Why are officers recognized with awards more than enlisted?

I may be an exception to that rule. I was Air Force, 3 yr, 6 mos, 5 days, last yr in Nam. I was a clerk(Personnel Specialist) in DaNang, Mar-Dec '66. I flew with the 311th Air Commando Sq as a non crew member volunteer Flare Kicker. By the end of my tour (I was discharged when I went home in Dec '66 as an E-3(A2C) I had been awarded the DFC, AM, AFCM, AFGCM, NDSM,VSM, VCR, AFOUA, SAEMR, Pres unit Citation, VN cross w/palm, VCM. All of these were awarded in the last year, all WHILE I WAS IN Nam. i LEFT AFTER 3 1/2 YRS, as an E-3. For me it was just a case of right time, right place. I was no one special, just ........

As a Retired Air Force MSGT, I couldn’t agree with this comment more. His remarks about the higher the rank attaches more metals, than the lower tankers. In the movie “We Were Once Soldiers”, Mel Gibson and Sam Elliot about Custer, he was a pussy. Now there is a medal winner.

It's self-serving and as a reserve officer (deployed three times) I saw it and it looked like quota-by-rank to me. Fact: I declined two BSMs and had my CDR award them to my NCOs. Seemed a lot like a checklist thing for the 1-shop to 'get through' prior to redeployment.

I was a Special Forces in Vietnam in 1968-1970 and retired from the US Army 30 years ago. I saw this coming when was still in in the 70's that modern army will. It's not what you deserved, it's who kiss ass more specially the officers. I never did like officers during my 20 years but they listened to us NCO's. The military nowadays are politics even the generals in Pentagon can't even make a decisive decisions they always hesitate.

Yeah, I found out that after being deployed and then subsequently injured in Afghanistan that while I was awarded a Purple Heart, it's as much as I was expecting for what happened. I already had my CIB, so I wouldn't have expected anything else and still don't. I received the Enemy Marksmanship Award for having taken an injury but not having been able to return fire. But upon finding out in my next unit that an officer had a Bronze Star as his tour award vs. what most enlisted got which was an AAM for just doing his job... well, I just lost a little faith in the system since it was also considered normal for an E-7 or above. There's a lot of guys out there doing substandard jobs in the military, but unless they do screw-ups of epic proportions, they'll get what's "expected of their rank."

I have seen awards given for complete BS but I on multiple occasions risked life and limb to forgo the safety protocols in order to bring up a transmitter that went down and not even a thank you. Why did I forgo them? Well, our safety gear minus the stuff needed to attach ourselves to the vertical ladder was readily available. The "ball busters" were owned by another division and their spaces were locked. We didn't know where they were at, an entire weapon system is not operational and half of an aircraft carrier is exposed. "F' IT!" I skipped the gear which wouldn't have done any good to keep me from falling, I avoided the flight deck operation personnel (the ones with IQs of rocks), bypassed the rovers, climbed the ladder, cleared the issue and restarted it, then came back down without getting caught. Either I do things by the book and risk an O-6 or O-7 finding out or get the job done. It does bother me that I did this multiple times and not a single mention, but it doesn't matter on the outside. It doesn't get me a better job or a better wage.

As for the comment about the flight deck personnel, we did explain to them (many, many, MANY times) at the lowest level possible and we still got a deer in the headlights look. We needed their permission to access our equipment. Same people we also told to stop dumping oil and JP5 on our sponsons which had missile launchers, which contained missiles ready to fire, but they didn't do it.

Officers will gladly pin medals on each other for the stupidest things, but enlisted have to go over the top for something like a commendation or good conduct medal. Everyone knows it's the noncoms that get things done, not the officers.

Sad but true that those who are outside the wire in the blood and mud get shit on but those sitting in the TOC bitching about running our of cream for their coffee get medals.

Why do you care?

My stepfather fought in Europe during WWII. He was small, Jewish and a private. Came home with 2 Purple Hearts, Bronze Star and the Silver Star. Maybe he was the exception to the rule. But, after talking to him about them he said; “I would have preferred not to have been in the situation that got me those metals.”

When you have a cohort of peers with authority, to pat each other on the back, career advancement and promotion is assured.