“Maybe Beau Biden is not the only one in the US Army to get a bronze star for just showing up, but that is not supposed to be the requirement.”
I knew a Colonel who got a Bronze Star in GW 1 - without the V for Valor. It was an administrative award to set him up to make General (which he did). I have some familiarity (secondhand) with his performance in combat and...he was despised as a coward and fool.
His Bronze Star was filling a promotion square. I’d bet everything I’ve got Beau Biden was the same.
Just looked it up on Wiki:
“The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone.
When the medal is awarded by the Army, Air Force, or Space Force for acts of valor in combat, the “V” device is authorized for wear on the medal....”
FR can be very educational. I tried google with “how many bronze stars without v” and got AI results without any source refences. The text that appeared on the screen said for the US Army, 1,698 Bronze Stars with V and more than 50,000 without. Who knows. Apparently the AI adds up statistics from multiple sources. My guess is that Biden lies by omission, omitting part of the story that would not support the impression he wants to convey.