Posted on Aug 13, 2016
Should the military do away with the Good Conduct Medal?
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You get a medal every three years for not doing stupid shit you shouldn't be doing anyways ... WTF? It's little more than a Participation Award; a pat on the back for not driving drunk or not telling your OIC, NCOIC, Commander et al to go pound sand.
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Posted >1 y ago
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It seems like you didn't put much thought into your trailing comments. Every medal from the Medal of Honor on down are participation medals. It's just that most of us didn't have the opportunity or the courage to participate in the actions required to get them. In Iraq I saw a Marine Corps Corpal get a Silver Star for actions many thought deemed a Medal of Honor, he was wounded by a sniper, took out 75 plus enemy in one battle, reconsolidated forces from three Nations to hold a rooftop critical to the defense of the compound, while wounded he man packed two other critically wounded soldiers off the rooftop to the aid station, one was his Company Commander who is now permanently in a wheel are but still alive. He was put in for the Medal but it was down graded twice by Generals who thought it wasn't deserved. You seem like an individual that might have been in the old Army where almost everyone got at least one Art 15. I actually know a few guys that got Art 15s and Good Conduct Medals for the same three year period, something that is not supposed to happen but they PCSed or Command element changed out so no one had knowledge of that past Art 15. So I say keep the award, it is hard won to get the full nine I got for 27 years service and I wear them with pride. Even thought I demanded trial by Court Martial twice and won to get them. So yes it's not as easy as you would imply. Especially when you have less than steller Commanders or 1SGs that aren't interested in Justice, just saving face.
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MSG (Join to see)
SGM Joel Cook First I apologize for losing my cool and am grateful I had presence of mind to know I was fatigued and to put the keyboard down before I made a complete ass of myself. That said, should you find yourself in the San Jose area, feel free to give me a ring and I'll meet at a location of your choosing so you may insert one boot up my ass.
When I say participation award I do so in the same light as the participation trophies handed out to all teams and team members regardless of where they placed. It's also on the same line as the Social Promotions conducted in the California school systems where despite your grade (A-F), you move up.
I never received an Art 15 nor have the majority of my buddies but I did hear the I Corps Commander tell a theater full of Commander Senior NCOs something to the effect of If they weren't giving out at least one Article 15 per month, they were doing a disservice to their Soldiers. That was met with mumbles from some and chuckles from others including myself.
That said SGM, we'll have to agree to disagree.
When I say participation award I do so in the same light as the participation trophies handed out to all teams and team members regardless of where they placed. It's also on the same line as the Social Promotions conducted in the California school systems where despite your grade (A-F), you move up.
I never received an Art 15 nor have the majority of my buddies but I did hear the I Corps Commander tell a theater full of Commander Senior NCOs something to the effect of If they weren't giving out at least one Article 15 per month, they were doing a disservice to their Soldiers. That was met with mumbles from some and chuckles from others including myself.
That said SGM, we'll have to agree to disagree.
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SFC Jim Ruether
SGT Eliyahu Rooff - A fantastic read thanks so much for sharing it with us. I enjoy reading the MOH story line behind each award given out.
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SGM Joel Cook
SCPO (Join to see) - my knowledge of MacArthur's MOH is a bit rusty but I believe it was for his actions in the Philippines. So if you take a look at that situation he was definitely participating in the finest traditional methods of any CG. If you read about the initial Japanese attacks there you will learn that he probably should have been relieved for incompetence, his entire Air Force destroyed on the ground because he did not schedule any scouting missions to look for Japanese attack forces. So instead they give him a MOH and evacuated him to Australia because he was well connected politically. So no I don't think he earned his MOH. Still you can't say he did not participate, after all he was the CG.
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Hey at least you have to stay out of trouble to get one of those. You get the National Defense Service medal for just showing up and the GWOT for sticking around for a couple months.
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SSG (Join to see)
Technically they should not be giving out the GWOT to AIT grads, but for some reason they are. You are supposed to be doing something in support on the war against terror not making it thru AIT.
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CH (CPT) (Join to see)
GWOT isn't being issued any more—the period for that award ended a number of years ago (before my BOLC, so I didn't get one, actually).
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SPC Zach Lockhart
The concept behind the Army Service Ribbon is that former Army guys can display their Army service on their rack if they change branches. The NDSM seems like a participation award but keep in mind that if you only served between '75 and '89, you didn't receive one. It's essentially the successor to the American Defense Service Medal/American Campaign Medal from WWII.
CPT Hess, the GWOT medal is still active. This medal is a strange and probably unnecessary one. It's awarded for the same thing the NDSM is. The expeditionary medal makes sense, but the basic one doesn't. And SSG Phelps is correct. The GWOT medal is awarded for active duty time after IET. Being a reservist, I never recived one. Privates graduating AIT shouldn't either.
Back to the original topic, the Good Conduct Medal made a lot of sense for guys in the 80's. For many of them, it was their only medal. And if a medal is encouragment that keeps soldiers in line, I have no problem with it. My unit was too lazy to award the Reserve Component Achievement Medal (the reserve good conduct medal) to elliable soldiers. This only contributed to our unit's lack of morale.
CPT Hess, the GWOT medal is still active. This medal is a strange and probably unnecessary one. It's awarded for the same thing the NDSM is. The expeditionary medal makes sense, but the basic one doesn't. And SSG Phelps is correct. The GWOT medal is awarded for active duty time after IET. Being a reservist, I never recived one. Privates graduating AIT shouldn't either.
Back to the original topic, the Good Conduct Medal made a lot of sense for guys in the 80's. For many of them, it was their only medal. And if a medal is encouragment that keeps soldiers in line, I have no problem with it. My unit was too lazy to award the Reserve Component Achievement Medal (the reserve good conduct medal) to elliable soldiers. This only contributed to our unit's lack of morale.
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MSG (Join to see) No. If you can keep your nose clean in the Marine Corps that long, you have earned the medal.
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Suspended Profile
Ninja Punch. I have met many "Lancers for Life" for their inability to maintain CPL rank. "No one really appreciates rank until you've had it 2-3 times" - attributed to Chesty Puller.
Sgt (Join to see)
MAJ Charles Blake - I agree sir. Chesty Puller was right. I worked with LCpl's, Cpl's, and Sgt's who had served much longer than I had.
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Cpl Earl Armstrong
While it's not my highest ranking medal it was one of the hardest to obtain and therefore my most cherished medal.
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