Posted on Jul 26, 2025
Do you believe our politicians should be pushing for upgrades to awards?
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Sen. Charles E. Schumer, a Democratic Senator from New York, is renewing his push in suggesting U.S. Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis, a Staten Island hero, receive the Medal of Honor.
Do you feel it appropriate for politicians to get involved in military awards? Seems like it puts the awards system into one involving politicians rather than merit... His initial award has already been reviewed and upgraded (in 2019) to the Distinguished Service Cross.
Do you feel it appropriate for politicians to get involved in military awards? Seems like it puts the awards system into one involving politicians rather than merit... His initial award has already been reviewed and upgraded (in 2019) to the Distinguished Service Cross.
Posted in these groups: 
Awards
Medal of Honor
Awards Medal of Honor
Edited 5 mo ago
Posted 5 mo ago
Responses: 12
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I don't have a problem with it, but my asking for a review of an award better be held with just as much weight.
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A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney
LTC Trent Klug -
CORONEL -- I Had To Look-Up The Senator As I Wasn't At All Familiar With Her Name And I Was Rather Surprised To Prove My Own Case: -- "Having A College Degree Doesn't Necessarily Mean "They're Actually Educated"---
--- --en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazie_Hirono-----
She graduated from Kaimuki High School, which had a predominantly Japanese American student body at the time. Hirono then enrolled at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, graduating Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology in 1970. [8] .
~~ And A "BATCHELORS" Of Arts In Psychology? -- That's Almost Impossible To Fail. ~~
CORONEL -- I Had To Look-Up The Senator As I Wasn't At All Familiar With Her Name And I Was Rather Surprised To Prove My Own Case: -- "Having A College Degree Doesn't Necessarily Mean "They're Actually Educated"---
--- --en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazie_Hirono-----
She graduated from Kaimuki High School, which had a predominantly Japanese American student body at the time. Hirono then enrolled at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, graduating Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology in 1970. [8] .
~~ And A "BATCHELORS" Of Arts In Psychology? -- That's Almost Impossible To Fail. ~~
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A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney
SFC Robert Walton -
WHOA - Even The Pope Would Have A Tough Time Becoming Our President - Even If He Were A Natural Born US Citizen.-- LMBO - And Mother Theresa Would have To Stand In Line & Pick A Number- - I Wish Colin Powell Had Run - "L" I'd Vote For HIM - 3 - 5 Times
WHOA - Even The Pope Would Have A Tough Time Becoming Our President - Even If He Were A Natural Born US Citizen.-- LMBO - And Mother Theresa Would have To Stand In Line & Pick A Number- - I Wish Colin Powell Had Run - "L" I'd Vote For HIM - 3 - 5 Times
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1SG(P) Dean Mcbride (MPER) (SPHR)
A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney LTC Trent Klug Maj Kim Patterson SGT Mark Stone SPC James Neidig
SFC Robert Walton - Someone with 10 years of service and pay of less than $35,000 would be a real screw-up! An E-3 with 8 years of service earns $33,609. If your still an E-3 after ten years service, something is very wrong!
Enlisted Pay Examples (Over 10 Years of Service - 2025/2026):
E-5 (Sergeant): Around $4,234/month.
E-6 (Staff Sergeant): ~$4,759/month (2026 projection).
E-9 (Sergeant Major): Starts at ~$6,371 (at 10 years) and rises.
Officer Pay Examples (Over 10 Years of Service - 2026):
O-4 (Captain/Major): ~$9,419/month (projection).
SFC Robert Walton - Someone with 10 years of service and pay of less than $35,000 would be a real screw-up! An E-3 with 8 years of service earns $33,609. If your still an E-3 after ten years service, something is very wrong!
Enlisted Pay Examples (Over 10 Years of Service - 2025/2026):
E-5 (Sergeant): Around $4,234/month.
E-6 (Staff Sergeant): ~$4,759/month (2026 projection).
E-9 (Sergeant Major): Starts at ~$6,371 (at 10 years) and rises.
Officer Pay Examples (Over 10 Years of Service - 2026):
O-4 (Captain/Major): ~$9,419/month (projection).
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A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney
1SG(P) Dean Mcbride (MPER) (SPHR) -
I Was An E-3 With Close To 3 Years Time In Grade For E-4 But I Worked Outside Of My AFSC (MOS) So Much I Couldn't BE Prompted. 1 Of My AFSC's Was Heating & Air Conditioning / 1 Was Boilerman/ The 3rd Was Military Security - But I Was Assigned To An Administrative Positions Shortly After My Arrivals -- And Such Being The Case, The Heat & A/C Officer, Couldn't Provide A Report For My Administrative Duties And Visa-Versa..Etc - Etc-. NO OBJECTIONS However, I Enjoyed Every Duty Assignment I Was Given, But My MAX PAY, Overseas And In S. Korea - Was A WHOPPING $173.00 Per MONTH.
I Was An E-3 With Close To 3 Years Time In Grade For E-4 But I Worked Outside Of My AFSC (MOS) So Much I Couldn't BE Prompted. 1 Of My AFSC's Was Heating & Air Conditioning / 1 Was Boilerman/ The 3rd Was Military Security - But I Was Assigned To An Administrative Positions Shortly After My Arrivals -- And Such Being The Case, The Heat & A/C Officer, Couldn't Provide A Report For My Administrative Duties And Visa-Versa..Etc - Etc-. NO OBJECTIONS However, I Enjoyed Every Duty Assignment I Was Given, But My MAX PAY, Overseas And In S. Korea - Was A WHOPPING $173.00 Per MONTH.
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SGT Mark Stone
1SG(P) Dean Mcbride (MPER) (SPHR) - Uhh...helping your constituents' for whatever reasonable request they make is what any elected representative is *supposed* to do. (Note that I said constituents, not voters. An elected official at any level is supposed to serve everyone in his or her constituency, not just the ones who voted for him or her.)
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SGT Mark Stone
1SG(P) Dean Mcbride (MPER) (SPHR) - " I doubt that Sen, Schunmer would be fighting to get an award upgrade for a cowboy in Montana!"
1) I don't know anything about the person in question. Is Schumer really fighting for the upgrade--ie, really putting the weight of his office behind it, or is he just asking them to take another look? And if he is putting the weight of his office behind it, is there some argument that the award was unreasonably denied?
2) I'm sure he wouldn't be fighting for someone in another state, except in an extraordinary situation where a whole bunch of Senators thought the award was unreasonably denied. His job description is to serve as a representative of the people in his state, not the people from other states.
1) I don't know anything about the person in question. Is Schumer really fighting for the upgrade--ie, really putting the weight of his office behind it, or is he just asking them to take another look? And if he is putting the weight of his office behind it, is there some argument that the award was unreasonably denied?
2) I'm sure he wouldn't be fighting for someone in another state, except in an extraordinary situation where a whole bunch of Senators thought the award was unreasonably denied. His job description is to serve as a representative of the people in his state, not the people from other states.
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SFC Robert Walton
Maj Kim Patterson I agree but with exceptions. No politician (with The exception) Of the President of the United States, (COC) Should have influences On Military awards and Benefit's.
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Politicians Have Been Pushing For Awards For Their Constituents, Since The Founding Of The Military.
Some Were Justified Some Not, During The Civil War There Were So Many Medals Of Honor That Were Awarded For Political Reasons , That Year’s Later A lot Of Them Were Down Graded Or Taken Away .
The Subject Of Awards Has Been Beaten To Death On This Forum So Many Times.
Anyone Who Deserves An Award For An Outstanding Achievement Or An Act Of Valor Should Be Awarded The Highest Award Possible
If A Politician Choses To Advocate For A Constituent To Be Awarded Any Medal , They Have To Do An Investigation Into The Actions Of The Individual During The Incident.
Some Were Justified Some Not, During The Civil War There Were So Many Medals Of Honor That Were Awarded For Political Reasons , That Year’s Later A lot Of Them Were Down Graded Or Taken Away .
The Subject Of Awards Has Been Beaten To Death On This Forum So Many Times.
Anyone Who Deserves An Award For An Outstanding Achievement Or An Act Of Valor Should Be Awarded The Highest Award Possible
If A Politician Choses To Advocate For A Constituent To Be Awarded Any Medal , They Have To Do An Investigation Into The Actions Of The Individual During The Incident.
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SPC James Neidig
A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney
I Don’t Have Any Cows ! Just Two Horses,Four Pigs And Twenty Chickens.
It’s Not My Career ! My Wife And I Love Animals.
We Sell Or Trade Baby Hogs And The Chickens We Have For Eggs.
We Will Not Eat Any Of Our Animals,
We Buy Or Trade For Meat And Milk And Dairy.
I Don’t Have Any Cows ! Just Two Horses,Four Pigs And Twenty Chickens.
It’s Not My Career ! My Wife And I Love Animals.
We Sell Or Trade Baby Hogs And The Chickens We Have For Eggs.
We Will Not Eat Any Of Our Animals,
We Buy Or Trade For Meat And Milk And Dairy.
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A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney
SPC James Neidig -
LMBO -- Is That ALL? -- AND Are You NUTS?
I Know It's A Lot Of Work, BUT If You Like It,
It's Somewhat A Hobby And Therefore It's NOT Work, But FUN
~~ For You & Your Wife, It's A Good Investment Of Your Time & Money ~~
--- Very Well Done --
LMBO -- Is That ALL? -- AND Are You NUTS?
I Know It's A Lot Of Work, BUT If You Like It,
It's Somewhat A Hobby And Therefore It's NOT Work, But FUN
~~ For You & Your Wife, It's A Good Investment Of Your Time & Money ~~
--- Very Well Done --
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SPC James Neidig
A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney
Sometimes I KNOW I Am Nuts !!
We Believe That If You Give To The Land.
The Land Will Provide What You Need To Survive.
I Worked My Entire Life In The Military, Corrections And The Government .
We Bought This Farm Ten Years Ago After Selling A Very Large House That Was Way Too Big For The Three Of Us In My Family
We Had A Good Amount Of Equity So We Purchased The Farm And Invested In A Friend’s Restaurant.
Now ! Most Of My Days Are Here On The Farm With My Family And A Few Hours A Day At The Restaurant .
Not Long Days In The Military, No Sixty Hours A Week Locked In A Prison And Most Of All , No Months At Sea Onboard USNS Ships !
You Should Try Taking Care Of Some Livestock ? It Will Make You Think About What It’s Like To Take Care Of Something Else Before You Take Care Of Yourself.
PS Its So Quiet Around Here ! You Can Actually Think And Not Be Distracted By The Noise Of Cars And Police Sirens.
Sometimes I KNOW I Am Nuts !!
We Believe That If You Give To The Land.
The Land Will Provide What You Need To Survive.
I Worked My Entire Life In The Military, Corrections And The Government .
We Bought This Farm Ten Years Ago After Selling A Very Large House That Was Way Too Big For The Three Of Us In My Family
We Had A Good Amount Of Equity So We Purchased The Farm And Invested In A Friend’s Restaurant.
Now ! Most Of My Days Are Here On The Farm With My Family And A Few Hours A Day At The Restaurant .
Not Long Days In The Military, No Sixty Hours A Week Locked In A Prison And Most Of All , No Months At Sea Onboard USNS Ships !
You Should Try Taking Care Of Some Livestock ? It Will Make You Think About What It’s Like To Take Care Of Something Else Before You Take Care Of Yourself.
PS Its So Quiet Around Here ! You Can Actually Think And Not Be Distracted By The Noise Of Cars And Police Sirens.
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A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney
Those Are Brass Ones. I Love Your Phylosophy About Life And The Way You've Been Living It. You DO What Many Others Have Only Talked Or Thought About; I Was More Than Just Fortunate As Life Just Happened To Me While I Was Wondering "What Will Happen Next"? And For The Most Part It's Been Filled With Good Things, And "The Bumps In The Road Were "Leaning Lessons" . How's This For Quiet? -- "It Was So Quiet We Could Hear A Mouse Piss On A Cotton Pad From 50 Yards Away"? --LMBO --
Speaking Of "Police Sirens' - About 1 Or 2 Years Ago I'd Mentioned About Our Having Lived In Detroit & The Area Of The City We'd Lived In.-- Another Vet Mentioned He Was A Retired Detroit Cop And He'd Patrolled The Area We'd Previously Lived In, "Green Field Village", Then Added "There Were Always 3 Things We Could Count On In Green Field Village"-- "LMBO" -- "Hookers, Drugs And Gunfire." -- "Good Ole Home Sweet Home" LOL. (;--)>
Speaking Of "Police Sirens' - About 1 Or 2 Years Ago I'd Mentioned About Our Having Lived In Detroit & The Area Of The City We'd Lived In.-- Another Vet Mentioned He Was A Retired Detroit Cop And He'd Patrolled The Area We'd Previously Lived In, "Green Field Village", Then Added "There Were Always 3 Things We Could Count On In Green Field Village"-- "LMBO" -- "Hookers, Drugs And Gunfire." -- "Good Ole Home Sweet Home" LOL. (;--)>
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