Sacrifice Medal Mega Thread

[Greymatters]

I thought that if you were awarded the stripe that you were also allowed to wear it on appropriate civilian attire?  

Is it me or would that look... I hate to use the word silly, but it would certainly look out of place...  

 

[geo]

In my Grand dad,s memorabilia I have an old pin "for service at the front"

while this pin is not the exclusive domain of soldiers who "got their blighty", there was a certain exclusivity about the pin

Might this be a solution?

 

[Badanai]

I too see that as a problem. No contact from your unit or the military is just wrong. We're a family. Brothers and Sisters in arms, and we should take care of one another. If that means driving to a hospital near me to visit a soldier who I don't know, and have never met before, well so be it.

One thing that annoyed me greatly is that most Reserve unit do not have a good rear party system in place, thus ignoring the family of the dployed members. Which causes much grief, and doesn't make the family too supportive of the military in general.

But hey, that's another topic all together...

I agree 100% the military MUST do a lot more to support the reserves. Ever since the early 90's the reg force has relied on the reserves more and more for they're numbers and in return the military does not give the reserves the support that they need and deserve.

 

[the 48th regulator]

Alright gang,

I am just as guilty, and all were very excellent posts and views, but lets get back on track.

Otherwise I will get my pee pee spanked by the Mods....

dileas

tess

 

[Greymatters]

You mean Mods dont give each other negatives?  Perhaps we need an extra counter for Mods showing +/-/PPS.  ;D

Sorry, couldnt resist...

 

[Badanai]

ya ya my fault Tess LOL

 

[Roy Harding]

Found this in today's (7 Sep) Toronto Sun Letters to The Editor (http://www.torontosun.com/Comment/Letters/2007/09/07/4476060.html) :

Vets need support, not symbols

Re "Crimson Maple Leaf misguided" (Peter Worthington, Sept. 4): I am an active member of the Canadian Armed Forces and have been for the past 23 years. I started out as "grunt" back in the early '80s, when our two main jobs were to give a token show of force against the forces of communism in Europe and to fulfil Lester Pearson's Nobel Peace Prize idea as peacekeepers in Cyprus.

We were the "Break Glass in Case of War" society within the normal Canadian civilian society. An unknown, little talked about and under-appreciated part of the larger framework of Canada. This public apathy explains our decades-long decline in budgets, personnel, equipment and morale.

My question is to Canada. Has your collective guilt been building up so much that you wear red on Fridays, feel the need to buy a coffee (Tim Horton's mind you) for a soldier on-line and put magnetic ribbons on your cars? Now you want to give wounded soldiers a medal, the Crimson Maple Leaf? Is this your idea of support to the troops?

I know Canadians enjoy feeling guilty. We can't help it, that's what makes us Canadian. And you now feel this guilt the most because of what the war on terror has done. It's all over the newspapers and TV about how this conflict is robbing us of a vital part of society, our young people. Every war does that, just look at the Canadian war cemeteries in Europe and Asia and now the present conflict in Afghanistan.

This proposal to award a medal for wounds received in this conflict sounds good to the public -- a little token of their appreciation for a job well done. However this is not what we signed up for. I was taught early in my training that getting wounded or killed was seen as a failure, either on your part for not following the training, the training itself or both. So it could be said with this proposed medal we are rewarding failure.

What should the criteria be for awarding this medal? Being wounded in a combat zone, peacekeeping duties, civil emergencies, international disasters, or involved in a traffic accident in a combat zone? The severity of the wound? From hostile fire? From friendly fire? This is way too ambiguous. It's just so the public and the politicians can feel better about themselves. They are handing out medals like band-aids.

If Canada wants to give our military a collective hug please start with those surviving Canadians who came before us and received honourable wounds in wartime or gave the supreme sacrifice. Those still around, and their families, would love to receive our gratitude for a job well done when Canada had the need to "Break the Glass Because of War."

Frank Maher

Cold Lake, Alta.

(Well said)

 

[Red 6]

This idea that getting wounded is your own fault or a sign of failure is worse than wrong. It's just plain dumb. War is not a football game and bad things happen to good people in battle. You might be the most squared away Soldier, but if a mortar round lands on your fix, or a sabot round goes through your turret, what were you supposed to do? Everyone who has served in combat knows just how random it is. On the subject of a medal, the Purple Heart is one of the most highly respected of the US combat medals. I have never heard a single comment from anyone who has been in combat like what the above writer portrayed in regard to getting hit. I may be reading too much into it, but to me, it seems disrespectful. I'm having a hard time believing a Soldier could actually feel like this.

 

[HItorMiss]

I failed did I...... I didn't follow the training.....

Those that didn't come home are failures, all those guys who caught shrapnel somehow F**CKED up eh....


SO mad....so so mad..... Anyone know if you can do online rebutals?

 

[RCR Grunt]

.... I don't recall being trained to pull a "Matrix"  during battle school... must've skipped that PO.

 

[HItorMiss]

We must have fallen asleep Grunt, you know how Todd used to give us Nap time  :

 

[RCR Grunt]

Taken from The Torch:

http://toyoufromfailinghands.blogspot.com/2006/03/wound-stripe.html

""With a number of Canadian soldiers wounded recently in Afghanistan, I realized very few people - inside or outside the CF - know about wound stripes, a dress distinction with almost a century of convoluted tradition reintroduced to the CF a dozen years ago."

""Apparently created in WWI, soldiers 'injured through hostile action in the First World War were permitted to wear a brass metal stripe, mounted vertically, on the left forearm of their uniform jacket.'"

"WWII saw some controversy in their wear:"

    "First World War veterans serving in the Active Army were prevented from wearing their 1914-1918 wound stripes, with the exception of members of the Veterans Guard, in 1941. Orders in 1942, as well as the War Dress Regulations in 1943, abolished the wearing of wound stripes by members of the Veterans Guard also."

    "Special recognition for injured soldiers in World War Two was not implemented until 1944, when orders advised that "His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to approve the institution of Wound Stripes," The stripes were not to be considered a reward, and posthumous issues would not be made. Each occasion in which a soldier was wounded or injured, subject to certain conditions, entitled the soldier to a gold stripe of russia braid 1-1/2 inches long. Personnel wounded in previous Wars, regardless of how many times, were entitled to wear a single red rayon stripe."

"What ridiculous bureaucratic waffling on an issue of simple recognition for soldiers. It seems this is not a new affliction, and that the chances of correcting it are historically slim."

"The Canadian Forces reintroduced the symbol for uniformed wear in the mid-nineties, doing away with the red stripe as irrelevant: 'A wound is a wound, and active service can be indicated in other ways if necessary.'"

"Here are the criteria for eligibility:"

    "A wound stripe recognizes injury directly attributable to hostile action received in honorable circumstances in an operational area, and requiring medical treatment beyond local first aid. Individuals who are injured in accidents in a special duty area or while employed on domestic provision of service operations or training exercises do not qualify for a wound stripe. Wound stripes are not issued posthumously."


An interesting point later on in the article reads:"It can be worn on civilian clothing - like a suit jacket: 'Personnel, who by reason of their service have become entitled to wear a wound stripe, may, at their own option, continue to wear them on civilian clothes after cessation of military service.'"

So, if its good enough for my Great-grampy in WW1, and Grand-pa in WW2, well then its plenty good enough for me.  I think what we need is more education for the public about the stripe, not another medal.  Perhaps one of those heritage commercials they used to run all the time, or a documentary on the History channel.

In my opinion, the medal screams "Hey, look at me!  I got blowed up!"  But the stripe is humble.  It says "What, oh this?  Oh, its nothing, just a little hiccup in Afghanistan is all, just a scratch really." 

 

[RCR Grunt]

We must have fallen asleep Grunt, you know how Todd used to give us Nap time  :

Yes... nap time .... if by nap time you mean fearing for your life and praying you didn't screw up and make him yell.  Then yeah, there was plenty of nap time!

Now stay on topic, dammit!  You should know better!

 

[Greymatters]

In my opinion, the medal screams "Hey, look at me!  I got blowed up!"  But the stripe is humble.  It says "What, oh this?  Oh, its nothing, just a little hiccup in Afghanistan is all, just a scratch really." 

Thats is some excellent insight.  Would it be fair to say that most people notice the decorations on the chest before whatever's on the arm?

Well, unless you are in the infantry.  Back then I always looked for the 'God' crest before worrying about anything else... 

 

[RCR Grunt]

Thats is some excellent insight.  Would it be fair to say that most people notice the decorations on the chest before whatever's on the arm?

Well, unless you are in the infantry.  Back then I always looked for the 'God' crest before worrying about anything else... 

LOL... I know what you mean, my analysis starts at a distance with the sight of the red sash, then look for the god crest, then medals, then funny badges.

But, as far as "regular" people go, those that know the stripe will know.  Those that don't may ask, and you can choose to tell them what you wish.  Those that don't care get ignored, or if they are rude enough, throat punched.  Now, if it were a flashy medal touted by the politicians and swooned over by the MSM, it would be a lot harder for guys as humble as myself or HoM to fly under the radar.

 

[R.O.S]

I have no words for Frank Maher article. It actually disgusted me. A person from the CF should know better.


I only agree that a medal is not much to give for the sacrific that CF members undertake for our nation as their sacrific exceeds medals or words (but don't take this comment the wrong way, I support such a medal). Thank you all who have given so much

 

[geo]

FWIW, given that most all people I know who have gotten injured won't ruin their suit by stitching a wound stripe onto their jacket, I would suggest that it would be appropriate to "convert" the wound stripe to a medal of some sort.  Either from the get go - or upon their retirement from the CF - when they hang up their uniform.

Those who have earned their blighty are entitled to wear their distinction - should they care to show it.

 

[Michael OLeary]

Just to offer one further alternative, why not an official pin to accompany the issue of the wound stripe which could be worn on civilian dress either before or after release.  Something along the lines of the War Service Badges.

 

[geo]

good one Michael.
I still have my grand dad's Class A "for service at the front" badge.
Would never think of wearing it but, it's a nice keepsake.

 

[geo]

Just got this from someone who was at the combined army conference...
wound stripe being replaced or supplemented by a "sacrifice medal". 
Target 1st issue - November - Rememberance day time frame...