Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Merit Badges R Us

Andrew Exum, former Ranger and current CNAS blogger/twitter/man about town, posted today about medal inflation in the military.  James Joyner argues that such medals matter, perhaps more in peacetime when there is greater need to recognize minor service.  My first thoughts on this are: if I get a medal for one year's work on the Joint Staff, then you know that the standards for service for some of these things are mighty low.  I mean, I am proud of what I did in that year, and working with the military did make me think of such things as service, but I do have some perspective--that what I did was just ordinary desk-work. 

On the other, I am not above adding a line or two to my CV for such service medals.  I am still more proud of my departing gift, a picture of the Pentagon signed by my fellow JS dwellers, than of the medal, but I cannot squeeze that on to my cv.

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