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

Medals are nice bling on our class A’s and it is great to. Be recognized and appreciated for your efforts and dedication but often they get awarded because you were noticed by the right person not everyone who has done brave and extraordinary acts are noticed and rewarded. A warrior does these things because it is who he is and what his sense of duty demands of him. Be happy for the warrior who got an award but the true hero doesn’t do it for the bling

Agreed, I recieved 2 during my 25 years in the army. Both were earned as a 1SG.

Almost never see below the grade of E-7 because the award is based on level of responsibility. Rarely do you see SSG E-6 with an MSM. I know sometimes lower enlisted complains but the level of responsibility must be commensurate with the award, yes sometimes 1 slips by but it is rare as an MSM requires the first GO or Flag Officer in the CoC for approval.

The Meritorious Service Medal may be awarded to any member of the armed forces of the United States who distinguishes themselves by either outstanding achievement or meritorious service to the United States.

I don’t think it is a branch thing, I think it is a gut check thing. I’ve seen a ton of awards that make you scratch your head when you see the wearer, but an MSM isn’t a “gimme.” Considering a GO has to sign off on it, most MSM recommendations never survive first contact with Battalion,

What if I told you it is skill that matters and not medals?

I saw pretty much the same thing happen at the end of Desert Storm, however it was Bronze Stars being awarded. I was assigned to a medical battalion where most of the senior staff E-7’s and above received bronze stars. Our medical companies were all attached to other units in 18th Airborne Corp and we really had no command and control over those units. For the most part our Battalion Headquarters followed well behind the front line units. The only thing we really did was reconsolidate the Battalion once all ground actions ceased. Their was no reason for Bronze Stars to be awarded to any of the staff. Yet the Brigade we were assigned to was basically given Carte Blanche to request and receive those awards. Looking back except for the senior staff not one junior NCO or private received any awards for their efforts. Personally I didn’t receive one of those BSM’s. You could say I lost some decorum as I, a E-7 chewed out the Captain who was supposed to be keeping an eye on the terrain and air just in case there was a bad guy or two that our combat troops missed popped up. Instead he had his helmet off with a paperback book with his earbuds in listening to music while reading his book. Needless to say I got my point across, but I was one of those that didn’t receive an award. I would personally have refused it anyway. Too many past family members have served our country for me to take an award that didn’t have meaning behind it as it would have been insulting to those who went before me. Personal opinion those who received those BSM’s just got Butt Wipe Awards. Yes, I let my opinions be known to the Officers who wrote and accepted them. For me, I could have cared less as my retirement plans were already in place when the unit was deployed. I am much more happy with my 6 ARCOM’s and MSM than any Bronze Star that Med Battalion could have given me. I did not have a medical MOS and previously only served in High Speed Low Drag combat related units. So those awards I mentioned above mean more to me than what one of their bogus BSM’s would ever mean to them. I EARNED THEM ALL!

i was awarded the msm at 19 yrs in service and oak leaf cluster at 21 yrs service prior to retirement.

A good deal of it is strictly politics. I saw a BSM awarded with the criteria being that it had to go to a female E-3. Same job as everyone else but somebody at the top wanted a person matching those parameters acknowledged.

It’s not only what you do to earn a MSM, but the scope and impact. That said, that is why you don’t generally see lower ranks with this award. I earned my first MSM when I gave up company command in the 82d Airborne Division, 210 rock steady paratroopers and close to $100M in equipment. During this period we won the Dept of Army Maintenance Award for Medium sized units, the Division flag football championship and several other award......all on top of our day to day job of supporting 3 Airborne Inf Brigades, Divardy and the divisions separate battalions. I can’t imagine what an E5 would do in terms of scope to earn such an award, but guess it’s possible.