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Award valor, not rank

Fourth Brigade, 10th Mountain Division has started to tag awards to rank. Soldiers are no longer receiving awards based on their actions or valor, but instead they are receiving awards for holding a rank alone. This undermines the whole concept of awards and the reasons they are given.

Traditionally, awards were held as an achievement in one’s Army career for an act of bravery or exceeding the standards. Pinning it to a rank takes away all meaning of the award that was once held as an honor. Now, it is nothing more than a check-the-block deal, where people are not concerned whether soldiers excel. Should not a specialist who has shown to be among the best deserve a higher award than a substandard staff sergeant?

We must fight this because we are starting to take bricks away from the foundation on which our great Army and nation were built.

Sgt. Michael S. Corbett

Forward Operating Base Loyalty, Iraq