Do combat arms soldiers look down on fellow combat arms brethren if they have deployed and not been awarded a combat badge/medal/ribbon?

SGT Joseph Gunderson It should make no difference. I have a Combat Action Ribbon, but that does not make me any better than anyone that does not. We are all brothers and sisters in arms and should treat each other with respect, and that goes with the different branches of service.

Badges and patches do not a Soldier make...

I served a 4 year “peace time” enlistment in the marine corps as a 3043, supply administration, primarily with 3/7, 1stMarDiv. Most of us were newbies, but the senior NCOs were Vietnam vets and treated us a little harshly, lol. As one old Gunnery Sergeant put it, “I don’t give a $h!t if you like me or not, I want you to be prepared”.
I’m a member of our local American Legion Post and most of our active membership is Korean and Vietnam veterans. We have a couple WWII vets but they have health issues. What I want to say is, we have a Korean vet and two Vietnam vets who are the real deal, in the thick of it combat veterans. It’s just the opposite for me, I hold them in very high regard.

I deployed but don't have a CAB. But I can certainly attest that I have been treated better by others that have deployed since I got that patch on the right sleeve than prior to my deployment.

When I was newer I had a 1SG tell me that CIB/CAB didn’t really paint the whole picture, but if somebody had an EIB you knew they really earned that

If you're feeling looked down upon, it is probably self-imposed stress. Yes, there are those who will pick on others for not having deployed or been in combat, but in a lot of cases, those are folks who've overinflated their own combat exploits. The vast majority of those I know not only don't look down on others, but actively seek to prepare them for the rigors of combat. That's what we call Army leadership, and if you're not thinking that way, you probably need a course correction, especially since a growing majority of soldiers from junior CPT/E-6 and below have not deployed.

Just remember, not all of us were in a position to be deployed. I was a Cold War soldier who lives with misplaced but real guilt for not being deployed. The closest I came to combat was saudis trying to blow me up when I was with OPMSANG for a year. I have terrible depression, anxiety and daily panic attacks. Meds keep the suicidal thoughts at bay.

Badges, tabs and patches can be a door opener but once in the door, what you're doing or not doing can get you kicked out faster than a piece of cloth opened the door.

I experimented with the badges/patches thing for myself. I spent several years in the Infantry. After school and work I re-entered as a chaplain. I started in an IN OSUT unit. When I first got there, I wore rank and branch. After about a week I put my EIB, wings, tab and DS badge on and was immediately treated differently. Once all the cadre knew me, I was treated the same with or without badges. Of course, when new cadre arrived it was funny when they'd walk into my office looking for the chaplain, when they saw stuff on my uniform, they'd usually say something like, "Excuse me, I'm looking for the chaplain." Got funny looks when I said that's me.

I have never felt looked down upon by those who served in combat, simply because I didn't. It has been my experience that we all know that we worked as a team for a common goal. But there are times that combat vets are awarded more defference because of what they have gone through. And that is right and proper. They experienced things I never will and I respect them highly for it.

Badges, Badges, we dont need no stinking badges..!!