Originally Posted by
JamesNoBrakes
Wow, tell us how you really feel?
What if they are instrumental in detecting and eliminating enemy that is pinning down our ground troops, against regular doctrine and procedure?
What if they recognize someone on the ground who is in distress and unable to communicate?
What if they...
This could go on and on. Some of you seem to hate the UAS operators because they are the "new kid" on the block. Face it, this is the future of warfare, and it will mean less people in harms way, but it doesn't mean the human element isn't important. It could be critical, and I'm sure there will be situations in the future where it is.
There all kinds of civilians doing important work at Langley, Ft. Meade, NGA, etc. They don't need a combat decoration.
If a UAS operator is somehow actually physically involved in combat, there are already awards he can get. If he's plinking baddies from CONUS with a warm starbucks latte close at hand, there are plenty of atta-boy medals for that too.
But this medal should not rate higher than a MSM.