COMBAT OUTSIDE THE FRONT LINE MERITS NEW
MEDAL.....................
Newport
News Daily Press June 16, 2000
By Jim
Spencer, Daily Press
Think
of it as the armed forces version of
social
promotion. Recent news reports reveal that
the
Air Force has issued America's fourth-highest
combat
medal, the Bronze Star, to hundreds of people
who
never got close to a battlefield. The service
made
the awards for participation in the Kosovo
campaign.
Thing is, a dozen of the warriors decorated
for
their courage in stopping ethnic cleansing in
the
former Yugoslavia never left Missouri.
One
"fought" from Dayton, Ohio. Four others gutted
it out
at the Pentagon. And another 212 received
recognition
for fighting in Kosovo while in Italy,
England,
Germany and Spain. Talk about profiles in
courage.
Here's an official statement the Air Force
offered
to explain its actions
"As
the USAF developed a global reach during the
Cold
War, an ever increasing number of USAF personnel
were
called upon to support military operations
involving
combat, even though they were located
thousands
of miles from the shooting."
Seems
like the Air Force hopes to redefine combat
the
way Bill Clinton hoped to redefine sex.
Seems
like the service's word games are as nakedly
self-serving
as the president's.
If
recognition had gone to lower-ranked personnel
who
busted their butts to make the bombing in
Eastern
Europe a success, this wouldn't be such a
big
deal. Instead, 192 of the 246 Bronze Stars
the
Air Force passed out went to people with
ranks
of major or higher.
Many
of these awards went to those who oversaw
such
dangerous missions as the building of tent
cities
in Kosovo or managing supply lines in Western
Europe
and the continental United States. Then
there
were those warriors who laid their lives
on the
line giving briefings.
Apparently,
the brass feels short-changed by
the
peace dividend. In that vein, here are a
few
suggestions that will enhance the modern
Air
Force's future ability to pad resumes.
*
Henceforth, the Purple Heart will be awarded to any senior officer who
risks
carpal tunnel syndrome while clicking a computer mouse in documents
that
include the word "airpower." Also eligible will be those majors,
colonels
and generals who receive paper cuts leafing through reports that
contain
at least one reference to "war fighting effort."
* The
"V" insignia, which designates valor in combat, will forthwith
extend
to those who must cross the street against traffic while hurrying
to
headquarters for domestic strategy sessions about foreign troop
deployments.
* A
brand-new fighting spirit award, the Canvas Cluster, will go to any
commander
who can get his men to pitch tents, load supplies or offer other
kinds
of support within 1,000 miles of where a single enemy round has
exploded
in the past month.