FARK.com: (7591528) In a move that will in no way annoy combat veterans, the DOD has announced a new medal for drone pilots, and it ranks above the Bronze Star with V device. Because having to sip warm Mountain Dew 10000 miles from the front lines deserves a medal too

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		In a move that will in no way annoy combat veterans, the DOD has announced a new medal for drone pilots, and it ranks above the Bronze Star with V device. Because having to sip warm Mountain Dew 10000 miles from the front lines deserves a medal too (marinecorpstimes.com)		199
		More: Asinine, Bronze Star, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Distinguished Flying Cross, combat operations, unmanned aircraft, Doug Sterner

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4759 clicks; posted to Main » on 14 Feb 2013 at 3:44 AM | Favorite | share:

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jehovahs witness protection		2013-02-13 11:47:28 PM

Those aren't soldiers. They're gamers.

MaudlinMutantMollusk		2013-02-13 11:59:54 PM

Chairborne Joystick Division

/aeternum spawn campus

Charlie Freak		2013-02-14 12:05:18 AM

Yeah, damn these new "pilots" with their GPS and helmet-mounted targeting!

Yeah, damn these new "pilots" with their radar and guided missiles!

Yeah, damn these new "pilots" with their jet engines and ejection seats!

Yeah, damn these new "pilots" with their bomb bays and radios!

Yeah, damn these new "pilots" with their single wing and enclosed cockpits!

lack of warmth		2013-02-14 12:07:46 AM

Acceptance speech: Thank you, for this medal. I could not have done it without the long hours of training and dedication to the mission. Without that I would have gotten up to get a new Dew. It got really tough when the Cheetos ran out all we had left was plain chips with no dip. I almost bailed when I got the thumb cramp, it was killer. I am glad I stuck with it and got this special medal to go along with the Purple Heart for the cramped thumb. Also, don't let me forget to apologize to the one-legged soldier I bumped into as I walked up here.

/I am okay with not putting them in harms way, but they still deserve the snark

Popcorn Johnny		2013-02-14 12:21:01 AM

It should be below a Purple Heart. Speaking of which, do they qualify if they get carpal tunnel or lower back pain?

thermo		2013-02-14 12:25:42 AM

I just had a mental picture of a Top Gun remake..... "Top Drone"

Can those of you with Shop Kung Fu please complete my vision?

MaudlinMutantMollusk		2013-02-14 12:28:04 AM

thermo: I just had a mental picture of a Top Gun remake..... "Top Drone"

Can those of you with Shop Kung Fu please complete my vision?

♫ IP to the danger zone... ♫

staplermofo		2013-02-14 12:42:08 AM

Two air forcers who got the Bronze Star for something other than throwing grenades at Nazi bunkers got cyber bullied.
Every now and then there are reminders that the military recruits from high schools.

namatad		2013-02-14 12:48:10 AM

OMG
seriously
bronze stars require you to be in a combat zone

WTF

Lsherm		2013-02-14 12:52:18 AM

namatad: OMG
seriously
bronze stars require you to be in a combat zone

WTF

I don't think it should be above a Bronze Star, but I can see where being a drone pilot would require more than enough discipline and talent to be crucial to a military operation. Some medal is probably deserved.

But yeah, not as much as one that requires your ass to be available as a target. Technically, though, they are handing out Bronze Stars to people who aren't in any real danger of being hit in the first place.

staplermofo		2013-02-14 12:53:32 AM

Bronze stars can't be that special. Ms. Kowalski used to give me a gold star every time I did my homework. I must have gotten dozens. And what's a v other than a half-assed check mark? Lighten up military folks, these aren't a big deal.

Popcorn Johnny		2013-02-14 12:55:49 AM

staplermofo: Every now and then there are reminders that the military recruits from high schools.

A higher % of people in the military have a college degree than found in the general population.

Lsherm		2013-02-14 12:59:47 AM

staplermofo: Two air forcers who got the Bronze Star for something other than throwing grenades at Nazi bunkers got cyber bullied.
Every now and then there are reminders that the military recruits from high schools.

I'm sure this didn't help:

Gamez and other women in her group met a small child who let them clean her up. The girl was put at ease after her father and an interpreter explained why Gamez and the others had come.

"I had brought some of my Bath and Body Works lotion thinking the girls might like it, since my daughter does, and we finally struck gold!" Gamez wrote. "Once we finished cleaning the little girl, we put on some of the coconut mango body lotion and she loved it so much, we got a smile. It really lifted our spirits to see that."
Yes, yes, I realize a Bronze star is for doing a good job in a combat area, not for being "in" combat.

quatchi		2013-02-14 12:59:54 AM

namatad: OMG
seriously
bronze stars require you to be in a combat zone

WTF

Yeah, this is just all kinds of farked up.

It's like giving someone the Congressional medal of Honor for getting a really high score in Frogger.

Only, you know, dumber.

me texan		2013-02-14 01:20:17 AM

fark that. It shouldn't even be an award. What's next, a medal for supply requisitions that aid combatants?

If this is a troll, it's perfect.

namatad		2013-02-14 01:23:57 AM

Lsherm: I don't think it should be above a Bronze Star, but I can see where being a drone pilot would require more than enough discipline and talent to be crucial to a military operation. Some medal is probably deserved.

But yeah, not as much as one that requires your ass to be available as a target. Technically, though, they are handing out Bronze Stars to people who aren't in any real danger of being hit in the first place.

this crap has been going on since vietnam.
keep in mind that this new medal will rank above a bronze star, which is above a purple heart.
Purple hearts require you to get injured.
but this new award you get while sleeping at home at nights (or when off duty?)
yah, farkEM

staplermofo		2013-02-14 01:32:07 AM

me texan: fark that. It shouldn't even be an award. What's next, a medal for supply requisitions that aid combatants?

They have those too. There were medals for going 3 years without a major screw up while in the reserves. A chest full of medals doesn't mean someone's a war hero. Didn't you watch any WW2 movies?
Nobody is going to be confused about what this medal is for or what having it means. It's not taking anything away from anyone. It can't be much different from an officer who works in an office in peacetime outranking a guy who served 5 tours, lost 4 limbs and saved 500 lives. Everybody understands the difference. These people do some important things and their superiors ought to have a way to recognize them for it.

Lsherm		2013-02-14 01:55:04 AM

namatad: Lsherm: I don't think it should be above a Bronze Star, but I can see where being a drone pilot would require more than enough discipline and talent to be crucial to a military operation. Some medal is probably deserved.

But yeah, not as much as one that requires your ass to be available as a target. Technically, though, they are handing out Bronze Stars to people who aren't in any real danger of being hit in the first place.

this crap has been going on since vietnam.
keep in mind that this new medal will rank above a bronze star, which is above a purple heart.
Purple hearts require you to get injured.
but this new award you get while sleeping at home at nights (or when off duty?)
yah, farkEM

Can they give you a Purple Heart for injury that isn't directly combat related? My dad has one from Vietnam, but if his story is correct, he was flying Mohawk during a "photograph" flight and they were hit by ground fire when flying low. He never got hit by a bullet or ordinance, but he was subsequently injured on the same flight when trying to land.

Maybe he's embellished the story a bit for my mother to keep her from worrying, but the way he tells it he got to spend two months recovering from a broken ankle he probably gave himself while landing the plane. Says he got a week in Germany out of it (my mother confirms this - they were there together), but they sent him back.

BarkingUnicorn		2013-02-14 02:05:45 AM

Popcorn Johnny: staplermofo: Every now and then there are reminders that the military recruits from high schools.

A higher % of people in the military have a college degree than found in the general population.

That's counting only survivors.

MaudlinMutantMollusk		2013-02-14 02:07:58 AM

BarkingUnicorn: Popcorn Johnny: staplermofo: Every now and then there are reminders that the military recruits from high schools.

A higher % of people in the military have a college degree than found in the general population.

That's counting only survivors.

And after they get out

Sgt Otter		2013-02-14 02:11:37 AM

staplermofo: Two air forcers who got the Bronze Star for something other than throwing grenades at Nazi bunkers got cyber bullied.
Every now and then there are reminders that the military recruits from high schools.

The military really needs to just get rid of the Bronze Star as a non-combat award. Very few civilians understand the difference between a Bronze Star Medal and a BSM with Valor Device. Even people within the military aren't immune to that, due to the blowback against those two.

Nobody bats an eye if two Fobbits get a Meritorious Service Medal. But when the standard award for being killed in action is a Bronze Star, people are going to get pissed when two farking Comptrollers get one.

Teknowaffle		2013-02-14 02:14:01 AM

namatad: OMG
seriously
bronze stars require you to be in a combat zone

WTF

One of my friends was a drone pilot and lived on a forward operating base in Afghanistan. I always thought the army had all their drone pilots on the front lines. And that CIA and Air Force operated from the States.

Sgt Otter		2013-02-14 02:20:08 AM

namatad: OMG
seriously
bronze stars require you to be in a combat zone

WTF

During the air campaign over Kosovo, the Pentagon discovered that only 10% of the personnel awarded Bronze Stars were actually in hostile airspace, including five officers who never left their permanent base in Missouri.

http://www.stripes.com/news/pentagon-reviewing-bronze-star-awards-1. 42 268

Popcorn Johnny		2013-02-14 02:22:43 AM

MaudlinMutantMollusk: And after they get out

No it's not after they get out.

EngineerAU		2013-02-14 03:50:58 AM

If you're bored, check out Wikipedia's list of military awards and decorations. You'll be surprised by some of the things they hand out medals for.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awards_and_decorations_of_the_United_St at es_military

A chest full of medals sometimes simply means that you've put in a lot of time without farking up too badly.

Teknowaffle		2013-02-14 03:54:16 AM

EngineerAU: If you're bored, check out Wikipedia's list of military awards and decorations. You'll be surprised by some of the things they hand out medals for.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awards_and_decorations_of_the_United_St at es_military

A chest full of medals sometimes simply means that you've put in a lot of time without farking up too badly.

Right before he retired from the Navy, my dad got a medal for figuring out a way to save the Navy millions of dollars. It also had a hand written note from Bill Clinton along with it.

spamdog		2013-02-14 03:54:54 AM

Maybe they should get Xbox achievement points instead?

EngineerAU		2013-02-14 03:56:02 AM

Teknowaffle: Right before he retired from the Navy, my dad got a medal for figuring out a way to save the Navy millions of dollars. It also had a hand written note from Bill Clinton along with it.

Please tell me that the ribbon was green with dollar bill signs on it.

blipponaut		2013-02-14 03:56:16 AM

YOU'RE EITHER FOR OUR TROOPS OR AGAINST THEM!!! BRONZE STARS AND PURPLE HEARTS FOR EVERYONE!

fugeeface		2013-02-14 03:58:05 AM

Achievement unlocked or something. So much bullshiat.

SpinStopper		2013-02-14 04:02:23 AM

YOU HAVE KILLED THE GRUE. CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ARE NOW A HERO. ACCEPT THIS MEDAL OF ACHIEVEMENT. GAME OVER. PLAY AGAIN? Y/N

JerkyMeat		2013-02-14 04:02:25 AM

Medals are kinda ghey anyway

Teknowaffle		2013-02-14 04:02:41 AM

EngineerAU: Teknowaffle: Right before he retired from the Navy, my dad got a medal for figuring out a way to save the Navy millions of dollars. It also had a hand written note from Bill Clinton along with it.

Please tell me that the ribbon was green with dollar bill signs on it.

No, it was a meritorious service one I think. Though the note did have hints of chubby Jewess.

Medic Zero		2013-02-14 04:03:37 AM

Lsherm: namatad: Lsherm: I don't think it should be above a Bronze Star, but I can see where being a drone pilot would require more than enough discipline and talent to be crucial to a military operation. Some medal is probably deserved.

But yeah, not as much as one that requires your ass to be available as a target. Technically, though, they are handing out Bronze Stars to people who aren't in any real danger of being hit in the first place.

this crap has been going on since vietnam.
keep in mind that this new medal will rank above a bronze star, which is above a purple heart.
Purple hearts require you to get injured.
but this new award you get while sleeping at home at nights (or when off duty?)
yah, farkEM

Can they give you a Purple Heart for injury that isn't directly combat related? My dad has one from Vietnam, but if his story is correct, he was flying Mohawk during a "photograph" flight and they were hit by ground fire when flying low. He never got hit by a bullet or ordinance, but he was subsequently injured on the same flight when trying to land.

Maybe he's embellished the story a bit for my mother to keep her from worrying, but the way he tells it he got to spend two months recovering from a broken ankle he probably gave himself while landing the plane. Says he got a week in Germany out of it (my mother confirms this - they were there together), but they sent him back.

The way my dad tells it, in Viet Nam, you got a Purple Heart for being injured, in a War Zone. Didn't matter how. He got issued a Purple Heart for breaking an arm, falling off a ladder, painting a building - in Viet Nam. He was surprised when someone came by and gave it to him and tried to refuse it. As far as I know (and knowing him) he never wore it. It's in a separate box put away from his uniform.

OMG! We're All Gonna Die!		2013-02-14 04:03:48 AM

MaudlinMutantMollusk: Chairborne Joystick Division

/aeternum spawn campus

I like that.

You win

kyrg		2013-02-14 04:03:59 AM

Teknowaffle: namatad: OMG
seriously
bronze stars require you to be in a combat zone

WTF

One of my friends was a drone pilot and lived on a forward operating base in Afghanistan. I always thought the army had all their drone pilots on the front lines. And that CIA and Air Force operated from the States.

Most likely Your friend flew a "Raven" if he was on a FOB, A hand thrown video camera with wings. A Predator, on the other hand can be flown from Tampa , Nellis or any number of other bases. It has the ability to shoot back.

Acharne		2013-02-14 04:04:59 AM

MaudlinMutantMollusk: BarkingUnicorn: Popcorn Johnny: staplermofo: Every now and then there are reminders that the military recruits from high schools.

A higher % of people in the military have a college degree than found in the general population.

That's counting only survivors.

And after they get out

And facing North or North by NorthEast.

AverageAmericanGuy		2013-02-14 04:07:27 AM

I feel really bad for the families of the soldiers and civilians killed in the disintegration booths when the random number generator pulls their number.

Axel_Gear		2013-02-14 04:08:47 AM

staplermofo: me texan: fark that. It shouldn't even be an award. What's next, a medal for supply requisitions that aid combatants?

They have those too. There were medals for going 3 years without a major screw up while in the reserves. A chest full of medals doesn't mean someone's a war hero. Didn't you watch any WW2 movies?
Nobody is going to be confused about what this medal is for or what having it means. It's not taking anything away from anyone. It can't be much different from an officer who works in an office in peacetime outranking a guy who served 5 tours, lost 4 limbs and saved 500 lives. Everybody understands the difference. These people do some important things and their superiors ought to have a way to recognize them for it.

This is wrong. More medals equals more points for promotion. The rate at which they receive medals is already outrageous. Why do they need another boost above people who actually see combat?

Monkeyfark Ridiculous		2013-02-14 04:12:24 AM

Charlie Freak: Yeah, damn these new "pilots" with their GPS and helmet-mounted targeting!

Yeah, damn these new "pilots" with their radar and guided missiles!

Yeah, damn these new "pilots" with their jet engines and ejection seats!

Yeah, damn these new "pilots" with their bomb bays and radios!

Yeah, damn these new "pilots" with their single wing and enclosed cockpits!

This is an award for "pilots" who don't fly, as well as people who aren't piloting anything.

KrispyKritter		2013-02-14 04:12:33 AM

i've met and spoke with many veterans in my day. not a single one had concerns about medals. i would make sure to thank co-workers who i knew were vets for their service on Veteran's Day. most of them looked at me like i was crazy. they never wanted to be there to begin with.

SpinStopper		2013-02-14 04:12:59 AM

Axel_Gear: This is wrong. More medals equals more points for promotion. The rate at which they receive medals is already outrageous. Why do they need another boost above people who actually see combat?

It's like preschool these days. We don't want the kids who eat crayons to feel bad now, do we? ;)

Malky		2013-02-14 04:15:42 AM

I dont think it should be above a bronze star but those people should have a path for medals. They spend a lot of time in intense situations. They do KILL PEOPLE. I couldnt imagine the stress of taking out a target and possibly taking out innocents as well.

KopiLuwaked		2013-02-14 04:16:19 AM

Edge.bot		2013-02-14 04:21:15 AM

polish that sucker up to a mirror shine and you can see the faces of "collateral damage"

ManicParroT		2013-02-14 04:23:26 AM

I just found a picture of it. Not bad.

http://imgur.com/qKlSbli

Summoner101		2013-02-14 04:23:34 AM

Axel_Gear: staplermofo: me texan: fark that. It shouldn't even be an award. What's next, a medal for supply requisitions that aid combatants?

They have those too. There were medals for going 3 years without a major screw up while in the reserves. A chest full of medals doesn't mean someone's a war hero. Didn't you watch any WW2 movies?
Nobody is going to be confused about what this medal is for or what having it means. It's not taking anything away from anyone. It can't be much different from an officer who works in an office in peacetime outranking a guy who served 5 tours, lost 4 limbs and saved 500 lives. Everybody understands the difference. These people do some important things and their superiors ought to have a way to recognize them for it.

This is wrong. More medals equals more points for promotion. The rate at which they receive medals is already outrageous. Why do they need another boost above people who actually see combat?

This is absolutely true. Flyers in general get treated fairly well in regard to pay and promotion opportunities. Granted, they're pretty regularly abused for TDYs, they're pretty much guaranteed to be an "enabled" personnel which puts them outside a scheduled deployment regimen, but in the end that's the trade off. You trade some semblance of a routine for the adventure and perks.

Now, with UAV personnel, you have people that get most of the advantages without really facing any of the negatives. It's also less selective as the physical requirements are less stressed. If UAV programs were used to cycle pilots and other aircrew members through to get a break while still accruing flight hours, that'd be cool. More and more though it's becoming it's own career path while trying to justify keeping the perks of regular aircrew members while not facing the drawbacks of being one.

Allen. The end.		2013-02-14 04:24:14 AM

Malky: I dont think it should be above a bronze star but those people should have a path for medals. They spend a lot of time in intense situations. They do KILL PEOPLE. I couldnt imagine the stress of taking out a target and possibly taking out innocents as well.

You didn't kill any innocents, son. You killed the enemy. You did well. You prevented a good soldier from having to go out there and die, when you played a video game. In your reality, your real life, you will never see these targets. So, be thankful that we have this technology. These "innocents" you talk about, well, do NOT mention them anymore. Were they on the screen that you were commanded to monitor? Yes? I don't think you saw that son. Computer FI!

LiberalConservative		2013-02-14 04:26:50 AM

Heh, from my exposure to veteran's conversations on ANZAC day the Aussies and Brits generally make fun of how easy it is to earn medals within the US forces. "Finish basic training and you get a medal", "Shoot straight and you get a medal"... "Take a dump (et al.) and you get a medal, haw haw haw". This new medal won't help that reputation. A new reinforcement of the snowflake culture?