Why are officers recognized with awards more than enlisted?

You gotit' Master Gunn'y. The only bloody guarantee you get when you join the Tribe is that you will serve. Learn it, live it, love it and you will do well. When you get up and scrape your face in the morning before Reveille you will be comfortable with what you see looking back at you from the mirror. Your shipmates will know it, your fire team will know it and in the end that's all that really counts; the rest is cream cheese. Anchor'sAweigh/SemperFi--ChiefBull--

First Line Leaders need to start the process and that means they need to know how the award system works. Now here’s a question. What means more for a first or second hitch Private thru Specialist: time off, early promotion, special duty, a school or a medal? I think the medal may not rate highly. What motivates the individual should be used as the reward.

Many times a Soldier can get stuck in an MOS that really just has them doing their job during projected work hours. Unless someone recognizes that you are coming in to complete unit mission tasks during your personal off time.

I'am a Vietnam VETERAN, and almost everytime whenever we were on patrol, or clearing a mine field, we would not see an officer! Although even when we did they normally whenever they showed up after we got it done, then they would show! And about 14 days to 30 days, later would have an awards for the Valor. The enlisted men verry seldom got noticed for the part that they did for that Butter Bar Lt. Seems that they hardly ever even got drity, however even though they didn't know shit, they would try to tell us what we did wrong! Then 30 days later the officer got a Bronze Star, fore of us enlisted men got a ARMY ACOMADATION!

I had seen it all the time to where a senior officer got a higher award than the enlisted personel that was actually doing the job. Being the awards clerk for one command I had seen it done more times than I can count.

Because the officers award them to each other. Duh!

It beats me. It makes no sense that some 2LT stuck in the S4 automatically gets a bronze star for his 4 months in Iraq and the SSG out there leading his Platoon everyday for 365 days goes home with an ARCOM. LoMs are rarer than a MoH, and DSCs are essentially reserved for Generals only. Then, you have Brigade Commanders writing policy letters that specifically say (I wish I was kidding on this one) that RANK WILL BE USED FOR DETERMINATION OF AWARD CRITERIA. Um no, rank has no place in determining if somebody is deserving of an award or not.

I am retired, having spent just less than 1/2 of my career as enlisted and a little more than 1/2 as an officer. I firmly believe that awards for enlisted ranks depend on the commanding officer! I saw my share of injustices in the Army, when it came to awards and commendations. Most of my career was in Army Special Forces where awards are not "expected", rather superb performance above the call of duty is an expectation. I've now watched how awards and commendations are given out like candy while there were less of them while I was on active duty! Awards were never meant to be incentives but that appears to be the norm now. My belief that officers garnered more decorations than enlisted (while I was on active duty) pobably stems from the fact that officers know how to use the regulations to get those awards while, many times, overlooking the fact that they wouldn't have been deemed worthy of those awards had it not been for the support of the enlistedman/women. Just my two cents!

Part of the problem stems from commanders sending memorandum out (generally during deployment) setting minimum and maximum rewards based on rank. Such as E-7 and all officers are bronze star, E-5 and E-6 are ARCOM and all others are AAM or less. Yes I've seen it and been forced to follow it. It is shit from Col. and above trying to "take care of their own". It is wrong and should be based on merit of individual. Most LT's are about as bright as a PFC and rely on SSG or higher to complete mission. Don't get me wrong some are very high speed but in general a college degree does not mean you can lead especially in combat. Most unit commanders have seen less tires of duty than an E-5 and have certainly not been outside the wire as much as any troop.

Sp4 Byron Skinner. The only medal that the enlisted 11B get more of the officers is the Purple Heart. 11B's carry most of the combat load, thats when we enlisted for, its our job. It is well understood that many acts that might end up be done by a non 11B or a Junior Officer is not in their pay grade and thus beacon an act of heroism. I know of one officer in particular, an 03 who got a Silver Star for a combat fire fight he wasn't even at, he was several mile away in a very secure base camp at a staff meeting, it was a Monday. I know this to be true because I took out a NVA mortar position with out an assistance or back up. I not nottin' for it although the mortar was getting registered on a road where only seconds after being taken out two duce and a halts with bleeding and dyeing soldiers passed through as fast as the could go. For an enlisted 11B its all in a days work. It is not an easy job, on the Vietnam memorial in Washington D.C. the most common MOS among the US Army Dead of the Vietnam War are 11B's, its our job.