Operational Service Medals?

[dapaterson]

A request for an under the table "loan" like that was made for CHA recent trip.  My Chief, told them if they did not want to cut a proper request/message etc, No Dice.  He said that if I was there under the radar and ended up hurt, I would be SOL as I was not really there now was I...  Needless to say, I'm not there and someone who was not so fussy is.

Kudos to your Chief.  Though one shouldn't have to say "Kudos" merely because he's doing his job.  The others who don't care that the admin of their pers is done properly are in need of a bare-headed reminder of the phrase "CONDUCT TO THE PREJUDICE OF GOOD ORDER AND DISCIPLINE".

 

[jollyjacktar]

Of all the Chief's I have served under.  My former one is the only one who really went out there to look after the welfare of his people on a continual basis.  I had only heard some not complimentary things about this man prior to my arrival there, but it was obviously bad press by jealous peers.  He was the best I have seen in the Navy and I would walk through fire to help this man.  I have had some others at lower ranks, but most of them have since left the service.  The Navy could learn some lessons from the Army on promoting the welfare of your personnel etc etc (such as the troops eat first).  That is not to say that the Navy does it all wrong either.  Each have their good and bad points. 

 

[misratah500]

Britain has accepted the NATO OUP Non article 5 medal for operations in Libya.


http://www.arrse.co.uk/medals/176831-operations-libya-medal-announced.html

 

[aesop081]

Britain has accepted the NATO OUP Non article 5 medal for operations in Libya.


http://www.arrse.co.uk/medals/176831-operations-libya-medal-announced.html

Well, the Brits are a different country than Canada so..........what they do does not mean that Canada will do the same, as seen with the QDJM just recently.

 

[eliminator]

Well, considering that people are trading their NATO Kosovo medals in for Allied Force GCSs and GSMs, and that Canadians cannot accept the ISAF NATO medal for Afghanistan due to the GCS/GSM SWA, I think it's safe to say that Canada will be issuing either a GCS/GSM or OSM specifically for Op Mobile.

It probably doesn't help that the CF is knee-deep in the QDJM and trying to keep up with all those new OSMs.

Best keep an eye on the Orders in Council website. Parliament is back and they'll be passing lots of stuff in the coming weeks. It will likely appear there first before anywhere else. CANFORGEN soon after.

http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/oic-ddc.asp?lang=eng&page=secretariats

 

[aesop081]

or OSM specifically for Op Mobile.

OP MOBILE does not fit the criteria for the OSM.

 

[eliminator]

True, I doubt they will issue an OSM, but the GCS for the pilots and navy folk and GSM for all the Italy based pers sounds logical to me.

Thoughts? Anyone have any inside info?

 

[dapaterson]

True, I doubt they will issue an OSM, but the GCS for the pilots and navy folk and GSM for all the Italy based pers sounds logical to me.

Thoughts? Anyone have any inside info?

Well...

There are more than just pilots in aircraft.  Indeed, on a sensor-heavy platform like the Aurora, the rest of the crew is what makes the mission work.

And anyone with inside info wouldn't be allowed to post - since such things are confidences of the Governor in Council until announced.

 

[eliminator]

True, yes "aircrew" is a better term to use. If they do go the GCS/GSM route, I wouldn't want to be the one who has to draw the lines on the map to decide who gets what. Would you give the tanker crews, fighter pilots, and aurora crews all the GCS? What would the navy get? Obviously the ground crew and support trades in Italy would get the GSM.

But then there's the problem of a "defined enemy" Did we really conduct operations against a defined enemy? That's the whole base of the GCS/GSM. Maybe then an OSM would be more appropriate? Hard to say. I bet the government is attempting to decide this point now.

I know someone is not going to come right out and say what the medal will be, but there's alot of people with their ears to the ground and lots of generals visiting bases being posed such questions.

I guess time will tell....

 

[Pusser]

Well, considering that people are trading their NATO Kosovo medals in for Allied Force GCSs and GSMs, and that Canadians cannot accept the ISAF NATO medal for Afghanistan due to the GCS/GSM SWA, I think it's safe to say that Canada will be issuing either a GCS/GSM or OSM specifically for Op Mobile.

Your logic is off.  Canada will only issue its own medal if no other (e.g. UN/NATO) medal is being issued which meets Canada's criteria for recognition and is accepted into the Canadian Honours System.  CF personnel cannot accept the ISAF NATO medal because it has not been accepted into the Canadian Honours System.  It was not accepted because it would not have recognized all the personnel that Canada was sending into that part of the world for the operations Canada wanted recognized.  Therefore, Canada chose to issue the GCS/GSM instead in order to be more inclusive and meet our needs for recognition.  If there is a NATO medal issued that will cover Op MOBILE to Canada's satisfaction, then that will be the one used and no GCS/GSM will be issued

It probably doesn't help that the CF is knee-deep in the QDJM and trying to keep up with all those new OSMs.  These issues are completely irrelevant to the question.

Best keep an eye on the Orders in Council website. Parliament is back and they'll be passing lots of stuff in the coming weeks. It will likely appear there first before anywhere else. CANFORGEN soon after.  Parliament does not pass Orders in Council

http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/oic-ddc.asp?lang=eng&page=secretariats

 

[aesop081]

Did we really conduct operations against a defined enemy?

OP MOBILE was essentially no different that OP ECHO. That operation warranted the GCS (eventually).

 

[NavyShooter]

SUBJ:  POST COMBAT REINTEGRATION ALLOWANCE (PCRA) FOR OP MOBILE
REFS:  A.  CDS LETTER 5 OCTOBER 2011
B.  CBI 10.3.09 (MFSI)
C.  COS J3 022 302140Z JAN 06
1.  REF A ANNOUNCED THE CDS DESIGNATED OP MOBILE AOR AS A COMBAT
OPERATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF REF B EFFECTIVE 18 MAR 11 - 31 DEC 11

Not sure if this makes a difference to the discussion or not...forwarded to my sailors as soon as I saw it.  (One was entitled to PCRA.)

NS

 

[misratah500]

That's funny that this came out. Because our clerks told us pcra was not happening. So how does this effect people that didn't take hlta

 

[NavyShooter]

No mission leave used in theater = PCRA entitlement.

If you used mission leave while in theater, NO PCRA.

Shoot me a PM with your work e-mail and I can send you a copy of it.

NS

 

[jollyjacktar]

No mission leave used in theater = PCRA entitlement.

I'm curious.  How much is the PCRA entitlement?

 

[misratah500]

I was repatriated early in mid November due to compassionate reasons. I took my mission leave at home.  Does this change my eligibility.

 

[Zoomie]

If "they" decide to go the route of a GCS/GSM <Libya> it will require a minimum of 30 combat missions for aircrew to be eligible for the Star. If they don't meet that milestone, they will get the GSM.

 

[aesop081]

If "they" decide to go the route of a GCS/GSM <Libya> it will require a minimum of 30 combat missions for aircrew to be eligible for the Star. If they don't meet that milestone, they will get the GSM.

Zoomie,

The GCS for OP ALLIED FORCE was issued to pilots and crews who had flow 5 missions over Kosovo and other territory.

The 30-mission requirement is for Crews based outside of the AO and flying into it and back out again, not crews based inside the JOA. For OP MOBILE, both Trapani and Sigonella were inside of the JOA.

 

[Zoomie]

I guess we'll just have to wait.  5 missions for a Star seems pretty low - 30 missions is more of a number to work towards. 

30 days on the ground or 30 missions overhead seems like a pretty good starting place.

I'm still waiting to see if the TB declares tax free status for that mission.  If so, we will actually have a leg to stand on for the current Afghan mission.

 

[aesop081]

I'm still waiting to see if the TB declares tax free status for that mission.

That has already happened. I received my federal income tax back for that period already. Further to that, on this coming pay, the difference between what we had been paid in RA and the Maximum is being paid to us. HA is also finally being paid

OP ALLIED FORCE GCS criteria :

http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhr-ddhr/chc-tdh/chart-tableau-eng.asp?ref=GCS_AF

The GCS with ALLIED FORCE ribbon is awarded to fighter pilots and AWACS crew members who flew at least 5 sorties during Operation ALLIED FORCE from 24 March to 10 June 1999 in the theatre of operations which consisted of the airspace over Kosovo and other territories of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the Adriatic and Ionian seas.

There is no blanket 30-flight requirement for the GCS unless they make it so for that specific mission, as evidence with the ALLIED FORCE one.

The SWA GCS requires 30 sorties for crews flying into theatre, not for the crews based in theatre.