US forces create new medal for drone pilots

[nukenorman]

Americans who fight in REAL combat and get injured get a medal such as the purple heart and so on. Defence secretary of the US armed forces now has created a NEW medal. It is for drone pilots who never have been in combat and they sit in an air conditioned confterable office in Tampa Bay Florida but get a higher medal than those who where injured in real combat.

What a disgrace to anyone who actually has to go to war in the American military that a cushy deskjob providesa higher medal. Mayb they could give out a medal to them also but it shold not be = or higher to the puruple heart or other medals where you had to actually fight or be in combat.

Another story of USA sinking to yet another new low.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

America, you continue to disappoint

If I had the money to, I'd move out of this country today

sadly that costs money and I'm a poor college student :(

[nukenorman]

America, you continue to disappoint

If I had the money to, I'd move out of this country today

sadly that costs money and I'm a poor college student :(

I would do the same Brando212 Sadly im stuck here at the moment in the EXACT same shoes as you. Hopefully one day after college we can immigrate out of this **** hole called the USA. I had the opportunity when I was younger to live in other countries and so I know first hand that the grass is greener abroad.

Speaking of poor college student Brando212 in most other developed countries college cost is very cheap or you dont pay anything as it is funded by tax such as K-12 is in the USA but they add a few extra years for college. Instead America spends that money on pointless wars and building up other countries while this one crumbles.

If America didnt have such a strong military we would have the hope of the European Union or Canada to liberate us and give us their constiutions as they have a much better human rights and workers rights in the rest of the developed world but sadly our military is to strong to let that happen at least in our lifetime.

[farmeunit]

I sort of agree, but those guys also SAVE a lot of lives in that they don't have to send REAL troops into battle. I don't think it should necessarily rank higher than the others, but saving 20 lives, or whatever, is important.

Sorry you feel that saving lives is a new low.

[articuno1au]

Got to agree with farmeunit here..

Their work is medal worthy. I have no idea how it ranks up in the US medals chart :\

[Order_66]

Got to agree with farmeunit here..

Their work is medal worthy. I have no idea how it ranks up in the US medals chart :\

I wouldn't like knowing that I sent a drone in that killed 100 people, helluva thing to live with.

[compl3x]

"And I got this metal for controlling a flying death machine and obliterating a village on the other side of the world."

In February 2013, Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind poll conducted a study to measure public opinion on the use of drones. The study was conducted nation-wide, and it asked registered voters whether they "approve or disapprove of the U.S. Military using drones to carry out attacks abroad on people and other targets deemed a threat to the U.S.?" The results showed that three in every four (75%) of voters approved of the U.S. Military using drones to carry out attacks, while (13%) disapproved. ^[37]

http://www.publicmind.fdu.edu/2013/drone/

Interestingly, 65% of people approved of the C.I.A. using drones for the same purpose.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

I would do the same Brando212 Sadly im stuck here at the moment in the EXACT same shoes as you. Hopefully one day after college we can immigrate out of this **** hole called the USA. I had the opportunity when I was younger to live in other countries and so I know first hand that the grass is greener abroad.

Speaking of poor college student Brando212 in most other developed countries college cost is very cheap or you dont pay anything as it is funded by tax such as K-12 is in the USA but they add a few extra years for college. Instead America spends that money on pointless wars and building up other countries while this one crumbles.

If America didnt have such a strong military we would have the hope of the European Union or Canada to liberate us and give us their constiutions as they have a much better human rights and workers rights in the rest of the developed world but sadly our military is to strong to let that happen at least in our lifetime.

yeah the US is a huge hypocrite of a country. we're constantly spending money on military and Trillions of dollars on luxury buildings and such for ourselves and then we're all like "Oh how sad places like Africa are blah blah wah wah"

we're so obsessed with helping countries that don't need it build up their military for obligatory reasons but completely ignore the countries that could use our help the most

[nukenorman]

To some of the responses from people. I never said it was NOT worthy of a medal. I believe it is worthy of a medal. However it should not be equal or worth more than someone who was actually SHOT and wounded to save a life or many lives.

Some people need to learn how to read better.

[articuno1au]

I wouldn't like knowing that I sent a drone in that killed 100 people, helluva thing to live with.

No different from any pilot or soldier, which I think is the point >.<

To some of the responses from people. I never said it was NOT worthy of a medal. I believe it is worthy of a medal. However it should not be equal or worth more than someone who was actually SHOT and wounded to save a life or many lives.

Some people need to learn how to read better.

I think you'll find we just think you're wrong.. I think it's equally worthy.

[compl3x]

yeah the US is a huge hypocrite of a country. we're constantly spending money on military and Trillions of dollars on luxury buildings and such for ourselves and then we're all like "Oh how sad places like Africa are blah blah wah wah"

To be fair, the U.S. has also sent billions of dollar of aid to Africa, amongst others. Much of the Western world has sent billions of dollars of aid to Africa for decades and it seems very little has changed. Other factors are obviously negating the aid money. But that is another issue entirely.

--------

I think drones might take people a little too far out of the war. People who are on the ground make up such a small percent of the population as it is, I think that is the reason people aren't more upset at how veterans are treated when they return. If you can fight a war entirely with machines, regular citizens probably won't care who is fighting whom, where, or why.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

To be fair, the U.S. has also sent billions of dollar of aid to Africa, amongst others. Much of the Western world has sent billions of dollars of aid to Africa for decades and it seems very little has changed. Other factors are obviously negating the aid money. But that is another issue entirely.

ooh we send them food and supplies every now and then. I honestly wouldn't call that helping to fix things

if we were serious about helping countries like Africa we'd actually take the initiative and build up some towns with businesses to get them started on maintaining themselves instead of spending trillions on ourselves building new baseball fields and such that we don't really need

you get what I'm trying to say? I realize we provide aid but it really feels like we're just doing the least amount we have to in order not to get bashed for being selfish or whatever

[astropheed Veteran]

If this is what you consider the 'new Low', then you don't know too much about U.S.A. It goes much, much lower.

[techbeck]

Not sure if I agree with the medal being bigger/better than physical combat, but drone pilots normally take out multiple targets at once...which is a lot to deal with. And like someone else said, they do the job and save the lives of the soldiers who would of been sent instead.

Anyway, minor problem compared to the rest of the issues the US is currently facing.

Edit: The guy in the video seems to think it is just an easy thing to drop a bomb and kill a bunch if people. Yea, these guys are paid to kill and take lives, its their job, but still doesnt mean its an easy thing for them to do. Dont think it should be ranked higher tho but I see not problem with the medal part.

[123456789A]

What's with the topic title? American sinks to new low? He shouldn't be swimming out in such deep areas in the first place.

[compl3x]

ooh we send them food and supplies every now and then. I honestly wouldn't call that helping to fix things

if we were serious about helping countries like Africa we'd actually take the initiative and build up some towns with businesses to get them started on maintaining themselves instead of spending trillions on ourselves building new baseball fields and such that we don't really need

you get what I'm trying to say? I realize we provide aid but it really feels like we're just doing the least amount we have to in order not to get bashed for being selfish or whatever

The problem is that you would also need round-the-clock security because so many villages, towns and small businesses are attacked by militias and militants who steal everything of value and rape and kill members of the village.

Religious conflict is tearing the continent apart on a daily basis. It's not enough domestic religious nutcases are destroying any semblances of civilisation, but foreign religious powers are entering the continent and meddling in their affairs. Usually with catastrophic consequences.

The entire continent is a disaster area, and unless you had worldwide intervention, which would be accused of being imperialism, nothing there will ever change. If developed nations sent heaps of money, or none at all, it seems the outcome doesn't change.

[Ghost5525]

ooh we send them food and supplies every now and then. I honestly wouldn't call that helping to fix things

if we were serious about helping countries like Africa we'd actually take the initiative and build up some towns with businesses to get them started on maintaining themselves instead of spending trillions on ourselves building new baseball fields and such that we don't really need

Gee i'm pretty sure every european in this forum got on America's ass about this for attempting to do the same thing in Afghanistan and Iraq... its commonly refered to as "nation building" ...no we give them aid money to use as they please - hence why its 'aid' - if they choose to spend it on AK-47s and other things besides food, and developement then that is their problem...and second of all what is wrong with taking the money we make for profit in this country and developing new things like museums, parks, stadiums...etc

you get what I'm trying to say? I realize we provide aid but it really feels like we're just doing the least amount we have to in order not to get bashed for being selfish or whatever

Top 10 Countries recieving aid from the US

Tanzania ($531 million)

Ethiopia ($580 million)

Nigeria ($625 million)

Kenya ($625 million)

Jordan ($676 Million)

Egypt ($1.557 billion)

Iraq ($1.683 billion)

Pakistan ($2.102 billion)

Afghanistan ($2.327 billion)

Israel ($3.075 billion)

These are the top 10 that recieve the most aid the United States continues to pump around $50 billion in aid to other countries each year. I don't know about you but that 50 billion can be better spent here at home.. on schools and other things. So don't ever assume for a minute we don't give 'enough' because we far out pace the rest of the world in aid.

[+hedleigh Subscriber²]

Do I think the deserve a medal? No, not really.

Achievement unlocked maybe.

Sitting in a room playing what amounts to a war game is not my idea of what a soldier does. No emotional attachment to the seriousness of what they are doing.

Killing people from the other side of the planet is an abhorrent form of warfare IMO.

[seta-san]

Such a pathetic thread.

You can call this pathetic only after the U.K. stops knighting musician hacks like John Lenon and starts giving the honor back to the military.

[The Evil Overlord]

Wait a sec, although I do symathise, isn't this the whole point of a drone? Send in a drone, effective killing machine, if destroyed, no allied life lost?

Now for the GTA reference, how many points did he score?

[compl3x]

Such a pathetic thread.

You can call this pathetic only after the U.K. stops knighting musician hacks like John Lenon and starts giving the honor back to the military.

(????)?

[rfirth]

I wouldn't like knowing that I sent a drone in that killed 100 people, helluva thing to live with.

No different from physically piloting the plane that kills 100 people. You still have to live with it either way.

Do I think the deserve a medal? No, not really.

Achievement unlocked maybe.

Sitting in a room playing what amounts to a war game is not my idea of what a soldier does. No emotional attachment to the seriousness of what they are doing.

You still have to live with the fact you took lives. I bet there is a huge emotional attachment, despite the fact that there is no physical danger to the operator.

[+hedleigh Subscriber²]

No different from physically piloting the plane that kills 100 people. You still have to live with it either way.

You still have to live with the fact you took lives. I bet there is a huge emotional attachment, despite the fact that there is no physical danger to the operator.

So how would you describe the feeling if you had to line them up in your sights?

Not much room to move after calling the other one huge.

I just can't see how it would affect you as much when there is absolutely no danger to yourself.

[Steven P. Administrators]

Edited the topic title, the previous was pure flame bait.

Also, it takes a lot of skill to fly a drone from a remote location I'd bet!

[The Evil Overlord]

Edited the topic title, the previous was pure flame bait.

Also, it takes a lot of skill to fly a drone from a remote location I'd bet!

Thank you

I was running out of pseudo witty things to post in order to try to keep the attention off the title