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Letters

Don’t blame SF

I am writing in regards to the update on Minot Air Force Base, N.D. [“Out of the cold,” April 6]. As a very proud security forces mem¬ber, it offends me that every time the nuclear incident at Minot is mentioned, writers make it sound like it was a security forces issue. It wasn’t.

This story is a perfect example. On both Page 3 and Page 16 there are pictures of security forces air¬men practicing their tactics, which implies they were at fault — especially the caption on Page 3: “After some well-publi¬cized mistakes handling nuclear weapons, airmen have worked long hours to regain the base’s reputation.” That makes people think that security forces mem¬bers were at fault. That’s wrong.

I was assigned to the 509th Se¬curity Forces Squadron at White¬man Air Force Base, Mo., and I can say that SF has no control over the loading of munitions onto aircraft.

We follow certain procedures to open facilities, but that’s the ex¬tent of our involvement. We do not decide which munitions are loaded, how they are loaded or where they are delivered, so it upsets me that the media make it look like we are at fault.

It’s bad the incident happened, but put blame were blame is due.

More respect for Airey

I was disappointed with the lo¬cation of the article about the death of former Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Paul Airey [“AF legend Airey dies at 85,” March 23]. I think this is front-page ma¬terial. I don’t think that placing it on half of Page 22 was giving our chief his proper respect.

I’ve never forgotten meeting Chief Airey more than 12 years ago in Airmen Leadership School. Such an important airman deserves more than just a half of Page 22.

God bless you, Chief!

Medal of Honor

It would seem that the military as a whole has stopped giving higher awards [“Death before this honor,” March 23]. When it comes to something like a Bronze Star or higher, it has to go through the chain. The problem seems to begin at the bottom and works its way to the top.

While in Iraq, my platoon sergeant put me in for a Bronze Star and it was downgraded [to an Army Commendation Medal] by my company commander and went no further. It is hard for me to swallow.

It is hard to compare what peo¬ple like [World War II hero] 2nd Lt. Audie Murphy did and with what Sgt. 1st Class Paul Smith did [in Iraq]. Modern warfare is how we fight now and the battle¬ground is nothing like the fields of Germany. The art of war has changed, but the criteria have not.

I know of people who did great things while in Iraq or Afghanistan but were given a Silver Star be¬cause their commander did not feel that it warranted a Medal of Honor. It comes down to the new rule: If I do not have the award, then why should my soldier?

Thank you for taking the time to research and write this piece, and hopefully right a wrong. I, too, as a 25-year veteran and now a De¬partment of the Army historian, have been greatly troubled by the recent process and awarding of the Medal of Honor.

I agree that we need living awardees. The last living recipi¬ents were from Vietnam and they are now in their late 50s or older. In 30 or so years, they will be gone, and then what? Who will carry the torch of valor — dead guys in his¬tory books? Photos and citations?

Your analysis of numbers of re¬cipients in different wars is an in¬teresting way to understand it, but as you say, it is not perfect. What needs to happen is a review of the process and determination of realistic expectations. I have read about several Distinguished Service Cross and Navy Cross ac¬counts that, in my opinion, carried the same weight and significance as any citation in any era. Gone are the days when a soldier in the Indian wars would be cited for “gallantry in action.” Bravo to you and your colleagues and the great service and change that this piece may inspire.

I was assigned to a series of un¬usual-duty-type units for most of my 20 years in uniform. In these units, excelling at the highest lev¬els was expected on a daily basis. As such, duty performance that would have earned awards and decorations in most units was es¬sentially ignored, while adequate performance was grounds for transfer.

I was by far the most sparsely decorated soldier of a similar rank in every line unit to which I was assigned and at every service school I attended, up to and in¬cluding the Advanced Noncom¬missioned Officers’ Course.

What was merely an embarrass¬ing career inhibitor for me is un¬conscionable when it comes to rec¬ognizing men and women who have certainly gone beyond the call of duty in service to our coun¬try. Thank you for keeping this issue visible.

Medals and geography

As a member of the American Legion and the American Veter¬ans Association, I have been ques¬tioned by veterans puzzled by many aspects of Defense Depart¬ment policies and decisions.

A question asked often is: “Why aren’t the troops who served dur¬ing the Vietnam War, particularly those who served in Okinawa, Guam and the Philippines, not given credit for Vietnam service?”

Although the National Defense Medal is awarded for that time, it would seem that troops who served in those places — close, but not in Vietnam, in support roles of every possible aspect — should be allowed to wear the Vietnam Campaign Medal.

In World War II, troops were awarded campaign medals for ser¬vice in territories long cleared of enemy combatants, and deploy¬ments to bases serving only sup¬port roles were included in the awards. The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal was earned for three years of ser¬vice or three weeks, combat or rear-echelon duty, support or as¬sault. The same for the Asia-Pacif¬ic medal.

At least WWII had a Victory Medal that all could wear, no mat¬ter what the length or intensity of service.

Vietnam was assaulted by B-52s from air bases in Guam and Oki¬nawa. Marines and soldiers also staged to and from Vietnam on those island bases.

If not in support of the war in Vietnam, what were the several hundred thousand airmen, sailors and soldiers doing on Okinawa? Or Guam? Or in the Philippines?

I have come across hundreds of service veterans who hesitate to join veterans organizations sim¬ply because they feel jobbed by their exclusion from honors they feel they earned.

Another issue is the proposed (by all veterans groups, I am told) Cold War Victory Medal. Will it ever be approved? Will it be bro¬ken down by area of service? Will troops closer to Soviet Russia get a campaign star but troops who served in Australia be denied?

There have been many lively discussions at our various Legion and association meetings on these topics, and it would be helpful to get some other viewpoints.

No more ‘GWOT’?

The word is out that the “war on terrorism” is no more. I guess that ribbon that a lot of us wear is meaningless. Just what has been happening over the last eight years, the pinewood derby? Wel¬come to the new military: No more enemy combatants and oh, by the way, the war you thought you had been fighting? That’s right, it never happened. Now move along.