Who Really Deserves a Silver Star? - The military's unfair awards system. By Owen West of Slate
A well reasoned and interesting article, as a former enlisted infantryman, I couldn't help but agree with the assertion made my author. What I found especially profound was Gen. George C. Marshall's remarks to President Roosevelt in a memo on Feb. 3, 1944 explaining the need for the medal :
"The fact that the ground troops, infantry in particular, lead miserable lives of extreme discomfort and are the ones who must close in personal combat with the enemy, makes the maintenance of their morale of great importance ... particularly the infantry riflemen who are now suffering the heaviest losses, air or ground ... and enduring the greatest hardships."
Mr. West gathers up some great points, quotes and details to present a very reasonable approach to the problem that has been simmering under the military surface far too long.
Note : A statistic I found very telling was that support staff outnumber rifleman 6-to-1.
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