After much controversy, the “Distinguished Warfare Medal,” which was purportedly designed to recognize those who contribute to the battlefront without being there, has been eliminated by the Secretary of Defense:

Just two months after its creation, Hagel said the Pentagon will replace the DWM with a device that can be attached to other previously existing medals.

The pejoratively-nicknamed “drone medal” was the subject of much criticism.  Veterans and other organizations complained largely that the medal took precedence over actual combat medals and the Purple Heart.  Some critics are still concerned, because the new policy still allows that a homebound member of the military could earn the same “combat” medal as someone actually at risk of bodily harm in the warzone, just with a different “device.”

ADVERTISEMENT