Iraq and Syria Operational Service Medal

[Easy Street]

Announced by the Secretary of State in Iraq today:

Op SHADER Medal
(https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4502537/brits-battling-isis-campaign-medal/)

Good news for aircrew but the criteria exclude all those outside Iraq and Syria, e.g. Reaper crews, CAOC staff and the engineers (and others) thrashing themselves year-in, year-out to keep the fight going. From SofS's words it sounds as if some kind of further review into medallic recognition is under way, and damn right. The WW2 Defence Medal could be awarded for spending 1 year overseas in a no-threat environment, and if that was good enough in the 1940s, then there simply has to be a way of recognising those who have already spent 18 months or more deployed on SHADER. Far from protecting some notional 'historical' threshold for medallic recognition, I fear that all the talk of 'risk and rigour' in recent years has simply raised the bar further and further... and we can't even award an ACSM if there is no medal-earning service to start with. If we can't award a GSM08 to those in Cyprus and the Gulf (which would be an acceptable compromise, in my view) then there really should be some kind of lower-level award, counting toward an ACSM, that allows recognition of the severe and ongoing personal sacrifices some people are making for this campaign.

Edit to add: CAS tweeting along same lines (https://twitter.com/ChiefofAirStaff/status/910253158760361985)

[upsdaisy]

ES,

I am inclined to disagree, the roles you mention are neither arduous nor hazardous, it would be wrong to hand out medals simply for carrying out your role away from home. As an example, should a sailor receive a medal for deploying aboard a ship for nine months, I would argue that being aboard a pussers grey or submarine with (until recently) little in the way of home comms is more arduous than the CAOC, Cyprus or Vegas. I agree recognition should be given where due, but not in the form of a medal, maybe a certificate would suffice.

[RAF_Techie101]

I refer my esteemed colleague to the thread below for some rather emotional replies to that aspect of it...

http://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/598922-rpas-gongs.html

[theuglyfendoff]

Haha, 101 I think a blend a little emotion and factual evidence :). Do they call that emotional intelligence..??

Good starting paragraph I thought by easystreet.

Ruined by the second input obviously by someone with absolutely no knowledge of the roles ES talks about. Certainly the first one anyway.

As if where people live accurately describes the arduous nature of the work and task they do. Those guys in Vegas must be hitting the strip every night and day rather than doing more operational flying than anyone else (by a long long way) in the uk military.

As a comparison I believe there was a story recently stating how 50% of the usafs entire operational flying output is done by rpas.

Definitely not deserving IMO...

Sorry techie, you knew I would..

[minigundiplomat]

The more immediate issue should be decoupling the need for an 'op tick' for officers promotions so we can get HQ's back to a manageable level.


During Op Herrick, in theatre HQ's were overrun with SO2's, the good ones of whom were happily doing the job of a Cpl, and the bad ones dreaming up work to get their name on the minutes.


Before it starts - yes, some were doing a great job in HQ's and some were there to keep pace, rankwise, with other nations. Many were there because it became a de facto staff college module.

[gijoe]

It is a complete clusterf*** as predicted and the so-called leadership has taken the easy geographic option without applying any initiative or brains.

I hope the Drone fleet vote with their feet along with others who have spent many, many months in unpleasant conditions, all over the place, doing jobs to support the fight.

The higher echelons of the 3 services should be ashamed of themselves.

[Easy Street]

gijoe, I think you're being unfair on the RAF leadership. The reason it has taken so long for this medal to be announced is that they have been fighting hard to get Reaper, Cyprus and the Gulf included. There has certainly been initiative in keeping the argument going; the fact that they have lost to the Army is less positive on the brains aspect but I don't think you can fault them for trying. All of the stories I have seen this morning (including the discussion between AM Greg Bagwell and Col Richard Kemp on the Today programme) have been focussing heavily on the need to expand the boundaries of medallic recognition to reflect the nature of modern warfare. Give him his due, Kemp actually sounded like he agreed with the need to do so.

upsdaisy, even the Army do not try to argue that conditions for Reaper crews and aircraft engineers in Cyprus are not 'arduous'. My understanding is that psychological issues and intense working routines (for the former) and the demands of 12-hour shifts for months at a time away from families (for the latter) have been recognised as meeting the 'rigour' criterion for award of an OSM. The argument came down solely to risk. And as I pointed out in my OP, campaign medals have been awarded to recognise arduous service in comparatively low-risk settings before: the WW2 Defence Medal (via the 1-year criterion) being one, the Afghanistan OSM (to those serving in Oman and other such areas) being another.

Having myself done medal-earning time alongside many Army officers in an HQ in Afghanistan, sleeping in well-protected accommodation, getting 3 hot meals a day (on proper plates!) and chatting to family members over Wifi while sipping a fresh coffee, I think it ill behoves the Army senior leadership to be so defensive over OSM and/or GSM08 criteria for Op SHADER. I don't think we have heard the last of this debate...

[gijoe]

Easy,

Point taken - but I wasn't pointing fingers at the RAF. I feel very sorry for the bomb-loaders who will now have to attend a medal ceremony at Marham or Coningsby - but their support and vital actions won't be recognized. Nor will the vital training tasks being done in other places. And there are plenty of other bits.

I asked SofS on a visit how Shader was going to be recognized given that the nature of warfare had changed. I was told to shut my face by the former CJO. 'We've got it.' Evidently not.

Risk and Rigour - well I wasn't allowed out of where I was due to risk and nearly got shot by an UK serviceman having an ND. Thanks! It was very rigourous...

That is why the leaders of the 3 services should be embarrassed...I hope it is not over because there is a whole raft of juniors outside of the bubble who will now be questioning what this 'ops' thing all about. The appropriate solution was staring them in the face - OSM inside the JOA, GSM 08 outside.

It is derisive and divisive in the least.

[Nantucket Sleighride]

Jeremy Vine doing his level best to dumb down this issue as we speak...

[ExGrunt]

@ES
Having myself done medal-earning time alongside many Army officers in an HQ in Afghanistan, sleeping in well-protected accommodation, getting 3 hot meals a day (on proper plates!) and chatting to family members over Wifi while sipping a fresh coffee

I agree with your analysis, but the gap it points to in our decorations system is the lack of an equivalent to the US Combat Infantryman's Badge. The grunts make up a minority of any force package, but usually bear the brunt of the casualties.

And as I pointed out in my OP, campaign medals have been awarded to recognise arduous service in comparatively low-risk settings before: the WW2 Defence Medal (via the 1-year criterion) being one

The Defence Medal was not strictly a campaign medal. It had a sliding scale of criteria for qualification depending on the perceived risk. As an aside, my father qualified for his by taking part in the raids at Bruneval, Dieppe and Lofoten - service that did not qualify for anything else.

EG

[gijoe]

As an aside, my father qualified for his by taking part in the raids at Bruneval, Dieppe and Lofoten - service that did not qualify for anything else.

Kudos!

[Easy Street]

The Defence Medal was not strictly a campaign medal. It had a sliding scale of criteria for qualification depending on the perceived risk.EG

Agreed that it was not strictly a campaign medal. I hope that the outcome of the further work on SHADER mentioned by CAS is some kind of sub-OSM award (or recalibration of the GSM08 criteria) to encompass the lower-risk activities.

With regard to criteria, risk was not the only factor affecting the time to earn the Defence Medal. The quickest way to earn it was to spend 6 months deployed to an 'at risk' area. The next quickest way was to spend 1 year deployed to a 'not at risk' area. The slowest way was to spend 3 years on active duty in your home theatre, even if that was considered to be 'at risk'. Clearly, there was recognition that time spent away was worthy of recognition, even if there was less risk involved than staying at home.

With further respect for your father's endeavours!

[Tankertrashnav]

I've just looked up the qualifications for the Defence Medal in British Battles and Medals by Major Gordon, still regarded as "the bible" for campaign medals. Gordon lists 14 different ways to qualify for the medal, including those already mentioned by Easy Street - no wonder some people got confused by it. I suspect that qualification requirements for this new Op Shader medal will be amended in due course.

gijoe your father would certainly have been entitled to the War Medal 1939-45 as well as the Defence Medal, but if you meant that there was no campaign star awarded for those operations then you are of course correct.

[gr4techie]

ES,

I am inclined to disagree, the roles you mention are neither arduous nor hazardous, it would be wrong to hand out medals simply for carrying out your role away from home. As an example, should a sailor receive a medal for deploying aboard a ship for nine months, I would argue that being aboard a pussers grey or submarine with (until recently) little in the way of home comms is more arduous than the CAOC, Cyprus or Vegas. I agree recognition should be given where due, but not in the form of a medal, maybe a certificate would suffice.

It's nice to be appreciated. Appreciation is what stops us hemorrhaging suitably qualified and experienced personnel for higher paid civvy jobs with a better work-life balance.
Neither arduous nor hazardous?... Are you aware how much time some guys are spending away from home and how often? Its now a case of OOA, come home for a few months then back OOA again. There's guys who have spent over 365 days on Shader alone.
There's guys on girls on Shader who are routinely doing 12 hour shifts, 6 days a week. Every week, for months.
The accommodation is so unfit for purpose it's officially classed as field conditions.
So it's inaccurate to say it's not arduous work and comparable to a post back home.
I can think of MBEs and OBEs that have been handed out for less.

[Tankertrashnav]

It's nice to be appreciated. Appreciation is what stops us hemorrhaging suitably qualified and experienced personnel for higher paid civvy jobs with a better work-life balance.

Son was a vehicle mech in the REME, running a vehicle workshop in recent years. When his time came up he didn't hesitate, but left without a backward glance. He is now doing a similar job running a workshop in the Port of Rotterdam and earning about 50% more than he was in the army. In addition he knows he is going home every night, wont be getting shot at in Afghanistan or having some young twerp doing his annual assessment and asking him why he wasn't playing more sport for the regiment!

He did get seven medals though!

[ExGrunt]

TTN,
your father would certainly have been entitled to the War Medal 1939-45 as well as the Defence Medal, but if you meant that there was no campaign star awarded for those operations then you are of course correct.

I think that is meant for me. You are correct, while Bruneval and Lofoten were fairly straightforward, Dieppe was anything but and it is sobering to reflect on the recognition received.

I would agree that the whole system is probably due for a root and branch review, one that distinguishes: gallantry, physical danger/hardship and operational contribution.

Separately, IMHO we need to look at the current 'classless' system as it seems to have resulted in too many officers getting awards for doing their job. Personally, I think officers' awards should be much harder to get than ORs' awards.

EG

[gijoe]

'Jeremy Vine doing his level best to dumb down this issue as we speak...' - he is the ultimate professional at this. Definitely worth £750k per annum...

[gijoe]

'gijoe your father would certainly have been entitled to the War Medal 1939-45 as well as the Defence Medal, but if you meant that there was no campaign star awarded for those operations then you are of course correct.'

No my Pa - GrandPa was there though. Much Kudos to the man in question.

[gijoe]

'It's nice to be appreciated. Appreciation is what stops us hemorrhaging suitably qualified and experienced personnel for higher paid civvy jobs with a better work-life balance.
Neither arduous nor hazardous?... Are you aware how much time some guys are spending away from home and how often? Its now a case of OOA, come home for a few months then back OOA again. There's guys who have spent over 365 days on Shader alone.
There's guys on girls on Shader who are routinely doing 12 hour shifts, 6 days a week. Every week, for months.
The accommodation is so unfit for purpose it's officially classed as field conditions.
So it's inaccurate to say it's not arduous work and comparable to a post back home.'

...and this is the crux of the issue. Juniors are going to question why going on OOA/Ops when they can leave, get a 'job' - which the Services are very rapidly morphing into - and not have half the hassle.

I can think of MBEs and OBEs that have been handed out for less.'

And this is absolutely true. Visits officer in HQ SHAPE is my best nomination for non-honour-deserving-awarded-honour.

[The Oberon]

In 1982 I spent 5 months on ASI doing 12 hour shifts. Arduous? Yes, risky? No, but I ended up with a SAM minus rosette, not that much different to the guys in Cyprus. Why not a Shader medal with or without a rosette depending on risk factor?

[gijoe]

In 1982 I spent 5 months on ASI doing 12 hour shifts. Arduous? Yes, risky? No, but I ended up with a SAM minus rosette, not that much different to the guys in Cyprus. Why not a Shader medal with or without a rosette depending on risk factor?

Absolutely - and that's one of the options that has been staring everyone in the face. But the leadership based it on Op Allowance...which is another thing that needs to be kicked into touch.

[russabbottsouperhero]

Having retired in February this year, will I receive said medal for my deployment last year? Will the admin empire be able to trace me?

[Mahogany_Bomber]

gijoe,


I'd quite like to retain Op Allowance. ;)

[gijoe]

gijoe,


I'd quite like to retain Op Allowance. ;)

You are possibly currently in receipt of it, and I enjoy it when I get it - but it is divisive and not needed. Bin it.

Bloke above now left - you could do worse than apply to the Medal Office yourself and they will (should!) know if the medal has been issued to your last unit. If not they will send it out.

:ok:

[jonw66]

Russabbott
I left and was tracked down two and a half years later with a former Yugoslavia medal recorded delivery out of the blue.
That was for the hotel stay in Italy.

[The Nip]

Russabbott
I left and was tracked down two and a half years later with a former Yugoslavia medal recorded delivery out of the blue.
That was for the hotel stay in Italy.

I would like to point out that the drive from GDC to Monopoli was not for the faint hearted. Those ‘Ducks’ were the fastest vehicle on the road at end of shift.

[The Oberon]

You are possibly currently in receipt of it, and I enjoy it when I get it - but it is divisive and not needed. Bin it.

Bloke above now left - you could do worse than apply to the Medal Office yourself and they will (should!) know if the medal has been issued to your last unit. If not they will send it out.

:ok:

Op Allowance also caused problems during the Corporate unpleasantness. I seem to remember getting 50 ppd. There were some RN assets detached from Gibraltar, they lost their Gib LOA and got the lesser 50p even though their families were still in Gib.

[Toadstool]

Op Allowance also caused problems during the Corporate unpleasantness. I seem to remember getting 50 ppd. There were some RN assets detached from Gibraltar, they lost their Gib LOA and got the lesser 50p even though their families were still in Gib.

Good news for all who contributed, including Reaper crews.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-medal-unveiled-to-recognise-the-fight-against-daesh

[E-Spy]

Good news for all who contributed, including Reaper crews.

Any news on whether this finally extends medals to our engineers based outside the box?

[Melchett01]

Any news on whether this finally extends medals to our engineers based outside the box?

Not aware of any change of criteria to include those serving outside of Iraq & Syria. Apparently there is work on going looking at how to recognise such service, although I won’t hold my breath for anything timely or positive. No idea why they’re making it so damned difficult - OSM sausage side, GSM for general service on named operations. The medals are even already named appropriately!

But the focus on service in country does make SoS’ words and the supporting comments on those serving outside of the Levant a little hollow in terms of recognition.

[heights good]

Reading from MOD press release, Reaper crews qualify now.

[Melchett01]

Reading from MOD press release, Reaper crews qualify now.

Well the DIN as published certainly hasn’t changed. Whether there is a revised DIN in bound I don’t know. That’s assuming SoS isn’t having his own Trump misspeak moment.

[heights good]

Well the DIN as published certainly hasn’t changed. Whether there is a revised DIN in bound I don’t know. That’s assuming SoS isn’t having his own Trump misspeak moment.

It wouldn't be the first time a politician said something on a whim and the MOD has had to play catch-up :}

[heights good]

You are possibly currently in receipt of it, and I enjoy it when I get it - but it is divisive and not needed. Bin it.

Bloke above now left - you could do worse than apply to the Medal Office yourself and they will (should!) know if the medal has been issued to your last unit. If not they will send it out.

:ok:

You may have missed the point of Op Allowance.

It was brought in to provide those who were living in some pretty horrendous conditions and in very real danger to be suitably rewarded.

Prior to this personnel received LSA in order to compensate them for the situation they found themselves in. This meant a young squaddie on a driving course at Leconfield for 2 weeks pretty much earned the same as his mate living in a Patrol Base in Afghanistan without running water, eating ration packs. This was whilst sleeping in a sangar in full body armour without air conditioning for 30 days at a time and working 20 hr days. This was in temperatures varying from -20 to +45 degrees on constant alert for the VERY real danger of being attacked and with the potential of being over-run.

This meant that for an 18 yo soldier he was earning WAY below minimum wage whilst fighting for his country in abhorrent conditions. I don't think that anyone can argue with the logic behind the decision.

I get that the admin chap sitting in an HQ in the middle of the Green Zone in Iraq is in relative safety etc etc. However, the line has to be drawn somewhere as there are some who truly deserve the Op Allowance and frankly they could not pay me enough to do the job of a soldier in Afghanistan!

War is costly, both in monetary and human terms.

[Davef68]

It wouldn't be the first time a politician said something on a whim and the MOD has had to play catch-up :}

He'd be unlikely to say HMQ had done this if she hadn't

The Defence Secretary also confirmed today that Her Majesty the Queen has approved the extension of the eligibility criteria for the medal to new groups of personnel. It means that the medal will also recognise those who have made a significant contribution from outside the conventional area of operations in Iraq and Syria, including civilians.

[minigundiplomat]

You may have missed the point of Op Allowance.

It was brought in to provide those who were living in some pretty horrendous conditions and in very real danger to be suitably rewarded.

That's not really correct either. Op Allowance was bought in to stave off a move for tax exemption whilst deployed which was starting to gain momentum with the media and public.

[BEagle]

Those of us who were single occupant home owners detached for GW1 received a nice coming home gift from the local authorities stating that, as we'd been away for so long, we would face higher Community Charge ('poll tax') rates as our homes would be classified as 'holiday residences'...

Fortunately Michael Hesseltine was having none of such nonsense. He announced unequivocally that all servicemen in our circumstances who'd been away would receive 100% refund of Community Charge - and directed local councils to move accordingly.

So I received a refund for the 159 days I'd been in the Gulf; equivalent to about £380 today. Not a fortune, but better than a kick in the teeth and being denied permission to wear the medals we'd been awarded by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

[KelvinD]

An interesting discussion here.
Here's an example of what it was like "back in the day".
I got the GSM with South Arabia clasp for service in Aden. The criteria at the time were 30 days for ORs and 24 hours for officers. There were lots of rumours regarding Ruperts swanning in and out of theatre on short visits just to get the medal.
Conditions became progressively more arduous as time went on. I noted in earlier posts people talking about working 12 hour shifts. Luxury! (to quote Monty Python). I was a radio technician, Royal Signals. A nice straightforward job, starting work at 07:00 and finishing at 14:00. The problem was, I was at the bottom of the totem pole so had to fit in stints as duty tech, camp guard duties and, uniquely to my regiment, officers mess guard. (Our officers were the only ones on camp who chose to live in a mess outside the main camp and we had to make sure they could "sleep safely in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf" (thanks George Orwell). So I would have to work a normal shift, get changed, get armed and do these extra duties immediately after finishing work. The camp guard duties would go on until 08:00 as we had to switch from regular guarding to screening the hordes of local civilian employees coming to work on the camp. A horrible job, especially when the magic 2.5% number came up and Abdul was selected for a full search, including up the bum! Once the guard duties had been completed, it was back to the billet, shower & change, get breakfast and off to work for a normal shift. Knackering! Due to the limited number of people eligible for these duties, I suppose the work days averaged out to about 16 hours per day. There was one rough period when the local nastiness was at its height. I volunteered for an IS platoon, along with a number of colleagues from my workshop. We ended up doing 30 days in uniform, including sleeping in full kit, including boots and cuddling your rifle! Sleeping with our kit and rifle doesn't lead to a restful night. At the end of the 30 days, we were all like a collection of zombies.
I remember well the night I had been on a long spell. While walking around the camp inside perimeter at around 03:00 with a partner, we came to a place where we had to step gingerly over a barbed wire roll. As I was about to cross it, I asked my oppo to keep an eye on "that bastard over there". He asked who I was talking about and I thought he was mental as he claimed he didn't see anybody. I could quite clearly see someone lurking in the shadows on the opposite side of the road that ran past our camp fence. There was no "that bastard over there". I was so tired I was hallucinating. I remember one night an infantry man came on the radio, reporting a suspicious looking dhow passing in front of him. There was no dhow. In fact, there was no water for it to sail on anywhere near his position. He too had had too many long hours, constantly on duty.
For a while, I was seconded to Botswana as we were having a little difficulty with Ian Smith. As we were only 2 technicians on the detachment, we had to do 24 hour duties on alternate days. So, a regular 8 hour working day, interspersed with the 24 hour duty meant an average of 16 hour days.
Having said all that, I thoroughly enjoyed my time out there. As a 19 year old, you are invincible and could take anything the Army or the Arabs threw at you!
And I eventually got my GSM in the post 5 years later, after I had left the mob!
As I parade at the Cenotaph every year with the Aden Veterans Organisation, we all stand and marvel at the collection of metal on the chests of the younger generation parading alongside us. I think nobody begrudges the lads getting medals but I have to admit there are occasional remarks about "getting like the Yanks".
Re Op Allowance: I suppose that must be the equivalent of the Local Overseas Allowance we used to receive. I remember it was 21 shillings per day. It used to make us laugh as the idea of LOA was to balance the cost of living abroad compared to the cost of living back in the UK. Aden, being a duty free port, was possibly the cheapest place to live anywhere! As my basic wage then was £13 per week, the addition of LOA was a huge bonus.
During WW2, my Dad was a naval signalman and he had a short tour in Malta during which he dropped himself in it big time. Signals were always repeated and there were so many of them, it was common practice to spike them and after a few hours, they would throw away half of the messages on the spike as they knew it was going to be repeated. He passed on one signal, which had been repeated, sending a fleet, possibly Force H as it included KG V, to sea. The signal cancelling it came later and my Dad was charged with costing the Admiralty something like £500,000 for the 12 hours the fleet was at sea. His D.O. argued on his behalf that conditions were so bad, Dad was virtually dead on his feet. Off duty meant sleeping in hinged pull down bunks that were let into the walls of the famous tunnels. As the tunnels were also main thoroughfares for naval personnel tramping back and forth, people sleeping in these conditions were essentially getting no sleep at all, giving them a virtual 24 hour day.
Dad got off with it and better off duty arrangements were put in place to make sure it didn't happen again.