Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced Monday he would follow the advice of a review overseen by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey and replace the medal intended to recognize drone operators and cyber warriors with a “new distinguishing device that can be affixed to existing medals to recognize the extraordinary actions of this small number of men and women.”
The Distinguished Warfare Medal, announced in February by then-Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, created a firestorm of controversy when it was ranked above some that require servicemembers to risk life and limb to be eligible, such as the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, which are frequently rewarded for valor in combat.
Legislators and veterans groups derided the medal, and it also was mocked by some in the ranks, who suggested the award could be a gold-plated Xbox controller, among other things.
http://www.stripes.com/hagel-elimina...edals-1.216722
The uproar from veterans groups finally got their attention.
The so-called “drone medal” is no more.
