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In addition to suggesting the Air Force was subject to the draft, it also said the good conduct medal was created back in the sixties, during the Vietnam war. To refresh my memory, which is pretty clear, I reviewed some old service records a few minutes ago. I received my first GCM on February 21, 1959, three years to the day from my enlistment. One became eligible for the GCM every three years of active duty. It is pretty clear that the author of this article doesn't know port from starboard.

It got automatic after a while and the only way not to get one was by a Commanders non approval. It was a hassle so, not many bothered with it. Now it was nothing more then a place marker, instead of hash marks for measuring time in service. It lost it meaning all together.

The replacement for the GCD become the AF Achivement Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal. Now They have no meaning either, except as points for promotion testing.

Now that I am retired I am telling what I have seen to everyone.

"In addition to suggesting the Air Force was subject to the draft, it also said the good conduct medal was created back in the sixties, during the Vietnam war."

Here's what the article says..."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." And according to this site ( http://www.gruntsmilitary.com/afgood.shtml ) the medal was authorized by Congress on 6 July 1960, and the medal itself was not created until 1963. I'm not sure how you got one in 1959 unless it was awarded retroactively. Interestingly, the medal design is the same as the Army's Good Conduct Medal, which again raises the question (which nobody seems to be able to answer)....why is the Air Force receiving ridicule on this topic? Is it because it has the same medal as all the other services, or because it is getting rid of it?