Posted on Jul 25, 2017
Is the awarding of the Meritorious Service Medal being watered down due to lack of standardization across the services?
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I recently attended an Air Force Boot Camp Graduation and I saw an Air Force SSgt (E-5) and an Army SSgt (E-6) each wearing an Meritorious Service Medal (Both with less than 12 years service). Now I know there are some difference between branches of service, but this was very surprising considering in the Marine Corps there is a very high standard required to receive the award. Opinions please.
Posted in these groups: 
Awards
Leadership
Awards Leadership
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 372
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Received mine at retirement after 31 years. Never got to wear it while serving. Officers tend to start collecting them as soon as they become field grade.
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I agree. I was a First Sergeant in the Army with 15 years of service before I was awarded one of these. Went on the receive 2 more after that.
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Unless you know what they did to earn an MSM, you have no reason to doubt they earned it. There is nothing to indicate the highest standards weren't achieved. 2 airmen near each other who have an MSM don't prove standards weren't met
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The whole awards process is skewered in my opinion but that is a topic for another discussion. I am a Staff Sergeant and I was awarded a MSM for performing the duties and responsibilities of a E7/E8 for the better part of a year which was the justification the first GO in my chain of command gave when it was awarded. I have noticed the award lately being given out as a PCS award for Enlisted and Officers being awarded the Legion of Merit. Yes. I agree, standards have been lowered for awarding it.
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GySgt John O'Donnell
Wow, LOM now too. In the Corps, a LOM was only award to senior officers (Col and above) and on rare occasions to E-9s, but only if MSM was awarded at least two times previously.
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SSG (Join to see)
GySgt John O'Donnell i guess the powers to be felt that
The MSM was beneath them now that they were awarding it to enlisted more often.
The MSM was beneath them now that they were awarding it to enlisted more often.
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Awards are supposed to be for the individuals actions not his rank however we all know that the rank is the major think looked when putting in one in for an award if you are ""Senior"" NCO or officer then you will most likely get it other wise you are SOL. That's why you see seniors NCO's and Officers walking lopsided because they have received the awards that the individual soldier should have received 99% of those wearing them do not deserve them. I was in a unit once where they awarded a Caption a Bronze star and a letter of reprimand for the same action. When he should have been relieved also saw a captain who failed the A.P.F.T was on Overweight program and relieved from command for this receive an M. S. M. Now that's your Army today.
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Medals, medal, medals, some of the brass need a brief case to haul them around. Make medal OF WAR an honor, for killing other people!!! Our military of which I was a Viet Nam Vet, have been fully trained to act and react like ruthless murderous! Let's make a medal for this! Ain't we proud?
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In 1979 I left Lackland AFB where I had served 4 years as a military training instructor, I was an E-5 but was selected for E-6. My supervisor recommended me for the MSM which was downgraded to the Air Force Commendation Medal of which I already had 3. It was pretty much common knowledge that the MSM for E-7 or higher.
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I guess from all my time in the service from 1972 to 2007. I've seen awards slowly get watered down. In 2003 Iraq I saw BSM given out more or less based on rank, E-8 and above, ARCOM to E-5 to E-7 and AAM to below E-5 for completing their tours and just doing their jobs. I torn up my award for a BSM, but I accepted my MSM back in the states for doing my job over there. Now a days if I don't see a Bronze Star Medal with a V device, I really don't give it much respect or recognition, because over there BSM were being handed out like candy. My later tours in Iraq and Afghanistan it got a little better, but they were still being given out just for doing their jobs.
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GySgt John O'Donnell
Absolutely, No totally agree. MSM in my opinion more describes someone superior service than a BS w/o V.
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Meanwhile.... members of the other services look at Marines without one and wonder what commander's Wheaties that Marine pissed on, or how much of a dirtbag he/she must be.
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GySgt John O'Donnell
Yeah, the difference in awards is large. While working in a joint environment I had a AF Colonel ask about awards write ups for MC awards. So I printed out all my summaries of actions for awards I had received. He was shocked, and stated that in any other service all my awards would have been one higher. Of my Comms he said two would have been MSMs and two BSs, and my MSM would have be submitted at least as a LOM. But that’s kinda my point, standardization would bring balance across the views of all service members.
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SSgt Joshua Hurley
GySgt John O'Donnell - Oh yeah, doesn't surprise me at all. I was AD AF for 6 years and had several awards just for being in the unit that I was in. I mean I did bust my ass earning my rank and most of my awards, but I also know that the ARCOM I was given for my last deployment probably should have gone to someone that actually affected the mission more (I'm sure there's *some* Army convoy grunt out there that was at JBB at the same time as me that deserved it more). And if it's not obvious, I'm trying to point out how the AF tends to hand awards out like candy--on all 3 of my deployments, command made sure to give out *ALL* of the awards that they were allowed to give out, even if people really do anything to deserve them they would be given to someone that "didn't fuck up". The awards were also often popularity contests, I knew several people passed over for awards for some out-fucking-standing shit they did but were on our leaderships' bad side for something in the past.
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