Is Spains Retreat Medal-Worthy??

[scm77]

Is Spain's Withdrawal Medal-Worthy?
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
By David Asman

But in Spain they do, or at least the defense minister did. Jose Bono was recently given a medal for the role he played in pulling Spanish troops (search) out of Iraq.

As you may remember, Spain withdrew its troops from Iraq shortly after Al Qaeda killed nearly 200 people in Madrid. The terrorist bombings were timed to affect Spanish elections and many say they did, throwing out the party that supported the coalition in Iraq and bringing in the Socialists, who called for immediate withdrawal.

The Cross of Military Merit, which Defense Minister Bono was to receive for organizing the retreat of Spanish forces, entitles the recipient to wear a white sash and be addressed as, "Your most excellent lordship."

But Mr. Bono apparently won't get his sash.

The ruckus over his award intensified after a newspaper reported that Mr. Bono had arranged for the medal ceremony himself and had pressured cabinet members who opposed the decoration.

Last week, Mr. Bono returned the medal and the prime minister praised his defense minister as a man of "much sensibility."
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"Your most excellent lordship." That's how I wish to be called from now on.

[n4292936]

I can understand awarding medals to individual soldiers who performed well in Iraq but were later pulled out... or awarding medals to the military commanders at Dunkirk circa 1940 for evacuating their troops, but to award this tosser an award for doing ****-all just maybe-kinda waters down the value of military awards.

[stuntman]

Reminds me of the good ol days of communism!

[SpazzMunky]

'Your most excellent lordship'? :lol:

He's a politician, all right.

[rafaelcb]

In Spain that medal was a big laugh and Mr Bono did not even accepted it.
The whole affair was quite pathetic.

[W(M)D]

Why not dish out medals for this retreat, after all other European countries like the French issue their soldiers with individual medals and they have'nt won a war in decades! The Germans issued individual medals and they have lost two world wars already in the last century!

[n4292936]

a soldier can be brave in an individual battle, while his country loses a war. A country's track record in warfare has little to do with the gallantry of an individual soldier. Did no Vietnam vets deserve their medals?

[MARINO]

Socialist governements always do thinks like that, they are really stupid, they had conceed a medel to thmselves for had left iraq like cowards.
I feel shame :oops:
Now thaks to this socialist spain's opinion counts like Guinea Bissau's opinion or eve less. :(