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Strange citation for Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal


Tonomachi
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Tonomachi

I don't know i this has already been posted already but I was surfing the web and came across this Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal citation. It looks real with a signature and all but this has got to be some kind of joke right?

 

 

 

 

post-1389-0-04722700-1557161268_thumb.jpg

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I think it could be one of two things: 1) A joke, as I see no orders number referenced on the document (at least that's what Army award certs have - will let Navy brethren confirm/deny or 2) A serious award where the clerk used the wrong certificate and didn't catch the error. I won't discount a 2a) where the potluck was more hellacious than the citation even let on!

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Someone posted this in a facebook forum about a year ago and I spent a couple hours of my life trying to figure out if it was real or not. Everything about it looks legitimate, aside from the "V" comment (and horrible grammar), for...making chili mac. The more I thought about it though, there's a way one could argue the "V" device, even though it's not authorized. Per the SECNAVINST 1650.1H:

 

Bronze "V" is the Combat Distinguishing Device, which may only be worn if specifically authorized in the award citation. Eligibility for the Combat Distinguishing Device shall be based solely on acts or services by individuals who are exposed to personal hazard involving direct participation in combat operations and - not upon the geographic area in which the acts or services are performed.

 

It would be a real stretch to rationalize the award of the "V" device, but if this Corpsman were in a combat theater of operations and close enough to the front where they were receiving fire from the enemy...it might not be a huge stretch (still unethical, but arguable...)

 

Anyway, either way you cut it, I wasn't able to find anything to prove or disprove the citation. Maybe it's real...maybe it was done as a joke to someone. I've yet to find the answer...

 

Dave

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decwriter

It does appear to be a joke. Typically, use of the word "great" prior to credit isn't used in achievement medals in general.

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Kaigun Shosa

We're talking Navy Medicine here, I wouldn't be surprised one bit....haha!

 

However, no CO in their right mind would sign off on this. If they did, their leadership would be in serious question. Even with the redacted photo, I'm assuming it reads "Branch" Health Clinic, well the last time I checked, we don't have any BHC's in combat zones, or if it was "earned" in a combat zone, mention of the unit of said action would be noted. We have the Role III multinational medical unit in Kandahar and any medical unit embedded with the Marines would be known as a Medical battalion. So this is totally bogus. Some PN probably got a blank form and typed up this as a joke and gave it to someone.

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JCBrownABNPFDR

I have no doubt that this is a spoof on an incident that I heard about several years ago. I don't remember the hard facts of the incident but I'll try to relate it to the best of my ability. An Army officer (or ranking NCO) was awarded a Bronze Star for professionally producing a power point presentation under pressure of time constraints.

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Bob Hudson

An Army officer (or ranking NCO) was awarded a Bronze Star for professionally producing a power point presentation under pressure of time constraints.

 

I had wondered if some Navy people see this medal as being handed out too often. and this is poking fun at some weird reasons for their award?????

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I used to have a neighbor, Marine Corps Vietnam veteran, who earned a Navy Achievement Medal for attacking a North Vietnamese machine gun team that had ambushed his patrol. I'm sure that he wouldn't have appreciated a medal that he was awarded for combat to have been given out for making some tasty macaroni and cheese.

 

I just finished re-watching the "Pacific" HBO miniseries, and noted that none of the marines whose stories were featured in the series received any sort of valor decoration (save John Basilone), yet all saw heavy combat action.

 

How the times have changed!

 

Allan

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Probably a joke...they start teaching award SOA and citation writing at NCO level PME schools, so not hard for anyone to write it up

 

That said...I have seen plenty of STUPID Nam citations, to people doing nothing more than their jobs. It's essentially a morale tool award at this point.

 

Some of the dumb things I've seen NAMs for include...

 

-A finance clerk SSgt keeping track of fiscal receipts (aka her job)

 

-A Marine Cpl procuring a refrigerator for the COC in Iraq at zero cost to the government (aka tactical acquisition)

 

-A Marine LT for delivering some MREs to an Outpost (aka routine resupply...to be fair, this was an Army achievement medal that the Marine Corps refused to enter into the Marine's record)

 

-A food service Marine for cooking a company's chow during a field op (aka heating MREs in bulk)

 

-Plenty for ends of tour (aka, good attendance...and to be fair, I never saw this in a Victor unit, at least not on the mid to low level ranks, it seems to be a HQ unit/SDA phenomenon)

 

List goes on

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