This is BS for three reasons.
Reason number one is they may have earned a AF Commendation Medal,and nothing higher. After all they were in very little danger because NOBODY sticks their heads up to even look when a C-130 Gun ship is making a run. Trust me on this. I have had 3 at a time making passes over me in Laos. People that stick their heads up are called "shredded meat".
In FACT,no one on the aircraft even received minor wounds,and there is no report of the aircraft even receiving enemy fire.
Secondly,WTH is up with the senior Officers and NCO's receiving DFC's,and the rest of the crew only getting Air Medals?
Were they not all flying in the same aircraft,taking the same risks?
Unless they have changed the regulations,you can get an Air Medal for flying "X amount of hours over enemy-controlled territory",even if you are flying in the aircraft that is delivering mail and flying too high to even be seen,never mind shot at.
Hell,I probably qualified for an air medal for the helicopter flights I made in VN. It's a nothing,nothing award,and even giving it to the lower ranked crewmen while giving a DFC to the senior officers and enlisted is a slap in the face to the junior members.
I personally knew career NCO's in the US Army Special Forces that kept personal flight logs and got the pilots to sign off on every minute they were flying in VN,Laos,or Cambodia even if it was in the mail helicopter so they could get an Air Medal. I don't hold this against them because they were career NCO's and every little bit helps when you go before a promotion board.
Once again,were they all flying in the same aircraft at the same time,or not?
I will grant the USAF a little "wiggle room" on this one because any action the aircraft takes in a battle situation is ENTIRELY at the discretion of the aircraft commander. If he decides to go for it,they go for it. If he decides to return to base instead of engaging the enemy,he returns to base. Like it or not,the rest of the crew are just along for the ride.
Point number 3 is it is BEYOND time for the freaking USAF brass to approve the use of at least one new medal that could be called something like the "combat action medal" to recognize that aircrew HAVE been in a battle,instead of just giving them an award that can be earned by flying the mail.
Beyond that point,they can and SHOULD even include an upgrade to it with a star for personal individual bravery under fire to recognize that when it happens.
Keep the Air Medal because it does recognize that individual airmen and officers did their duty by flying over hostile territory,but PLEASE recognize the efforts of those who did that as well as much more.
The aircrew this thread is about is an excellent example. They should have been given awards recognizing they were actually in combat and performed without fault.
Go ahead and insult me all you want for this. I don't just don't care.
