Recognizing the contributions our sailors have made in defense of freedom is vital to the success of our efforts to recruit, train, and retain the finest Americans for our Navy. However, the latest announcement and authorization for issuance of the Afghanistan Campaign Medal (ACM) and Iraq Campaign Medal (ICM) for Navy personnel goes against the grain of those efforts and needs to be corrected. I'm confident the authors and all involved in the approval process did what they thought was in the best interest of all Navy personnel. But a careful reading of the message invites a question: Are we intentionally excluding thousands of sailors on board ships at sea operating within the 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility (AOR) and who participated in the campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq?
