Ματθιας;141043356 said:
For the Army -
Combat Infantry Badge
Combat Action Badge
Combat Medical Badge
Notice that they all have oak leaves. Also, there are requirements that have to be met before someone is qualified to wear the badge.
During my Army time (1968-1972) those of us serving in infantry units were a little arrogant about the CIB (Combat Infantryman Badge). Those who held the CIB usually wore only that, not the usual rack of ribbons denoting various medals. The general consensus was that the CIB says it all, only awarded to those who had actually engaged in ground combat with enemy forces. Commanders occasionally included orders for certain events requiring "all awards and decorations", otherwise most of us never displayed our medals or ribbons.
The CMB (Combat Medic Badge) was highly respected. Again, only one way to get it and that was to go out in the bush with the bad guys and get the job done under hostile fire. The medic was the guy everyone took care of in the field. Medics were not required to carry weapons, but many chose to do so, and more than one earned serious combat decorations (just being there and doing their jobs was more than enough to earn all the respect in the world).
The CAB (Combat Action Badge) came along much later (Desert Storm era, IIRC). Awarded to soldiers of any specialty who actually served in combat engagements. Seems appropriate to me, lots of support troops find themselves in the middle of a fight.
The Army is an enormous entity. The generally accepted premise was that for every soldier "at the sharp end of the stick" (combat arms such as infantry, armor, artillery, etc) there were a dozen more soldiers in support roles (supply, transportation, administration, cooks, maintenance, etc).
Lots of people look at the CIB and see the old musket, assume it to be a marksmanship award. To infantrymen the CIB says "been there, done that". All the rest is just colorful decoration.
I only knew one guy with a 3-star CIB (4th award), veteran of WW2, Korea, Dominican Republic, and Vietnam. Old master sergeant when I knew him, also held the Distinguished Service Medal (one short step below the Medal of Honor), Silver Star, Bronze Star and just about every campaign and service medal ever thought of during his long career. He was an old single guy, owned a small hotel in Taipei, Taiwan and intended to retire there. I hope he has done well because he earned every bit of his retirement, 30 years and 4 wars.
