Posted on 07/03/2013 1:44:36 PM PDT by EXCH54FE
While watching the Martin-Zimmerman trial this week, combat veteran and Navy Cross recipient, Jeremiah Workman noticed a particularly disturbing decoration on Doris Singleton’s Sanford Police Department uniform when she took the stand. Singleton’s uniform had two ribbons — the World War II Army of Occupation Medal and the Defense Distinguished Service Medal – which Workman knew could not belong to someone who had only served in the Army for three years.
“I worked at the Pentagon with Sgt. Maj. [Carlton] Kent and Gen. [James] Conway for two years and I was around every general in the Marine Corps. I know these high ribbons, I know just about all the ribbons anyways,” Workman told The Marine Corps Times.
Workman, a former Marine who fought in the second battle of Fallujah, posted a picture of the woman on Facebook with the caption, “Am I going blind or is this police officer in the Zimmerman-Martin trial wearing ribbons that she doesn’t rate? I see a WW II army occupation medal and a Defense Distinguished service medal. Wow! On the stand she was asked about her military career. She said army for 3 years. So she received in three years what a 4 star general receives after forty years of service. Wow. What a superb 3 year army career!”
Gina Harkins, who writes for The Military Times, saw the post and contacted Workman, who had already talked with the Sanford Police Department by telephone. He told Harkins that according to the conversation he had with a Sanford PD official, since the department doesn’t have their own awards system, they simply went to the Army-Navy store and picked out Defense Department military ribbons. The official also stated that they intentionally chose World War II ribbons because there are not many veterans still alive from that era and they did not think anyone would notice.
The response left Workman thinking, “So that makes it all better now because these guys are dead?” He told Harkins, “The fact that that was their response is still pretty shameful, I think.”
Shameful, indeed.
He questioned, “But what kind of professional police department would send Bob the patrolman around the corner to go pick out some ribbons for our officers to wear when they do something heroic or have good service over the years?”
Workman also said that the official told him that they were working to set up their own awards system.
The police chief, who is also an Air Force veteran, replied to Business Insider via email stating that they “apologize if any veterans were offended, and promise to rectify the situation.”
Also according the website, other veterans have emailed the police chief insisting that the use of the ribbons be immediately stopped.
That is my opinion also. There is way to much militarism of the police force. What are they “Black Ops” wannabees..stand back all you civilians, we are here to take down the bad guys and earn some ribbons and get some stars.
However IMHO they need to create their own award system.
I agree that the department was off base using designated war tributes as decorations for their officers. Shoddy at best. Vulgar at worse. The officer who wore the medals was not my concern, she is presumably innocent of the slander. This is not a light matter however. The integrity and honor of war heroes has been sullied quite enough. The calloused and thoughtless abuse of their sacrifice by police department officials is disreputable. If I was taking you to task it was for presuming that no real harm was done.
You should take me to task if you believe I should be taken to task.
I will explain my position, but I am not going to buck the opinions of people who did serve and see this as an insult.
No problem...
Look up Flair from the movie Office Space and you see why it is the proper word.
Absolutely agree - look at the police force in action after the Boston Marathon bombing....
Can’t wait to see how the Sanford PD has outfitted their force when the rioting from this trial hits....
Since they’ve repurposed some WWII ribbons, they might plan on repurposing some Hellcats from WWII as well!
http://armyjeeps.net/M18Helcat/M18hellcat.htm
Yup, that’s Flair she’s got there.
I don’t blame the officer, but whoever decided using WWII era ribbons was a good idea has what we used to refer to as “unquestionably questionable judgement”.
Some enterprising individual ought to go into business making police ribbons. I mean, I was awarded a prestigious “Battle of Del Mar” ribbon crafted from a beer bottle label one memorable night at the club. Honestly means more to me than any of the official REMF decorations I received.
Just think of the possibilities... “Meritorious Parking Meter Observation with Overtime cluster”...”Obese Intoxicated Perp Rear Seat Service with Regurgitation device, third award”...
Maybe they are some kind of Police awards that look similar?
Otherwise, she’s really dumb AND dishonest
I would think fairly often, given PJs and Combat Controllers.
Not that this excuses what is going on here.
As one who was "in the rear with the gear" during my entire (stellar) Army career I know little about Army combat decorations...or combat decorations of *any* of the Branches,for that matter.However,I always thought that only *soldiers* could win the CIB.It seems very likely to me that the other Branches would award similar medals to *combat* veterans,but *that* one is Army *only*.But I certainly could be wrong here and someone more familiar with this issue will surely set me straight if I am.
No, the stolen valor law was not upheld in court
I’m satisfied for the time being that they said they would fix this. That’s the right thing to do. I’m giving them time to do it. ,I’m guessing some big city police departments already have a system they can tap into.
This was deliberate.
Nothing prevents the police department from creating their own internal medals for their ceremonies.
They were hoping no one would catch this.
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