Miscellaneous Service Medals

MISCELLANEOUS SERVICE MEDALS

	Combat Action Medal (Air Force)
	Combat Readiness Medal (Air Force)
	Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal

Background Information

Combat Action?

One of the most persistent problems in the development of the medals and ribbons since the end of the Second World War has been the absence of clear rules or principles that govern what should (or should not) be established. The medals listed in this section are clear examples of medals that should never have been created. They may look good at first glance, but they add little of value to military culture and increase the confusion over the kinds of service for which medals are (or ought to be) awarded

The most recent award is the Air Force Combat Action Medal. The Navy and Marine Corps had previously established a Combat Action Ribbon, which is a ribbon-only. Oddly enough, the Navy considers the Combat Action Ribbon to be a "personal decoration," although no medal is involved and it is actually awarded for performance in a combat zone. The Army followed by creating a Combat Action Badge, which is neither a ribbon nor a medal. Not surprisingly, it is awarded under a different set of rules than the Navy Combat Action Ribbon. The Air Force, bowing to pressure from within, established its Combat Action Medal but with different rules than either the Navy's Combat Action Ribbon or the Army's Combat Action Badge.

It would have been far better to acknowledge combat action service at the Department of Defense level with a single award and a single set of rules. The Department of Defense, however, has been extremely weak in asserting its authority in the area of medals and decorations, largely prefering to allow the Services to march to the own drummers. Perhaps the biggest roadblock has the the Defense Department's insistence on complete agreement among the Service components when it comes to proposals for awards and decorations. This means that one Service, by non-concurring, can essentially torpedo efforts to standardize award policy. The Combat Action Medal is a good example of this problem.

Combat Readiness?

Another medal that should not exist is the Air Force's Combat Readiness Medal. This medal was originally established as a personal decoration but was later downgraded to a service medal. It was basically created to reward aircrews of the Strategic Air Command who flew demanding missions during the Cold War. At that time SAC kept a fleet of fully-armed bombers in the air around the clock to give them rapid response capability in the event of an attack by the Soviets. The Combat Readiness Medal was supposed to be a kind of combat crew commendation medal awarded for high levels of proficiency and readiness.

However, the Strategic Air Command was not the only component of the military that maintained a high degree of combat readiness; indeed, it could be argued that combat readiness is the basic job of the military! In any event, none of the other Service components established a comparable medal, and the Air Force Combat Readiness remains an isolated relic of the Cold War.

Outstanding Volunteers?

The Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal was established in the final days of President George H.W. Bush. In his inaugural address on January 20, 1989, President Bush said, "I have spoken of a thousand points of light, of all the community organizations that are spread like stars throughout the Nation, doing good. We will work hand in hand, encouraging, sometimes leading, sometimes being led, rewarding. We will work on this in the White House, in the Cabinet agencies. I will go to the people and the programs that are the brighter points of light, and I will ask every member of my government to become involved. The old ideas are new again because they are not old, they are timeless: duty, sacrifice, commitment, and a patriotism that finds its expression in taking part and pitching in."

The military was encouraged to participate in this "thousand points of light," and at the end of his administration President Bush established the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal to recognize those who met this challenge. Oddly enough, as noble as his goal was President Bush failed to recognize that the role of the military is unique and part of that uniqueness is the degree to which it is self-contained. Serving the civilian community through good works is laudable, but not part of the military mission and probably should not be recognized by a military award. It would have been better if the Bush Administration had established a civil award for volunteerism and made the military eligible to receive (and wear) it.

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