Drone operator at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty)
Sorry, drone operators, you won’t get a medal after all. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel reversed one of the last decisions by his predecessor and canceled the Distinguished Warfare Medal for troops who operate drones or conduct cyberoperations. The medal had come under fire from veterans groups who felt that it was unfair to give a battlefield honor to people who never set foot in a battlefield. Now drone operators will get a “device” attached to existing medals.
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