The Bronze Star isn't a major combat medal, and that is due to the DoD itself and how they've been giving them out and to who. Just do a search and you'll find plenty of personnelists and other people who went overseas, but nowhere near combat, that were awarded the medal. And no, being someplace that paid imminent fire pay does not equal combat.

I think it's funny that so many people were offended by that perceived slight against the medal, but have no comment about the devaluing of it that, in my mind, was a much bigger slight to those who risked much more in the past to earn it.