This thread reminded me of a passage in Johnnie Johnson's book 'The story of air fighting'. After visiting the Israeli Air Force he's being driven back to the airport by the aide de camp:
I checked and rechecked the various incidents of the last few days and finally asked him, 'Do your pilots get decorations for outstanding flying?'
'What do you mean?'
'Well,' I replied, 'take the colonel who destroyed six MiGs last June. In the Royal Air Force he would have got the Distinguished Flying Cross or maybe even the Distinguished Service Order, and in the USAF he probably would have got the Silver Star. What did he get from your Air Force?'
'Nothing. We don't get decorations for doing our job.'