When an upgraded Buff comes fully loaded with JDAMS they can pretty much wipe out entire units with little collateral damage. Currently, there is talk about converting the Buffs in to ECM platforms.
Posted on 02/18/2006 4:37:50 PM PST by SandRat
2/17/2006 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- The Air Force Uniform Board announced Feb. 6 that the Good Conduct Medal will no longer be awarded.
The Air Force director of Airman development and sustainment recently explained the reasons behind this decision.
"The quality of our enlisted personnel today is so high, we expect good conduct from our Airmen," said Brig. Gen Robert R. Allardice. "It begged the question, ‘Why do we have a Good Conduct Medal?’"
"Having a medal for good conduct is almost to say we don't expect Airmen to do well, but if they're good we will give them a medal,” he said. “It's kind of insulting in our Air Force today."
One must look at the history of why the medal was created in the 1960s. The military was using the draft and involved in the Vietnam War. The Air Force didn't have any other method to recognize Airmen. Today, the Air Force Achievement Medal recognizes outstanding Airmanship.
“When we looked at that history it was clear that the Good Conduct Medal has outlived its usefulness," said Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray. "Today’s all-volunteer force is committed to serving honorably, and good conduct is what we expect from every Airman -- officer and enlisted.”
“We live by our core values,” Chief Murray said. “When members of our service stray from those values, they do themselves and all Airmen a disservice. When that happens, commanders have the tools they need to evaluate the situation and the individual's worthiness for continued service.
"If a commander deems their conduct does not warrant discharge, then they remain a valuable Airman to our Air Force, and we expect them to continue to serve honorably,” he said.
General Allardice said that it is the uniform, not the Good Conduct Medal, that represents what Airmen are all about.
“In today’s Air Force, our Airmen understand that the uniform they wear represents good conduct,” he said.
Airmen who have previously earned the Good Conduct Medal are still authorized to wear it.
When an upgraded Buff comes fully loaded with JDAMS they can pretty much wipe out entire units with little collateral damage. Currently, there is talk about converting the Buffs in to ECM platforms.
And normally the point of ridicule is pretty obvious. And usually funny. But I just couldn't figure out why the Air Force is the target in this one. All the services have a GCM. Almost everyone agrees it is basically irrelevant. But somehow the Air Force has done something stupid by getting rid of it? Normally the Air Force is criticized for giving out too many medals. Now, the opposite is true. I just wanted someone to give me the punchline.
You're right. If it wasn't for the GCM some folks would go their whole military career without anything on their shirt.
Dont think I would have qualified for any in the top row. Twelve out of 22 years overseas.
Now, they will probably get nothing. Usually because a supervisor is a poor writer, just plain lazy, or someone up the chain doesn’t like some down in the chain and denies the medal. (If I had a nickel for every time I saw that I won't need my retirement pay.) Sad really.
It is sad. Nobody's career should ride on someone else's writing ability. There really must be a better way, but the problem is not unique to the Air Force (or for that matter to the military). The opposite extreme exists in my "other job" flying for an airline. In that unionized environment, promotion is dependent solely on someone in front of you dying or retiring. I'm not sure how you devise a happy medium. But it does not seem to exist yet.
See your local VFW , American Legion, or AirForceAssociation; they can immediately help get things cleaned up on that count.
The Mil Vets will all agree that this is another "Bright" idea from a "T-Usless DESK-PILOT" and nothing else.
Personally, I'm of the belief that it won't be long until USAF abolishes the "uniform". The argument will be made that since anyone can tell an airman, they don't really need further identifiers.
Heh. That's because it's a Navy medal. Back in the day at Service Schools Command at Great Lakes, if you screwed up on something that wasn't major the Chief would assign you to "Extra Military Instruction" (EMI) which consisted of reporting in at 5 PM and buffing floors for an hour. I earned my medal at Electrician's Mate "A" school, when I graduated in 1975 I held the record for number of hours of EMI worked off.
"Never made Wheelus AB. WAS at Walker AB NM then with the 509th Air Refueling Sq. Saw a lot of Gander and Thule."
Makes sense for a SAC man. Quick ride to Europe and the middle east.
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