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.
No kidding - my platoon was marching down to the flight line past a C-141 when an AF Colonel walked up and asked an Airman in one of the nacelles how he was coming along: "Oh fine, Bob. I think I'll be done in about another half hour." "Great!" said the Bird, and walked off as if nothing was amiss.
Our platoon sergeant simply turned to us and said "Don't even think about it."
Damn shame nobody was brave enough to say "Ok Sean!"
LOL! :-)
I had a Space badge, Missile badge, Combat Crew badge, Crew member wings, and ribbons. Felt like a French general with all that crap on!
There was was no PT program when I enlisted in 83.
Now it applies to everybody...I passed till I retired, I used to go to the make-up classes to help the airmen who didn't pass. I guess seeing an old SNCO doing the same thing they were doing encouraged them.
This is true, just the yearly 1.5 mile run and your weight limit. Applied to all (both enlisted and officers)
Not kosher, I would of had a nice discussion with the Colonel about how he was embarassing the Air Force.
>>>I have 7 Air Force Good Conduct awards. The only thing I had to do was stay out of trouble. Hmmmm.... Maybe that WAS an achievement.<<<
Not sure about the Air Force. But staying out of trouble in the Navy was an Achievement!
CATMs guys always scored mine too...I shot at least yearly so I had multiple times to get that 'small arms expert' ribbon. :)
We had to run the mile and a half and pass the weight test once a year. The push up and sit up test was only in basic training.
I remember Mervin Wynn, a tall, skinny black guy from the Canary Islands who talked with a thick English accent. He kept getting set back in basic because he couldn't pass the physical. One day we were out on the track to run the mile and a half and the TI's gave Wynn the pushup and situp test. Four of them put Wynn in the middle of them and turned their backs on him and told him to do pushups. They then counted to 20, turned around and told Wynn he had passed.
But they didn't do Wynn any favors. Wynn wasn't too bright and had terrible problems in tech school. I don't know if he survived the AF.
"McPeak still squeaks his PC inclusiveness out through the underlings he left behind."
Exactly what I was thinking! McPeak was the absolute worst thing that ever happened to the AF.
I guess I'm missing the point on many of these posts. Is the ridicule based on the fact that the Air Force had a Good Conduct Medal, or the fact that it is getting rid of its Good Conduct Medal. I'm assuming that everyone posting here realizes that the Army, Navy and Marine Corps all have Good Conduct Medals as well. It appears the Air Force is just the first service to expect good conduct as the norm, rather than something to be awarded with a medal.
Oh, that pocket rocket always impressed me..especially when cooks were authorized to wear it. ;-0
Mine got scored by the range boss.
Took 9 clips for me to ZERO my weapon,,was told I'd make a good tunnel rat,,seemed to aim better after that...Went into the Signal Corp....200 yds. I'm deadly , 10 for 10,,, go figure..
LOL!
Eventually missiles merged with space. :-)
Lots of guys "lost" their missile badge when the space badge (except those from missiles) came out in 82.
I remember (quite vividly BTW) being down in a hole at FE Warren in the late 70s. :-)
The Air Force doesn't have programs or policies, it has generals: change generals, change 'programs'. So it's perfectly possible that the PT program blipped in and out of existence several times.
Anybody else remember when the NDSM was called the "Alive in Sixty Five."
I can't beat them on running but I sure can out do them on push-ups and sit-up...Former power lifter.
I do those too after every run. Heehee...
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