[SanteeFats]

Originally Posted by rupertramjet

For once I am in complete agreement with Max! What on earth? With all the tin I have gathered it has been either for service to my country, with the responsibility I have had, as a civilian, I would have earned about twice the money, there can not be that many senior managers who run a diverse fleet of transport, form push bikes to helicopters, lead staff ranging from cooks to communications experts, intelligence to bomb disposal, paratroopers to pioneers and so on!

I have always seen the civil decorations as coming from a supermarket rewards system , you been a member that long you get given it, although I am very proud of them, but they disappear into insignificance with the awards getting given to such people!

With the big shiny ones on the other hand, I have had a slightly different view, what bloody fool in the clerical system got the wrong name on the citation, and used mine?

Many awards both military and civilian are a popularity contest. When I served (well short of Ruperts time thank goodness!!) there were and probably still are several awards for enlisted personnel that were basically given to those who the brass thought favorably of. Civilian ones are pretty much the same IMO.
The rich, the powerful, the popular and the suck ups are the ones who get the so called fruit salad.