gijoe.
As with your earlier post why would the answer be to stop certain people from getting a good deal? In this case an Op Allowance. Surely the answer is not to stop it for the few but to pay it to everyone?
It's the same with the medals we are discussing. Be it an LS for officers or a Shader medal. I would rather too many people got one than worry about a few hangers on getting one that are not truly deserving. There are ways to distinguish between those that truly operated in harms way and those that fulfilled a support role.
Whoever says we are becoming like the Americans is wrong but there must be a happy medium somewhere. Having just returned from a business trip to the US they leave us in the dirt when it comes to treating veterans. Is it really right that we can have people turning up to a rememberance service with nothing but a unit tie to show for decades of service?
I would not wish to devalue any medals that have been earned with blood sweat and tears. However, when I hear of people denigrating the efforts of others with less bling than themselves it makes me think very poorly of them. Any time someone on here refers to a Cold War warrior I think they come across as a total knob.
Timing is everything in the military. Anything from how you are streamed out of EFT to what Ops you partake in is often beyond an individuals control. I don't think it is too much to ask that anyone who has served should have something to pin to their blazer in November.
If you wish to believe that there are chinless wonders out there who actively avoid Ops then that's up to you. If people have no medals I would suggest it's more an accident of timing than personal preference.
Once again this is all just my opinion and you are welcome to disagree.
BV