[RETVET-INFO] Lawmaker Asks For Review Of Distinguished Warfare Medal
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- Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2013 20:31:41 -0600
Lawmaker Asks For Review Of Distinguished Warfare Medal
By Leo Shane III
Published: February 25, 2013
WASHINGTON - Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla., (http://rooney.house.gov/) has joined the
chorus of critics asking the Pentagon to reconsider the ranking of the new
Distinguished Warfare Medal, to be awarded to drone pilots and other offsite
troops involved in combat operations.
In a letter to Pentagon officials Monday, Rooney requested that the Defense
Department reconsider its decision to place the new medal above the Purple Heart
and Bronze Star in order of precedence.
"I support the creation of a medal to honor members of the military whose
extraordinary achievements directly impacted combat operations," he wrote.
"However, I firmly believe there is no greater sacrifice than risking your own
life to save another on the battlefield, and that the order of precedence should
appropriately reflect the reverence we hold for those willing to make that
sacrifice."
The Veterans of Foreign Wars and Military Order of the Purple Heart have blasted
the decision to have the new medal outrank the traditional ones.
There's even a petition on the White House's "We the People" website to force a
change in the policy. The petition currently has more than 14,000 signatures
and is available at
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/lower-precedence-new-distinguished-war
fare-medal/5KdnkBBN.
Rooney, an Army veteran, encouraged military officials to reach out to veterans
groups in reviewing the decision. However, Pentagon officials have not said they
would reconsider the medal's placement.
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SOURCE: Stars and Stripes Article at
http://www.stripes.com/blogs/stripes-central/stripes-central-1.8040/lawmaker-ask
s-for-review-of-distinguished-warfare-medal-1.209597
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