Is the awarding of the Meritorious Service Medal being watered down due to lack of standardization across the services?

There's not really a " high standard" as mentioed for receiving MSM. Pls read: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meritorious_Service_Medal_(United_States)

It use to be a high standard in the AF when I was in 68-91. Didn't get my first till 16 years in.

No and that's a good thing. I've seen people deserve them, in lower pay grades and get less. Once again, we have to stop with this rank begets certain awards bullshit.

I had my bronze star watered down to a second for I was a specialist and both my pl and co didn’t want a lower enlisted get the same award.

You're right, the MSM is awarded differently among the different branches. If branches only awarded it as originally intended, then it would be a retirement award after 20 years honorable service. I received 6 MSMs before 20 years of service. The 1st as a SFC (E7) coming off of 3 years drill sergeant duty. The "watering down" of awards value is too vague a question. As long as your branch stays consistant within itself, don't worry about the others. In 32 years, I never ever thought about the awards practices of the other branches. I wasn't competing with them for promotion. Just my 2 cents

I don’t get envious of others medals if one has them I hope they earned them.

I was at a unit formation taking photos of awardes one guy got an Arcom he was on a helicopter it caught fire he alerted the crew they landed he put out the fire repaired the thing and they completed their mission. The guy next to him got an Arcom for typing up the orders of the guy in the helicopter.

Is the award for time in service or actions of the service member. I was awarded the Bronze star as a E-5 the next lowest rank was a E-8 or a O-3. All except my self were awarded the Bronze Star for administrative a tions in theater. Were as I ran convoys throughout are sector and managed my battle space during contact. So again is the award for time in service or the actions of the service member.

I'd say take that with MASSIVE grain of salt. Unless you've read the citation yourself, you have no idea what that service member did to receive such an award. I've met Marines who had a NAM with a V device, talked to him and from what he and his friends described it sounded like what would have beeb a BSM to any other branch. I know a couple of Air Force E5s who were awarded BSMs for tactical deployments to countries no one will know about and their citations say the standard redacted DoD b.s. don't get hung up on what other service members have on their chest. Service members find themselves in all manner of situations in today's battlespace and I've met very few who haven't risen to the occasion and served faithfully and honorably. Clearly someone thought they were deserving.

"Considering in the Marine Corp there is a very high standard"
Reminds of a joke I heard where St. Peter was showing a new soldier around heaven. They went into each branches area to meet the elders and then came to a brick wall. The new soldier in heaven asked what is behind the brick wall, to which St. Peter replied ssssshhhhhh, that's where the Marines are, they think they are the only ones up here.