[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 34 (Monday, March 11, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1279-S1280]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       MILITARY MEDAL PRECEDENCE

  Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I rise today to bring attention to a 
recent decision by the Department of Defense to authorize a new 
military decoration--the Distinguished Warfare Medal--as a way to 
recognize the contributions of silent warriors, such as drone pilots 
and cyber warriors.
  I have absolutely no objection to the creation of the Distinguished 
Warfare Medal. Every day our silent warriors use modern warfare 
technology in ways that have had an extraordinary impact on today's 
battlefield--saving the lives of countless American service men and 
women and enhancing the national security of our country.
  However, I adamantly oppose the decision by the Defense Department to

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elevate the Distinguished Warfare Medal above the Bronze Star and the 
Purple Heart, which are awarded for acts of valor and heroism on the 
battlefield, and above the Soldier's Medal, which is given for acts of 
gallantry beyond the battlefield.
  I believe medals earned in combat or in other life-threatening 
conditions should maintain their precedence above noncombat awards. 
Placing the Distinguished Warfare Medal above the Bronze Star and the 
Purple Heart diminishes the significance of such awards earned by 
risking one's life in direct combat or through acts of heroism.
  I am not alone in my opposition to the precedence the Defense 
Department plans to give the Distinguished Warfare Medal. A bipartisan 
group of 21 other Senators, our colleagues, has joined me in a letter 
to Defense Secretary Hagel urging him to reconsider the Department's 
decision.
  The Veterans of Foreign Wars in my State and in the Presiding 
Officer's State have also asked Secretary Hagel to reconsider. And 
while the Secretary has told the VFW that he is satisfied with the 
criteria and placement of the Distinguished Warfare Medal, I believe we 
can still make the case that combat awards and medals for gallantry 
should remain the military's highest honors.
  In his response to the VFW defending the new medal, Secretary Hagel 
asserts:

       There are numerous existing medals that may be awarded for 
     non-valorous achievements which are higher in precedence than 
     the Bronze Star.

  That is true. There are medals, such as the Legion of Merit, not 
directly linked to a single act of valor. But these medals recognize 
distinguished service often spanning several generations of service. 
These awards are given for vastly different periods and different types 
of service.
  Comparing awards for lifetime achievement to the Distinguished 
Warfare Medal, which even Secretary Hagel's letter states is awarded 
for ``a single''--I repeat, ``a single''--``extraordinary act,'' is not 
an appropriate justification for its precedence above the Bronze Star 
and Purple Heart.
  Veterans groups are understandably upset. The new Distinguished 
Warfare Medal appears to be a wartime medal based on a single event 
that trumps acts of valor on the field of battle.
  In this dispute I think it is instructive to consider why the Bronze 
Star and the Purple Heart were created.
  The Bronze Star was conceived by COL Russell ``Red'' Reeder in 1943. 
At the time he and other military officers believed there was a need 
for a ground combat medal equivalent to the Air Medal, which was 
awarded for meritorious achievement to our pilots and flight crews. In 
fact, originally the award that became the Bronze Star was proposed as 
the ``Ground Medal.''
  The award was created to boost the morale of American ground forces 
during World War II. As GEN George C. Marshall explained to President 
Roosevelt in a letter:

       The fact that the ground troops, infantry in particular, 
     lead miserable lives of extreme discomfort and are the ones . 
     . . (most) close in personal combat with the enemy, makes the 
     maintenance of their morale of great importance. The award of 
     the Air Medal has had an adverse reaction on the ground 
     troops, particularly the Infantry Riflemen who are suffering 
     the heaviest losses, air or ground, in the Army, and enduring 
     [some of our] greatest hardships.

  The Purple Heart, of course, is one of our country's oldest military 
decorations, originally instituted by George Washington, then the 
commander in chief of the Continental Army, in 1782, to reward troops 
for what he called ``unusual gallantry'' and ``extraordinary fidelity 
and essential service.''
  The Purple Heart was revived as a military decoration in 1932 on the 
200th anniversary of George Washington's birthday. In 1985, by an act 
of Congress, it was given its current precedence just below the Bronze 
Star and directly above the Meritorious Service Medal--a clear 
recognition of the special valor of those who receive it. I recognize 
that military awards should be updated as the tactics of warfare 
change. Drones and cyber warfare play a role in the defense of this 
great country, and there is no question that each member of our 
military plays a crucial role in protecting our Nation and every 
American. But I have listened to West Virginia veterans and agree with 
them: Our brave servicemembers who face life-and-death situations 
deserve the most distinguished medals the U.S. military awards.
  Again, I support the Distinguished Warfare Medal. I want to make no 
mistake about that. But I do not believe it should be given higher 
precedence than awards for those who have faced the enemy on the 
battlefield. Awards earned for heroism, patriotism, and a willingness 
to make the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we all enjoy every day 
should not be ranked below a medal earned in relative safety.
  I agree wholeheartedly with veterans who have expressed their 
concerns about the precedence the Defense Department intends to give 
the Distinguished Warfare Medal. I share their belief that combat 
awards are sacred, reflecting the special bravery of Americans who are 
willing to sacrifice all for their country as well as their brothers 
and sisters in arms. And I join them in urging the Defense Department 
to preserve the legacy of these sacred awards by leaving their 
precedence undisturbed.
  I thank Secretary Hagel for his courageous military service to our 
country. Through his combat experience in Vietnam, he knows all too 
well the clash and the heat of battle. He shares a special bond with 
generations of Americans from Concord to Kabul who have risked their 
lives in the defense of this great country, many of whom have paid the 
ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. I hope, for that reason, he 
reconsiders the precedence of the Distinguished Warfare Medal and 
agrees that combat awards should remain our military's highest honors.
  Mr. President, thank you.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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