Without wanting to look like the idiot I'm apparently being, where did I mention anything about trying harder at school? I'm simply questioning the principle of awarding the same medal to someone flying a drone by computer screen whilst in their own country, having regular cups of tea and going home to their own bed each night as someone living in a tent in 40 degree heat wearing body armour and walking around with a pistol for self defence. I'm not saying they don't deserve recognition, but to award the same to both situations isn't in the spirit of what medals are about.
RAF Techie
If I may answer the second half of the above quote?
- i would offer that there is just as much danger to someone operating on home soil as there is for someone sat in well defended operating base. Indeed we know that the bad guys are most likely looking to target the RPAS flyers on their way to work or as they go about their daily business - so they could be in MORE danger than the deployed personnel.
- We also need to consider the RPAS type. Watchkeeper is line of sight only and so is 'up country' operated anyway. Reaper is beyond line of sight and so you have a Mission Command Element that controls the RPAS from afar via satellite and then a Launch Recovery Element that operates the RPAS line of sight for take off and recovery which is 'up country' somewhere (in Afghanistan it was KAF).
- We also need to consider this warfare is different. The people that fly Reaper are exposed to the ooerations day-in day-out without significant breaks. They will develop targets and watch military/terrorist targets for days on end - often getting the full intimate pattern of life. Then when given clearance to do so they have to drop a building or take a life knowing the full effect of their actions. If they have to engage under self defence ROE for whomever they are providing overwatch for they may hear the shreaks of the wounded on the RT and then again watch the after effects of the weapons they have fired in full HD. They then have to go home and be a normal mum/dad afterwards. You also have to live with the consequences of your actions - did you get things right/wrong are you going to jail for killing outside ROE? This is stressful and to m is ample 'rigour'.
Then you have to offset this against supporting staff that get canpaign medals for dishong out kit, money, sports equipment and other stuff - to me RPAS operators deserve campaign medals for being at the fighting edge of the canpaign.