Should AR-600-8-22 be change to create Senior and Master Air Assault Badges and/or bronze stars for combat air assaults?

MAJ Steven Szymurski — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 18:20:43 -0500

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 16 at 2015 6:29 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 18:29:28 -0500

I remember after the huge AASLT during Desert Storm. Gen Binford Peay tried to get a "mustard stain" for our AASLT wings. Didn't go over well.....

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 16 at 2015 9:22 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 21:22:20 -0500

How would you even quantify this? Non-air assault qualified personnel conduct air assault operations on a regular basis. You do not have to be air assault qualified to ride in a helicopter to an objective. You do not have to be air assault qualified to fast rope. You do not have to be air assault qualified to conduct SPIES. As far as I am aware, you don't even have to be air assault to rappel out of a helicopter, you just need a rappel master to oversee the training. The only thing air assault really qualifies you to do that you can't do through FRIES master, SPIES master, or rappel master training is rig a sling load...oh wait, we have Pathfinder for that. Minus rigging a sling load, all the other "air assault" skills are actually unit level training that does not require a school for certification. The more I think about it, the Air Assault badge is nothing more than a shotgun blast of basic skills involving rotary wing aircraft condensed into 10 days....that requires annual re-certification.

Response by COL Sam Russell made Dec 17 at 2015 4:07 PM

COL Sam Russell — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 16:07:52 -0500

More badges please and now. The Chinese are widening the hero-badge-gap and we need to catch up.

Response by COL Jason Smallfield, PMP, CFM, CM made Dec 17 at 2015 4:59 PM

COL Jason Smallfield, PMP, CFM, CM — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 16:59:53 -0500

A few thoughts:
- What problem are we trying to solve by making this change? If there is no problem then why the change?
- If there were a need for senior and master air assault then what would the required qualifications be?
- There are specific duty and performance requirements for senior and advanced paratrooper (AJ, PJ, night jump, mass tac, etc). What are or would be the specific performance requirements for air assault?
- Bronze star for combat air assault. We would need to define what a combat air assault is. This could very easily spin out of control without a solid definition where Soldiers whose aircraft came under fire would want their "mustard stain". Air movement does not equal air assault.
- At what point are we just making stuff up to make people feel good versus defining requirements and creating an award or badge system to encourage people to meet those requirements? Seems like this is a solution looking for a problem.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 1 at 2017 7:47 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 07:47:51 -0400

As a rappel master we are the ones who have to be there during all rappel operations. This includes our expertise in all things related to the mission accomplishment of all air assault related tasks. If being a rappel master were not a vital part of the training and doctrine than why send Soldiers to the Rappel Master courses to become certified? I would agree that there is not problem, however I feel that by giving the deserved badge or even ASI identifier would create a since of pride in being the best. I miss the "Be All You Can Be" attitude that the Army use to live by. Now it seems that we are taking accomplishments away from the best to keep from make the ones who don't try, feel better about their lack of motivation. It's the same concept with the AIT Platoon Sergeant position, no extra pay (fine), no brown round (fine), no badge (Problem). These types of mentalities are creating a generation of Soldiers who only do the bear minimum because there is no recognition for being the best. "“Give me enough medals and I’ll win you any war” (Napoléon Bonaparte)