Chuck Hagel Orders Review of Medal for Drone Pilots
Published at
Junko Kimura/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Don’t cheapen the value of the Purple Heart, veterans groups have told the Pentagon, and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has apparently listened.
Last February, Hagel’s predecessor, Leon Panetta, proposed drone pilots and cyber operators become eligible for the Distinguished Warfare Medal.
However, Hagel has since ordered a review of the medal, which was designed to honor “extraordinary actions,” after vets and some D.C. lawmakers charged that such a tribute would surpass the meaning of the Purple Heart. That medal is specifically a combat decoration, awarded to armed forces members wounded in battle.
On Monday, the defense chief said the Distinguished Warfare Medal would be attached to an existing honor to be determined within the next 90 days.
California Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter, a critic of the new medal, remains skeptical, saying, “I can’t say this addresses my concerns about preserving the integrity and tradition of the awards process.”
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio