Should there be a specific award for the Guard's Capitol Hill mission?

This is the time of the Guard, will it recognize it?

This is the biggest moment in the National Guard’s history and it’s time for leaders to think about how they want to honor this moment.

There are too many medals in the Army. As I said in my last blog, I have had a very average career as an NCO in various cavalry and infantry units over the decade-plus I’ve been in.

Just showing up to Afghanistan - a soldier will get a campaign medal, GWOT medal NATO medal, and an Armed Forces with “M” device medal.

This is before blanket ARCOMs and Bronze Stars (for E7 and above/officers) at the end of the deployment - let alone Purple Hearts and valor awards. Just wearing all my AAMs would make a third world dictator cry. Again, I want to reiterate I’m not distinguished in any way, but my cheddar is thick.

But there’s a case to be made for adding an award for the Capitol Hill deployment - serving at so-called FOB Sicknick after seditionists attacked the heart of democracy, calling for the overturn of a fair election and violently threatening House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then-Vice President Mike Pence - the number 2 and 3 in the succession of the presidency respectively.

A handful of Guard units will award blanket AAMs which is fair. Some units aren’t awarding their soldiers anything. State awards are a no-go with most units on federal Title 32 orders. There’s a case to be made for the Joint Meritorious Unit Award.

But protecting the Capitol after the insurrection is a once in a generation event. It hasn’t happened since the British invasion - and hopefully won’t happen again.

The Guard has been involved in all modern inaugurations in some capacity and will continue to do so moving forward. But this specific action required the deployment of over 25,000 troops against a very real threat - and if it came down to having to engage these domestic terrorists if they made a second attempt would arguably qualify soldiers for the Combat Action/Infantry Badge.

This was one of the most historic uses of the National Guard and photos and videos of it will be in textbooks and museums for generations.

There was talk months ago over the possibility of a COVID-specific award. Again, historic. There’s a good argument for it. A lot of units stuck to blanket AAMs, state AAMs, and the Humanitarian Service Medal.

This has been the busiest time in the Guard’s history and it’s good food for thought to cement that in the record of all those who participated. This moment is too historic to toss someone an AAM or a coin and call it a good mission.