Drone pilots to get medals?

[douglas9]

The Pentagon is considering awarding a Distinguished Warfare Medal to drone pilots who work on military bases often far removed from the battlefield.

Pentagon officials have been briefed on the medal’s “unique concept,” Charles V. Mugno, head of the Army Institute of Heraldry, told a recent meeting of the Commission of Fine Arts, according to a report in Coin World by our former colleague Bill McAllister.

Mugno said most combat decorations require “boots on the ground” in a combat zone, but he noted that “emerging technologies” such as drones and cyber combat missions are now handled by troops far removed from combat.

The Pentagon has not formally endorsed the medal, but Mugno’s institute has completed six alternate designs for commission approval.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/in-the-loop/post/drone-pilots-to-get-medals/2012/07/09/gJQAF2PhYW_blog.html

[Curtland1015]

1. Might as well just give them "X Box Achievements". (NT)

[Monk06]

2. Well all medals are worthless now.

Mind you if you're handsome you might pull it off.

[2on2u]

3. A pinball wizard award, how gosh, now watch this

http://www.commondreams.org/further/2012/07/06-3

A video from September 2009 has surfaced via liveleak.com showing a 101st Airbornehelicopter crew in Wardack province singing "Bye-bye Miss American Pie" before blasting a group of Afghan men, who may or may not be doing anything illegal, with a Hellfire missile, after which survivors run for cover. Most chilling: The blithely admiring "Nice!" after the hit.

"Any impression of impropriety on the video is not representative of the professional service members who make up the (NATO) coalition." - Martin Crighton, spokesman for Nato-led forces in Afghanistan.

[Scootaloo]

4. Just give them a case of Monster and a big bag of doritos /t