In today's Wahington Post the Army is denying the Combat Infantry Badge to GI's retrained as Infantry, put out on the Baghdad street as Infantry, and fighting up close and persaonal as Infantry because their Military Occupatinal Specialty is something else. Are any other vets pissed off at this?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57435-2004Oct23.html?sub=AR
Several months ago there was fight in the House of Representatives over Theater Ribbons for Iraq and Afghanistan. The Republicans adammantly insisted that recognizing in theater service would "cheapen" the War On Terrorism ribbon. They were finally embarrassed into granting the ribbons. Now the Army pops up and says that the MOS is the most important marker for a CIB. I always thought it was getting shot at, silly me. (I don't know how to make the little gray box)
From WAPO
< The Army retrained thousands of soldiers -- tankers, engineers, artillerymen -- to perform as infantry in Iraq's urban hot spots. But part of the fallout is an intense internal debate over who qualifies for the Combat Infantryman Badge, or CIB, and, more broadly, what constitutes an infantryman in a rapidly changing Army.>
I'm just about fed up with the continuous disrespect these people show the troops they put in harm's way.