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Air Force Combat Medal unveiled

A combat-recognition medal for airmen should be available in April, according to the Air Force’s top personnel officer.

Officials have agreed on the award’s design and the criteria for receiving it, Lt. Gen. Roger A. Brady, deputy chief of staff for manpower and personnel, told Air Force Times on Friday. Brady said the medal “speaks to our heritage in an elegant way,” and added that airmen would be eligible to receive it for combat exploits both in the air and on the ground.

“Combat, historically in the Air Force, has been viewed ... as the purview of ... aviators. That’s changed,” Brady said. “It’s changed with the nature of the enemy and changed with some of the missions we’ve been asked to take on.”

Likely candidates for the award, which will be retroactive to Sept. 11, 2001, include those airmen who perform missions alongside the Army and Marine Corps — or in lieu of those troops, Brady said. That includes convoy escorts, explosive ordnance disposal technicians and members of provincial reconstruction teams, among others.

These airmen have been in the line of fire, sometimes “nose to nose” with the enemy, he said.

The combat-action award will be available to airmen through the rank of colonel, Brady said. No current general officers will be eligible for it.

Moreover, the award will have no bearing on an airmen’s promotion, he said.

In December, more than 20 airmen met at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, to hash out criteria for the award, Brady said.

“We had people [there] who had been there, done that and had the T-shirt,” he said, alluding to the combat veterans in on the discussions.

And while some opposed the idea of a combat-recognition medal, most supported it, Brady said. They looked in detail at the criteria for combat-action awards issued by the sister services.

Although those medals and ribbons have been awarded historically to troops who have come under and returned fire, the individual branches have tweaked their criteria somewhat. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the enemy has fired on troops using improvised explosives — meaning the attacker may not be present.

“We don’t have to be exactly like the other services,” Brady said, “but it should be consistent with the other services.”

As with the other combat action awards, returning fire is not a prerequisite for receiving the Air Force award, he said, but an airman must come under enemy fire as part of performing his duties. It’s not for airmen in the wrong place at the wrong time.

For that reason, even though the award eligibility will date back to 9/11, airmen at the Pentagon when it was attacked will not qualify.

“There are other awards … to handle people who are unfortunately in the way of hostile action,” Brady said.

Airmen will apply for the medal by filling out a form and providing a witness’ statement. The Central Command Air Forces commander, currently Lt. Gen. Gary L. North, will serve as command authority.

“This is not an ‘I-was-a-hero award,’ ” Brady said. “[Airmen] are heroes, yes, because they’re doing the nation’s business, and they’re getting shot at.

“But [this is] an ‘I-was-there-in-combat award and I performed honorably.’ It doesn’t necessarily mean … valiantly or heroically, but we ought to recognize it.”