Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta, USA, first living recipient of Congressional Medal of Honor since Vietnam War, rescued two members of his squad during insurgent ambush in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley, October 2007 (U.S. Army/Leroy Council)
“Gallantry and Intrepidity” Valor Decorations in Current and Past Conflicts
By Eileen Chollet
he Battle of Chosin Reservoir lowing the end of World War II, and The scorching deserts of Iraq and lasted 17 bitterly cold days in late Soldiers and Marines were sent to Afghanistan are a long way from fro- T November and early December Korea with equipment that was not zen Chosin, and 60 years have elapsed 1950. Thirty thousand United Nations designed for the environment. By the since the Korean War. The nature of (UN) troops were surrounded by time the UN forces broke the encircle- warfare has changed, from a brutal 120,000 Chinese troops, and they ment and fought their way to evacu- force-on-force engagement to a high- fought as a Siberian cold front brought ation at Hungnam, 3,000 U.S. Ser- tech counterinsurgency operation. the temperature down to −30oF. Back vicemembers had been killed, another During 11 years of war, nearly 2.5 in the United States, the country had 6,000 had been wounded, and 12,000 million U.S. troops have served in Iraq been enjoying the peace dividend fol- had suffered frostbite injuries. Fourteen and Afghanistan, more than 5,000 have Marines, two Soldiers, and a Navy pilot been killed, and nearly 50,000 have were awarded the Medal of Honor been wounded due to hostile action. Dr. Eileen Chollet is an Operations Analyst at the for heroic actions during the Battle of However, only 13 Medals of Honor Center for Naval Analyses. Chosin Reservoir. have been awarded for actions in those
JFQ 72, 1st Quarter 2014 Chollet 61 no complete database exists, with the Pentagon citing privacy concerns and incompleteness of records following a 1973 fire in an Army records build- ing in St. Louis.1 Following the recent Supreme Court overturning of the Stolen Valor Act, which upholds the right to lie about receiving a valor decoration, the Department of Defense (DOD) has begun to compile a data- base, initially intended to include only Medal of Honor winners going back to September 11, 2001, and recently expanded to include Service crosses and Silver Star. A complete database of Medal of Honor winners is maintained by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, but the only mostly complete database of Service crosses and Silver Star awards is the Military Times Hall of Valor, which is maintained by military historian Doug Sterner. Although the incompleteness of the data complicates the analysis, a compari- son of award rates for current and past conflicts shows that 20 times fewer valor decorations have been awarded during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars than dur- ing Vietnam and Korea (see table 1). The Medal of Honor is the most talked about example.
Explaining the Decrease Lawmakers, journalists, and military historians have speculated on what might be causing the 20-fold decrease in award rates. In a 2009 Army Times article, former Marine Joseph Kinney argued that being killed in combat U.S. Marines patrol during cordon and search mission in Habib Abad, Helmand Province had become a de facto criterion for (DOD/Anthony L. Ortiz) winning a valor decoration, charging that DOD has an “inordinate fear that 11 years, compared with 17 awarded for Honor is presented to Servicemembers somebody is going to get the Medal of those 17 days in Korea. Servicemembers for gallantry and intrepidity in risking Honor [and] be an embarrassment.”2 and civilians alike wonder why. their lives above and beyond the call of Of the 11 medals awarded for the duty. A Service cross (the Navy Cross, current conflicts, only 4 went to living Valor Decorations Then and Now Distinguished Service Cross, or Air recipients, and the first was not pre- Official criteria for the three highest Force Cross) is presented for heroism sented until 2010. The cases of Captain U.S. decorations for valor—the Medal not rising to the level of the Medal of Charles Liteky, USA (a Vietnam-era of Honor, Service crosses, and Silver Honor. The Silver Star is presented chaplain who later renounced his medal Star—were established shortly after for heroism not rising to the level of a in protest of U.S. policies in Central World War II, so reliable comparisons Service cross. America), and Major General Smedley can be made for these awards through Although records on military decora- Butler, USMC (who later wrote a the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and tions are public information (subject book denouncing war as a government in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Medal of to the Freedom of Information Act), “racket” to protect the interests of cor-
62 Commentary / Valor Decorations in Conflicts JFQ 72, 1st Quarter 2014 porations), argue for caution in present- Table 1. U.S. Valor Decorations Awarded by War(s) ing the high-profile Medal of Honor to Korea Vietnam Iraq and Afghanistan living recipients. However, the award Medal of Honor 135 awarded 248 awarded 13 awarded rates for the Service crosses and Silver Star have dropped by the same factor of 1 per 13,000 1 per 14,000 1 per 200,000 Servicemembers in Servicemembers in Servicemembers in 20, suggesting that something common theater theater theater to all three decorations—that is, some- Service Crosses 1,100 awarded 1,700 awarded 70 awarded thing beyond the widespread publicity 1 per 2,000 1 per 2,000 1 per 37,000 unique to the Medal of Honor—is Servicemembers in Servicemembers in Servicemembers in causing the decrease. theater theater theater In a report accompanying the Silver Star 88,000 awarded 35,000 awarded 1,000 awarded National Defense Authorization Act for 1 per 20 1 per 100 1 per 2,600 fiscal year 2010, the House Committee Servicemembers in Servicemembers in Servicemembers in on Armed Services requested that DOD theater theater theater study the Medal of Honor award process Note: The award rate in Iraq and Afghanistan has a 20-fold decrease from Korea and Vietnam for all to determine whether commanders in valor decorations. the field had inadvertently raised the criteria for valor, leading to the low Table 2. U.S. Valor Decorations Awarded per Casualties by War(s) numbers of awards. DOD reported that it was confident that the process had not Korea Vietnam Iraq and Afghanistan changed and cited two reasons for the Medal of Honor 113 awarded 159 awarded 10 awarded decrease in award rates: the current use of 1 per 1,200 casualties 1 per 1,300 casualties 1 per 5,000 casualties “stand-off” technology (unmanned aerial Service Crosses 480 awarded 650 awarded 30 awarded vehicles, or “drones”) by U.S. forces, and 1 per 300 casualties 1 per 300 casualties 1 per 2,000 casualties the use of improvised explosive devices Silver Star 7,000 awarded 5,700 awarded 300 awarded (IEDs) by the enemy.3 However, a closer look at the data shows that these changes 1 per 20 casualties 1 per 30 casualties 1 per 200 casualties in the nature of warfare are only part of Note: The award rate in Iraq and Afghanistan for Servicemembers killed or wounded has a five-fold the answer, accounting only for a factor decrease from Korea and Vietnam for all valor decorations. of about 6 from the factor of 20. valor due to remote warfare probably historically account for more casualties The DOD Answer: accounts for a factor of 3 out of the than small-arms fire. Even the Vietnam Drones and IEDs factor-of-20 decrease in awards. War, known for its close fighting in the In current conflicts, drones have played Among those who do experience jungle rather than distant shelling, had a prominent role in surveillance and combat and are wounded or killed as a more casualties due to explosives such as targeted killing, replacing some Service- result, the number of valor decorations artillery, land mines, and grenades than to members who would otherwise be put is still lower than it was in the past (see small-arms fire according to the Office of in harm’s way. Since risk of one’s life is table 2). Since personnel who do experi- the Secretary of Defense, Southeast Asia required for valor decorations, the use ence combat are receiving 5 times fewer Combat Casualties Current File.7 While of drones does indeed partially explain decorations, the lack of personal combat it might be “hard to be a hero against an fewer valor decorations, but not the actions cannot entirely explain the miss- IED,”8 as one military historian put it, it entire factor of 20. Though the exact ing factor of 20.4 is just as hard to be a hero against artillery number of missed combat actions is IEDs have been called the “signature fire, which can have an effective range of difficult to estimate, casualties can be weapon of the 9/11 era,” account- more than 10 miles. used as a proxy for combat actions since ing for two out of three casualties Second, all the Medals of Honor each casualty due to hostile action prob- in Iraq and Afghanistan.5 Given the awarded for combat in Afghanistan were ably represents a chance for valorous unpredictable nature of these weapons, for incidents that occurred in 2005 or action. Only 1 in 50 Servicemembers Servicemembers probably have fewer later, when IEDs were most heavily used. in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters opportunities to demonstrate “gallantry If IEDs were causing the drop in award have been killed or wounded due to and intrepidity . . . above and beyond rates, we would expect the awards to be hostile action, compared with about 1 the call of duty.”6 However, three factors clustered at the beginning of the war in 15 in the Korean and Vietnam wars. argue against IEDs playing a large role in when IED use was minimal. Since the casualty rate between the past the drop of award rates. Finally, reading through citations and current conflicts has dropped by a First, explosives were extensively makes it clear that involvement in a close factor of three, lack of opportunities for used in Korea and Vietnam, and they combat firefight is not the only (or even
JFQ 72, 1st Quarter 2014 Chollet 63 the most common) way to be decorated include the Valor Devices for combat needs to be expanded to include all valor for valor. Numerous awards have been service, and commanders may now decorations and conflicts. The natures presented to Servicemembers who jump nominate Servicemembers for these of combat and military culture have on grenades or other explosives to shield awards instead of decorations specifi- changed since the 1970s, and the ef- their comrades. Rescue of one’s comrades cally for valor. During the 1990s, mili- fects on the award process deserve more from danger—even while not under tary officials debated internally whether careful study to ensure that our Soldiers, direct hostile fire—fits the criteria for a medals were being awarded haphazardly Sailors, Marines, and Airmen are awarded valor decoration. For example, Sergeant and too freely, ultimately resulting the decorations they earn. JFQ First Class Rodney Yano, USA, was a in a Pentagon review of Bronze Star helicopter crew chief during the Vietnam awards presented for the intervention War, and he was marking enemy posi- in Kosovo. Delegations of approval Notes tions with white phosphorous grenades. authority for the Iraq and Afghanistan 1 One exploded prematurely, partially operations admonish commanders to Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, Report to the Sen- blinding him and covering his body with reserve awards for those “who truly dis- ate and House Armed Services Committees on a severe burns while igniting other am- tinguish themselves from among their Searchable Military Valor Decorations Database, munition in the helicopter. He began comrades by exceptional performance in March 2009, available at
64 Commentary / Valor Decorations in Conflicts JFQ 72, 1st Quarter 2014