Do Your Awards Still Mean Something To You After Leaving The Service?

I had a nine year break in service and, for me, explaining some if the awards gave me moments of pride that was greater than the day awarded. I can't speak about retirement and maybe it just feels different. Perhaps, you could share the story about the one that means the most to you currently?

This is the only one that still means anything to me. The rest are simply dust in the wind.

They mean a great deal. I still feel that they are some of my lifes most important accomplishments. Even after 30 years.

The award I am most proud of is my CIB I will always be proud of it because I know that my unit and I earned it during deployment I think the medals and awards you earn through hard work are the ones you'll always be proud of.

Yes of course they mean something to me. They represent a specific period of time in my life. More often than not they remind me of the people I was with at that point. Some of those memories are more important than the little piece of cloth itself.

I view them in the aggregate. Collectively, they represent nearly 30 years of accomplishment, service and occasionally enduring profound stupidity. Overall, I view them positively.

I do still have a sense of pride in them but no one else does so it only something I take pride in. My family while supportive of my career while I served are how should I say only appreciative of that service when it offers them some kind of discount.

Yes, even after almost 20 years, (dang hadn't thought about that) since retirement I still feel a great sense of honor whenever I view/discuss the awards I received when I was on Active Duty. I have the distinct pleasure of working with Active Duty Soldiers on a daily basis so when we have discussions about my time in the Army, the Awards verify to them of my dedication to duty while on Active Duty and even now. To have that in common with those that serve is immeasurable. And for people in the civilian sector, they see my Awards as a Testimony to my Dedication and Service to our Nation

My shadow box is on the dresser and there's some award citations on my I love me wall. I still feel a sense of pride when looking at them and remembering the awards ceremonies.

Yes, they are the "true" accounts of your contributions throughout your career. That DA Form 638 tells the story on your behalf. I have actually taught soldiers when putting together their resumes how to pull things from their Awards (citations and bullets) and from their NCOER(s). We often times get hung up on job titles and duty descriptions and forget the important things we done - which is usually captured in our award(s). So, yes they are an important part of who we are even after the service.