My unit was embarassingly stingy with any awards whatsoever. As an E3 I ran 400+ foreign troops through machinegun classes and ranges and I didnt get so much as a letter of appreciation. In fact there is zero record that I spent a month as an embedded trainer other than pictures. Normally thats what something like a NAM is reserved for.
One of our NCOs ran from position to position under enemy fire to coordinate with his split up squad and got an NCM-V... something that should habe probably been a Bronze star... The 19 year old kids who spent the entire deployment taking point with the mine detectors while we had IEDs everywhere never got shit either... again a pat on the back medal with no V device would have been nice for those guys. of course our entire scout sniper platoon got NAMs just for being snipers... and anyone who worked in the company office near the brass got a NAM. One of my docs was awarded a NAM-V after our deployment, from his PREVIOUS deployment 5 years earlier that got lost. He ran under fire to treat wounded Marines and continued to do so while getting shot at among other things... again should have been more than a NAM. Another friend of mine got blown up in 06, launched from the turret, injured his knees and ankle and was knocked out. Came to and ground medevacd his two amputew friends to the hospital where he blacked out from the brain injury and himseld spent days there being treated for TBI and shrapnel wounds, rolled ankle, etc... as far as I know he got nothing but was put in for a bronze star that got denied somehwere along the way.
My Army buddy who is an officer got a Bronze Star with no V just for service, he said all E6s and above got them on his deployment... it was just how it was.
The whole thing is definitely ****ed but when you read any Navy Cross or Silver Star citation 99% of them should be MOHs.
Mike
Sent from my cell phone with a tiny keyboard and large thumbs...