Honor for Remote Plane Controllers in 'Vegas-stan' to Outrank Purple Heart
Dave Tombers, WND — Enraged veterans say President Obama “is treading into sacred ground” by allowing the Pentagon to establish a new medal intended to recognize the achievements of drone pilots and “computer geeks,” most of whom never leave the comfort of an air-conditioned building in Tampa or Las Vegas.Vietnam-era pilot and veteran Terry Reed told WND, “Giving ‘gamers’ a medal, instead of people who actually suffered in real combat, will definitely be demoralizing.
“This is a slap in the face of all combat veterans who serve in harm’s way,” he added. “I know for a fact that military pilots are not happy about this new medal.”
The Distinguished Warfare Medal has been approved by the Department of Defense and will be ready for awarding within weeks, although no names have been made public of any potential recipients.According to DoD, the award is intended to recognize the “changing nature of war in which attacks conducted remotely have played an increasingly important role in gathering intelligence and killing enemy fighters and terrorists.”
Perhaps what raises combat veterans’ ire even more than the existence of the new medal is the fact that it will “outrank” several other combat-related decorations like the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and even the Prisoner of War medal.
Also, it involves Obama’s controversial use of drones, through which hundreds of people have been killed, including women and children. He’s even used it to kill Americans abroad.
“A guy with a joystick in an air-conditioned room in ‘Tampa-stan’ or ‘Vegas-stan’ (the term some in the military use to describe the drone war rooms), who lives at home and gets to see his family every night when he gets off work, should not be receiving a medal of higher importance than the real pilots who are actually in harm’s way,” said Reed.
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“There is no greater sacrifice than risking your own life to save another on the battlefield, and the order of precedence should appropriately reflect the reverence we hold for those willing to make that sacrifice.”
Several groups are urging action, with one group seeking 100,000 signatures on the White House petition website.
Regardless of the status of the petition asking the Obama administration to intercede, the United States Congress may act anyway.
Murphy said, “I know personally from my Navy service with combat-wounded veterans at Walter Reed that their Purple Heart should and must rank above the Distinguished Warfare Medal.
“If the Pentagon will not reconsider the decision to rank this medal above the Purple Heart, the House will take action,” he promises. » Full Article
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About the Author
Dave is an experienced writer, speaker, and instructor, with decades of law enforcement experience. His first book will be published later this year and draws on his reporting and police skills. Follow Dave on Twitter @davetombers
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