you if you don’t try to get them.
I won’t bore you with what medals and other awards I received. I got them for doing my job. I didn’t request them, nor did I really feel I deserved any of them. Someone felt I did, and that was what meant something to me. I was honored by the sentiment.
I have known some real heroes in my life. I have seen people do some heroic things. Not once did any of them think about doing something heroic. They simply did their job as they saw it. Neither have I known anyone to brag about what medals they have, nor about the circumstances that got them the award. Well, perhaps I should clarify that just a bit. Some have told their story in a self-effacing way as if saying, “Boy was I stupid!” And some have told their story as in, “Damn was I scared!” But, for the most part, guys who have done something heroic don’t even realize it until the situation is over. They just did what needed to be done.
This is among many reasons why career military men and those who have seen combat have little use for John Kerry. His obsession about his four month tour and his medals identifies him to us as a fake. To us, all his bragging tells us he was the type who looked for a way to get an award, and was even willing to write it up himself. I can’t explain how disgusting that is. You just have to have seen it before, and know the personality of people who do such things. We called them Careerists. That is an epithet that has no equal I can think of in civilian life. There is strong emotion in that term because it identifies someone as self-centered, and not a team player. That is not the guy you trust your life to.
So, you ask, what is the point of all this? About a month ago, I wrote my view of the two men running for President as I see them 35 years ago. Lorie thought I was prescient. Thanks for the compliment, but I just looked at two military individuals and saw in them other people I have known.
I think the revelations have vindicated that opinion.