We’ve finally received official clarification re: Army Directive 2021-20 (Eligibility Requirements for Accepting and Wearing Foreign Badges) published exactly one month ago on 21 May 2020. And it’s disappointing.
BLUF:
Obtaining foreign awards—be they foreign jump wings or foreign badges like the Norwegian Foot March badge—has just gotten a lot more difficult… to the point of functional impossibility for most Soldiers.
Following promulgation of this latest Army Directive, there are now only two possible routes to earning a foreign badge:
Acceptance of foreign awards, such as individual skill badges, awards, or similar devices, presented as a result of exemplary participation in official military exchange programs. (See DoDI 1348.33 incorporating Change 4.)
Acceptance of awards from foreign governments only in recognition of active combat service or for outstanding or unusually meritorious performance. Activities normally undertaken by the Armed Forces of the United States in support of an ally during peacetime are not considered sufficient to merit foreign individual or unit decorations. “Outstanding or unusually meritorious performance” is clarified to be of national significance to the foreign government and performed under exceptionally difficult, extraordinary, or hazardous conditions. (See AR 600-8-22, para 9-1(c).)
Fortunately, paragraph 4(f) of the Army Directive states that “Soldiers authorized to accept and wear foreign badges in accordance with [AR 600-8-22] before the release of this directive [21 May] continue to be so authorized.” But that’ll come as cold comfort for all the JAGWARriors who participated in the Norwegian Foot Marches we’ve been reporting on over the past few months.
Maybe it was too much of a good thing.
Maybe the Army wants to augment the prestige of awards issued by foreign governments.
Maybe the Army is trying to minimize all the clutter on those brand spanking new Army Greens.
Who can ever know? After all, many a Soldier has tried to divine meaning from or imbue significance to Army Directives, only to end up in a psych ward administered by the VA.
Whatever the case may be, I hope the Army soon devises some other sort of formal device that incentivizes participation in such worthy events as the Norwegian Foot March. Because, after all:
““A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon.””
In the meantime, we’ll close out our Norwegian Foot March summer series with a last look at some of the uniformed legal professionals who so rigorously challenged themselves. How fitting that we end with “a JAG at Bragg.”
Newly-promoted CPT Christopher Scribner positively threw himself into the cause of rallying his OSJA colleagues to join him in undertaking the 18.6-mile trek past Drop Zones. He orchestrated a robust training regimen and handled all the administrative coordination necessary to register his colleagues to participate.
Featured in the accompanying photo from left to right is CPT Scribner, MAJ Olesea Roan, 1LT Liu, and CPT Antonino Monea following their successful overnight completion of the NFM, which kicked off on the evening of 17 June 2021.
Great job, guys! Way to represent the “Soldier First, Lawyer Always” spirit of the U.S. Army JAG Corps!