rlfj: Blog

Lots of controversy about Grim sending his medals back. A number of people figured he’s gone too far this time. Maybe yes, maybe no. This is not an unheard of thing. Some soldiers send them back as a form of protest. This happened in several cases when Carter gave a blanket pardon to draft resisters following the Vietnam War. There have been other instances as well. One reader commented that various Army regulations require Grim to keep uniforms available until his Individual Ready Reserve service is complete. I suspect that probably wouldn’t be prosecuted all that vigorously. At least two readers commented that somebody at the Pentagon would be able to track down whoever returned medals by way of return addressing (required by the Post Office, can be falsified), inscriptions on the medals (which may or may not be present), or reading the postmark and figuring out who had all those medals from Matucket. That might well be true, but I would simply ask…why? I can’t imagine, even in a bureaucratic institution as large as the military, that somebody is waiting around to track down and return medals.

I am simply going to say that Grim is a bit messed up about his service. Several readers wrote that you wear the medals not for yourself, but for the ones who can’t, and I think I have mentioned that in earlier sections. On the other hand, Grim considers his service to be a failure to the ones who can’t, rightly or wrongly. Keep reading. There is more to come.

On a totally separate and considerably more amusing note, I put The Grim Reaper on my wife’s Kindle for her to read. When she got to Chapter 29 she asked me why all the female leads in my stories end up going to jail. I told her that I was attracted to the flawed kind of women who spent time behind bars, at which point she kicked me out of the house and sent me to work.

I have had a huge number of readers asking why Grim hasn’t received an Medal of Honor for his actions at Outpost Whiskey. I do not plan to discuss whether or not Grim will or won’t get the MOH, but it is important to understand the process in receiving awards and decorations. They don’t just hand this stuff out! The lower the level of the award, the lower the level of upper management needed to hand it out. This is NOT a comment on the relative importance of various awards and decorations. If I had served, it is doubtful I would have earned a Good Conduct Medal! It is simply a discussion of the procedure.

Lower-level awards, such as the Achievement Medal and Commendation Medal, are usually authorized at a battalion level, though usually somebody higher up has to rubber stamp things. The next level up would be Bronze Stars and Silver Stars, which usually require authorization at the brigade or division level, and take longer, weeks or months. When you get up to the Distinguished Service Cross or Medal of Honor levels, it has to go to the Pentagon, and usually higher. Criteria are extremely stringent, and the process can take 18-24 months, or more.

So, while Outpost Whiskey might or might not result in higher awards we need to be realistic! The battle occurred in June 2007. As of Chapter 51, it is still December 2007. The absolutely earliest date Grim might get the highest level awards would be sometime in 2009, or perhaps later. For those of you looking for big medals, you are just going to have to wait a little longer!

There’s a flip side to everything, and Chapter 51 is the flip side to Chapter 50. It’s not a happy chapter. Sorry about that.

One of the interesting things I learned about becoming a police officer is that in many, if not most, jurisdictions there is not a requirement that recruits be given a psychiatric evaluation when applying. In Georgia, for instance, the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council simply requires an applicant to “Undergo a physical examination by a licensed physician to determine any physical, emotional or mental conditions that may adversely affect the ability to exercise the powers or duties of a peace officer.” I have heard similar things from police officers. In some cases, the psych eval is simply the doctor giving you a physical asking “Are you depressed or crazy?” If you answer no, you’re in. That being said, most police officers do not want crazies on the force with them, if for no other reason than for their own safety. As a result, Training Officers are on the lookout for what some call ‘woo-woos’, guys who want to see the lights flash and the sirens go woo-woo.

Are things changing in this regard? Yes, slowly. Psychiatric evaluations cost money, money that police departments often don’t have. Politicians can yap all they want about upgrading standards and increasing training, but that costs money, which the same politicians do not want to pay. Often it takes a YouTube disaster to get them to actually do something.

Important note: For those of you who have purchased a copy of my stories, I appreciate the purchases, as does my wife, who is spending the money!