4 ms·
Why only the second highest medal? What types of things are required to win the highest medal?
by kenjackson 4y ago
Why only the second highest medal? What types of things are required to win the highest medal?
- dmoy 4y agoSelf-sacrifice and very high risk of one's own life (a not insignificant number are given posthumously) So a lot of medal of honor recipients are infantry pulling wounded squad mates out of danger in extreme circumstances. The entire air force has only 17, the army has over two thousand.
- sigzero 4y agoHe did risk his life when he interjected himself between the fleet and the approaching MIGs and then spent the next 30 minutes in a dogfight to down 4 of them. It's probably a lot harder in the Air Force to get one but I would consider that one.
- b112 4y agoHe was brave, and did his duty. But, is this different than infantry advancing while under fire?
- mustache_kimono 4y agoThe highest is the Medal of Honor for "Conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty". See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medal_of_Honor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medal_of_Honor
- garbagecoder 4y agoYeah to get a better idea of what that means there might be an example on Army writer. You have to write these a certain way and the granting authority will have their own quirks.
- garbagecoder 4y agoGIYF, there are specific requirements for each medal. The highest one, the Medal of Honor actually gives the holder certain privileges and is as close to sacred as these awards get. If other lives or an entire mission had been at risk, or if he had died in the process of rescuing others, you might see a Medal of Honor here.
- kris_wayton 4y agoI imagine the comparison to gritty heroics on the ground, face-to-face, means it's harder for pilots to earn that.