Newly-confirmed
Sec of Defense Chuck Hagel was
presented with a letter earlier today
from the Veterans of Foreign War taking issue with the new armed
services medal that will recognize drone and other out-of-theatre
service. However, the proposed new citation -- titled the Distinguished
Warfare Medal -- will outrank such traditional awards as the Purple
Heart and Bronze Star. It is the ranking, not the creation of the medal
itself, that has veteran groups (and some members of Congress) up in
arms. The Pentagon insists that its support for remote and cyber warfare
does not diminish from its traditional awards for combat valor.
