Following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the formal end of combat operations in Iraq, the Defense Department is preparing to truly transition the military out of a wartime posture. Which is to say, the National Defense Service Medal is going back into retirement on Dec. 31.
The award ― affectionately known as the “pizza stain,” which all troops serving since 9/11 have been able to pin on their uniforms after initial training ― won’t be awarded for the foreseeable future.
“Termination is based on the United States no longer conducting large-scale combat operations in designated geographic locations as a result of the terrorist attacks on the United States that occurred September 11, 2001,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin wrote in a memo signed Aug. 30.
Thus brings to a close the fourth conflict for which troops could earn the National Defense Service Medal. It previously was activated for five years during the first Gulf War, 13 years for Vietnam and four years for the Korean War.
This is just stupid, the service men and women are doing the same work in the same areas, just not as many. Because it’s less doesn’t mean they don’t deserve recognition for their service too. Lloyd Austin needs to rethink this discision.
Give recognition where recognition is due. We’re all still waiting for the Cold War medal.
Can’t they still get it after 2023 begins by posting their pronouns on 4 different social media sites within a 5 minute timespan, kind of a Woke ‘good grouping’ on the rifle range? Correct pronoun deployment is supposed to dramatically enhance lethality according to the literal fat cats at the five sided office building by the Potomac.
Asking for a friend,