Why are officers recognized with awards more than enlisted?

Higher up the food chain in getting awards both put in and approved. Plus I suppose you can say they have chances at "leadership" awards that lower soldiers don't have , by default of being in-command to begin with.

I don’t believe that’s the case but I’l admit that I’m not the subject matter expert on the issue

RHIP. Then again, I was awarded the MSM in 1979 as a Staff Sergeant, which I later learned is normally reserved for field grade officers, senior CWOs, and senior NCOs. It was a great honor, and total suprise to me, because I was leaving the Army after 9-1/2 years of service to return to civilian life. I am grateful to the officers who went out of their way to recognize a departing soldier.

You say "it seems that officers are recognized far more often than enlisted soldiers". Is that in fact true, in today's military? I don't have enough information to comment on your personal situation. I can only give this advice. If you as a leader at any level receive an award, look at your subordinates and determine which of those own a part of that award being that they work for you. Then be sure to nominate the one or two (maybe more depending on your position) individuals for an award that obviously they deserve. No leader accomplishes the mission on his/her own.

The honest uncomfortable truth is officers always look after themselves before the enlisted. I grew up in the military and did over 20 myself. Observe and form your own opinion. Think on this.

No one can name a flag rank officer who has gone to jail for committing a felony in the last 100 years in the US military justice system. Name one and I will delete this comment, if the admins do not do it after a flag officer reads this.

Good luck on finding a flag officer who has gone to prison under the UMCJ. I can name you several where the civilian courts said enough and went after them but there is a strange absence under the Uniform Code of Military Justice... The only example the Generals and Admirals can point at is a flag officer who committed 3 counts of forcible rape on one of his subordinates and did not go to prison and was not even dishonorably discharged. He retired as a two star and will get an over $150,000 dollar a year pension.

You can find dozens of flag officers who have committed felonies but their peers just will not prosecute, even when Congress demands it. They will instead force them to retire and then lie to Congress about it.

You will note for enlisted men retirement is a favorable action and cannot been done when you are accused of crime. Not so for officers....... This preference or looking the other way starts with awards for junior officers who do not deserve them and leads to what we have now with our senior officers.

It is no surprise to me why officers get awards fighting from their desks that enlisted men do not even get after dying in combat. I have seen this rot growing for over 50 years now, and each year it is worse.

This rot is a cancer to the Armed Forces of the United States.

I think if we could shoot a PVT in WWII for cowardice why can we not send a senior officer to prison?

Perhaps the President could ask the Chiefs.....

SFC Malcolm Haugen, very nice post! It's hard to get a straight response out of someone who is out of touch with the Soldiers. NCO's go above and beyond everyday with their Soldiers and are often left overlooked, underpaid and under appreciated.

"5 jump chumps" lame
I put three men in for Bronze Stars for bravery, two reduced to Arcom with "V" one more denied. I wish you could have seen their valor... one was even badly wounded
A civilian reporter asked at an award ceremony where 26 PHs & 17 BS "for merit" were awarded "are Purple Hearts for enlisted men and Bronze Stars for officers?"

That's a good question... Why are officers even considered for awards... They shouldn't be... The award system should recognize the heavy lifters. The officers should be honored knowing it was their leadership or extreme good luck to have been surrounded by good men to whom those awards should go.

There is no rhyme or reason on who receives awards. Much of awards for enlisted personnel is how much your leadership cares about you and recognizes your contribution you provide to the mission. I saved a child in 1982 with effective use of the Hiemlich maneuver. No award because my immediate CW3 did not care for me and leadership above this was unaware of the action I took. Then, in 1986, I saved a woman with a sucking chest wound after she shot herself with a .357 revolver in a suicide attempt. Again, no award because I was in the middle of a PCS move and my Command was totally unaware of my action. I was never one to politic for awards and was taught by my parents to be humble. I finished my Army career as a CW3 and all of my award citations sit in a cedar chest and not on public display.

Officers will get awards for simply doing their job after a deployment. Same with Plt Sgts and up on the enlisted side. I remember having to stand at attention in Iraq watching the officers congratulate themselves and each other jobs well done as if they had apparently won the war without the hundred enlisted men standing behind them haha. I'm not as salty about it as I sound I just think its a funny anecdote. I agree with the people saying not to worry about them though, just do your job and help weigh down some officers chest and enjoy yourself while you're in.