Combat Duty vs Non Combat Duty

My answer is no. You will always have people falsely judging military personell no matter what. Unfortunately, most gov't or federal employers will only give you Veteran's preference points if you have a campaign medal or expeditionary medal, which you can only get by deploying.
But sometimes it works out negatively. Look at how much shit Viet Nam Vets got upon their return home. They were hated and called "baby killers". Again, just doing their job, going wherever they were ordered to go. If you've never served and have a false negative opinion of someone who chose to put this uniform on and do whatever his/her country asks of them, then FUCK OFF!

 

I do like the way the Army has a patch to identify the people who have deployed. The AF doesnt want to identify the people who have been in 18 years and have never enjoyed all the opportunities that SWA has to offer. As far as jobs that people sign up for that are intended to enter combat, more power to them. I do think to do their job they may have another nut somewhere. Anywhere over here you can catch some jagged metal. You dont have to have a combat MOS. I was in the porta shitter last night and they dropped a couple, now that would be embarassing. Al Queada has no respect for the evening dump, fucking savages.

 

I lost a GOOD friend in the USAF. When we first got to our bases in 98 none of these wars were even a thought. We would have laughed in your face if you told us one of us was not going to make it. I left the USAF after 4 and a half years he stayed in it was only 4months later when I got word of his death. Nobody knows what they are going to be asked to do when they join sure you think you do but you dont everyone the raises there hand puts there life on the line. There are alot of men and women that have died in the confines of the US borders training for a mission does this make thier sacrifice any less and dont belive so. The people the say "oh" or you were just in the Air Force or you were never in combat are most likely people that have never served or never lost a friend.

 

I believe you are still a fellow service member no matter what. simply serving still has many common bonds for us to chat about while drinking at the bar and you made the same choice we all did, to possibly sacrifice our lives for what we believe in.

however after having said that, without deploying to a combat zone (and i dont mean camping out in the Green zone or Al Asad for your whole tour with an occasional supply convoy out side the wire) There will always be something that you missed out on when it comes to the "full service experience". Its nothing to look down upon just an experience missed out on with no fault of your own. sometimes that is just how it works out.

Hooah Soldier!

 

I'm assuming you mean the AF doesn't have a patch for our ABU's to signify a deployment right? Cause you know there is an AF Expeditionary Ribbon to signify deployments....the Iraq Campaign Medal and Afghan campaign medal that you only get by putting a boot down in said country. Of course we wear our blues every Monday now, so everyone can see said 18 year NCO/SNCO with nothing to show. I will say this, your career is definitely over if you haven't deployed as a SNCO, or rather I should say Chief is out of the question.

 

X2

thats for sure. same here. if you are a Sgt E-5 and havent deployed...you arent even getting to SEE SNCO.

 

Two thoughts:
1) No one over the age of 25 or who has had a bullet go by their head will say that combat is enjoyable.
2) Not everyone with a Combat Action Ribbon (CAR) deserves one and there are plenty without one who do deserve a CAR.

I would rather serve with the biggest FOBBIT from Al Asad or Camp Bastion, than spend 5 minutes with some dope smoking anti-war anti-gun pacifist liberal fucktard here in the states.

 

i was in iraq for the invasion. i voted no! i dont think it makes a difference. i would like to thank u for ur time in service, whether u were deployed or not. that wasnt up to u, it was ur unit that u were with! i tend to make fun of the national guard, personally, i would never serve with the ng. from what ive seen, they r not my cup of tea, no offense any any national guards men on here. dont worry about what other people think, especially civilians, they(most) dont know thier but holes from a hole in the ground. thank u for ur service!

 

very well said...

 

to add to the CAR statement. two crew chiefs from my squadron were doing a post flight inspection at TQ and they were hit in the face/neck/legs with shrapnel from a mortar...both of them got purple hearts obviously but not CARs...how does that work out?

 

You have to return fire or be in support of a retaliation after being fired upon to rate a CAR. My whole 20 man Det received CARs for launching aircraft in support of a Search and Capture/Destroy mission after receiving several rockets within the wire. I don't technically fully rate the ribbon, but it's not like you would turn it down.
The Purple Heart is for being injured in a combat environment caused by the enemy forces.

 

i agree somewhat with what your saying but theres also different levels of combat and one could argue over that too. read the book "Lone Survivor" about the SEALs in afghanistan - i bet that will make 99% of regular infantry experiences/firefights look pretty tame. and then we can get into wars of the past (d-day, iwo jima, frozen chosin, vietnam) and how much worse they all had it...im not trying to stir anything up but differentiating between who did what is pointless. any person who served deserves the same recognition, the only people any of us are "better" than are those that dont serve at all.

 

I hear you PatHLC128, I was really just meaning that if you go to Iraq and sit in Al Asad its just like being on a base in different parts of the world. However you are serving your country away from family and loved ones. but it really i think a "Combat Deployment" is being outside the wire conducting missions. I would just call being stuck on a base the whole time a deployment even though it still sucks. Hell, Al Asad is way better than being on a normal peace time deployment on ship or something i would say. just trying to make a distinction between types of deployments. but you are right, some combat deployments are definitely more extreme than others even if combat actions take place.

In the end we all make the same decision to serve and accept the posibilities of the consequences that may take place.

 

Completely agree, very well said!

 

Stevie, I hear ya but my shop doesnt wear blues and the SNCO's that do dont always wear their ribbons and if someone hasnt been awarded that ribbon they sure as hell aint gonna advertise it. I have met a E-9 on her first deployment, so its not where you go its who you blo.., errr know. I think the CAR and higher awards should be for the guys that go out looking for a fight, now that takes balls.

 

Good shit pat. On a side note I do get real sick of everybody always and only saying iraq/afghanistan. there are a thousand other places on earth just as or even more dangerous and deserve the exact amount of credit. doesn't matter where the hell you have been. it's not one person doing anything, it takes every person, civilian and military. It should just be a question if you served.

 

That's not fair either, if you happened not to be deployed, but were totally deployable (medical, etc). But then again, what's fair anywhere?

 

ditto

 

i dunno bout the snoc, casue my 1sgt never been deployed?