Should the DoD redesign its medals and ribbons policy and precedence to give more importance to valor than "good work"?

Keep the awards and medals as they are. Change the criteria by which awards are given. An E-7 should not get a Bronze Star just for sitting around, getting fat and drinking 8 cups of coffee a day. While an E-4 medic or infantryman suppresses 12 fighters making multiple trips to carry wounded allies gets an ARCOM with V device.

It would take a top down change to allow awards be given out solely based on merit and not by rank. I had 4 members of my chain of command nominate me for a Silver Star as an end of tour award. It got busted down to an ARCOM because of my rank. Soldiers in my age bracket join for many reasons and leave for just as many. Having a little bit of recognition would go a long way in helping retention NCOs to do their job.

No need to change tradition. Just more emphases on proper award awarding. Here is Eisenhower's actually ribbon rack.

Lt Col Jim Coe, if anything, I think that the number of medals and ribbons will grow. I'm not altogether certain that anything WILL be done to accomplish what you suggest. My father served just shy of three years in the U.S. Navy during WWII, and was all over the Pacific for a fair amount of that time. This was all he was awarded and that was during a declared war for goodness sake!

My opinion, we could do away with quite a few ribbons, The NCOES ribbons, The ribbon for graduating basic and AIT, the Overseas ribbon (exception would be entering a theater of conflict) - instead of giving a ribbon for graduating an NCOES, or OES school, give an AAM for achievement. Just my two cents

I feel most SMs wear the ribbons and medals as required by directives and many would just as rather wear only a few or none at all (except say, on very formal occasions). Hence Ike chose to wear the few which meant the most to him, and Gen Petraeus is pictured wearing his according to Army regulations. If ribbons and medals were optional in most cases, I feel that most would choose to wear none or only those 'special ones'.

There are plenty of cool-guy medals that are realistically only attainable if your are a very senior CSM in position of division-level and up or a General Officer. LOM, ADSM, DSSM, and DDSM fall into that category. And you know what? I am just fine with that. Let the pooh-bahs have their bling and jazzy medals as a kind of lifetime achievement award.
For me, every single ribbon or oak leaf I wear has a story, and I am not embarrassed to tell the story behind each and every one of them.

This how I see it everyone is hung up on comparing WWII to today. You can not do this as they were not the same and the world is not the same.
During WWII they were on tour of duty assigned to that theater fighting that campaign and in doing so would get awarded for that campaign. Now NOT ALL went from Europe to Pacific and in doing so would receive awards and campaign recognition for that AOR. The point being is they were assigned to one mission or operation. I believe that in Europe some got awards for going into each country during certain time frames. This was all for this time nothing else was going on at that time.

This brings us to the Military of the 90's and 2000's. One it is smaller so we are asking more of them. You can have all kind of things going on at one time when this has never happen in this kind of mass mission overload. So you have few carrying a lot of burden in different area around the world and we have not asked our military to do this before.

This is what happens you have Iraq member deploys with unit for 6 months to one year then back home and preparing for next OPORDER or mission. Tasking comes and you work up for AFG different hardships and environment and campaign. Then back to US and an Earthquake happens and this unit is tasked to mobilize its assets and deploy for humanitarian disaster assistance. The country is wiped out no power and roads and bridges are all destroyed. The country needs to be restabilized, bodies recovered, power, roads and bridges need to be repaired in order to bring this country back on line. There is also disorder during this crises and dangers as riots and armed mobs try taking control. This unit completes its mission sent back to train for next deployment. Deployment order comes and it is back to Iraq for different type mission COIN. So then then they do this and complete mission. Then back to US and regroup for next mission. Disaster in US and major destruction of a region in the US and now back to disaster recovery mission set and helping your country out on its own soil. Complete this mission back to getting prepared for next mission. Deploy to PACOM but a task comes unit has to provide a special detachment of 180 personnel to conduct prison mission in Iraq and need to go through special training before deployment on top of the requirements to do a reg deployment so 180 personnel will have double training to conduct. The next thing that happens during this time is unit is tasked with standing up a 40 person disaster recovery team to relieve the unit they are taking over for in PACOM. The TEAM will deploy to Pakistan north western frontier and Kashmir region of country. So now they need special training like defensive driving skills send to MCMAP Marine Crops Martial Arts Program and more special small weapons handling course concealed carry and other techniques.

The above is one example that we are asking units and troops to do today and they are all different campaigns and deserve some recognition. This shows what we are asking troops to do in todays military so anyone that says they do not disserve recognition or a participation ribbon well you walk in their shoes one time and tell me. I am not taking anything away from WWII or other times we are just asking more of this military then ever before so yes they will have more on their chest and well I do and don't tell me its participation because not everyone does and those that do should get something and yes Valor is higher. My combat action ribbon is on the 3 rd. row of my rack and this is why I did not just wear my top 3,becuase I hold the CAR above some of the others. The others wear earned in high ranking though and disserve to be showed.

Some of these people that are speaking out about this have not or did not serve under these conditions

I take a more historical perspective in that today's fruit salad has far less meaning than my Dad's single row. The exception are the top ones. So in reality it doesn't matter if you understand the history of where we were and where we are now.

Valor tends to have higher placement that good work Lt Col Jim Coe. The only exception seems to be the ARCOM or other Service equivalent with V device which is lower in precedence than the MSM and Legion of Merit.
The Army award policy varies by unit, post and commander with some being more free in authoring awards for exemplary service and others resisting it.
The Army system also required us to list all prior awards. I found that soldiers who did not have prior awards were less likely to receive an award they deserved. LTC Stephen C. SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SGT John " Mac " McConnell LTC Bill Koski LTC Wayne Brandon LTC Wayne Brandon LTC Stephen Conway LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq. CPT Gabe Snell SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA COL Mikel J. Burroughs MSG Andrew White SFC William Farrell

The military now days hands out fruit salad like it's free candy at a parade. I've seen NCO's with more salad on their dress blues than full bird Colonels. Absolutely ridiculous. It's compared to participation trophies for every kid.