Ten New Zealanders have been awarded the Bronze Star and seven have been awarded the United States Army Commendation Medal in recognition of exemplary service in Afghanistan between 2004 and 2005
These awards were made 16th October 2006. While Phil Goff played up the “peace keeping” side of what kiwis do on these deployments last I note that the NZSAS didn’t do a lot of bridge building for their PUC.
Here’s what the local media had to say.
Shhh.
April 2, 2007 at 3:42 pm |
the awards were made in October 2006, and yet you limit your search to articles written in the past month?
a search on the full google news archives reveals that both the Herald and NZPA reported the awarding of the medals at the time.
April 2, 2007 at 3:44 pm |
sorry, didn’t close an href there.
google search.
nz herald article.
April 2, 2007 at 4:54 pm |
Thanks for that, I didn’t actually notice the time limit thing. You have highlighted the fact that 17 medals including 10 Bronze Stars only makes very limited coverage and gets no TV at all.
Quick question, were you aware of these awards before going looking for them?
In any other country it would be prime time lead material.
April 2, 2007 at 5:37 pm |
“…only makes very limited coverage…”
NZPA? That probably means it was probably in every newspaper in NZ.
“…and gets no TV at all.”
How do you know? You watch every local news channel, every night?
“Quick question, were you aware of these awards before going looking for them?”
Yes. I heard it reported on the radio. (Radio Left-Wing, I seem to recall some people call it).
“In any other country it would be prime time lead material.”
Any supporting evidence for such a statement?
How about Australia? One Australian, Major Perry Gunder, received the Bronze Star in 2005. Any sign of him in the ABC news archives (which go back to 1988). Nope.
Looking for _any_ reporting of the Bronze Star at all on ABC, we get a bare-as-bones three sentence paragraph from 2002 detailing the award to “an Australian Black Hawk helicopter pilot” – not the sort of thing, one imagines, led the news that particular night.
That article also mentions the first Aussie to receive a Bronze Star – a certain Lieutenant-Colonel Rowan Tink. Any sign of him in the news archives? I mean, with him being the first, and with Australia actively supporting the USA’s military engagements around the world, surely it’d be the lead item, and Tink’s would be considered a national hero! But … no.
April 2, 2007 at 5:41 pm |
and any chance of a preview/edit option!
“probably means it was probably” is certainly (probably) the worst bit of writing I’ve done all day.
April 3, 2007 at 5:56 am |
OT: NZ Treehuggers want the Easter Bunny banned. They’d prefer the “Easter Kiwi” hopping down the path…
The idea of a bird delivering easter eggs is vaguely disturbing. Wouldn’t that be a crime against bird-kind?
April 3, 2007 at 10:39 am |
I do recall seeing a picture of George Bush presenting his Presidential Unit Citation to the Lt. Col. on behalf of SAS.
The striking thing in the photograph was it captured the man to man personal respect.
If NZ has any credibility it is because men of this unit froze their arses off in mortal danger on some ridge in the Hindu Kush.
I hope one day we will be able to find out what they got up to, unsung by the drongos in the media and not giving a shit either. Just doing their duty to the utmost.
April 4, 2007 at 8:09 am |
“NZPA? That probably means it was probably in every newspaper in NZ.”
Probably? Where are your links? You found ONE. Paryamids probably means aliens visited earth. Evidence not bloody wishful thinking.
As for TV yes I do watch every evening, so do a LOT of my friends who shockingly enough are are by and large either ex or currently serving soldiers. NONE of them were aware of these awards from the New Zealand media.
Finally are you aware of the small size of our deployments? The awarding of 17 medals is a huge recognition.
You’ve very effectively demonstrated that the coverage was barely a blip on the radar.
But thanks for the public demonstration of how most New Zealander’s feel about their military, I’m sure my US visitors will find it enlightening.
April 4, 2007 at 9:10 am |
“Probably? Where are your links? Evidence not bloody wishful thinking.”
I could ask the same of you Murray. Where is your evidence that “In any other country it would be prime time lead material.” I suppose I could pop down to the library and scan all the NZ papers around that time to get some numbers for you. Would that suffice for evidence? Or is it only TV coverage that you’re concerned about?
“But thanks for the public demonstration of how most New Zealander’s feel about their military, I’m sure my US visitors will find it enlightening.”
How can you possibly have come to any conclusion about how I feel (and derived from that how “most NZers feel”) about the NZ military from the above discussion?
I’m extremely proud of the military achievements of the NZ forces. But what we’ve been talking about is the media coverage given to the awarding of those Bronze Stars – I stated it was more than you originally claimed (based on your errant Google search), and despite confirmed coverage from the NZ Herald, NZPA and National Radio, you still think it was under-reported (”barely a blip on the radar”).
I don’t think we’re going to advance much further beyond that impasse, so may as well quit there. And I also don’t think you casting aspersions at my attitude towards the NZ armed forces adds anything to the argument.
April 5, 2007 at 4:11 pm |
As a yank, I have to say I find this debate fascinating. So parallel to the ones we have here in the US. Same, same where ever you go, isn’t it?
April 5, 2007 at 4:32 pm |
Yes, I’ve been getting some crap arguments to effect that the lack of coverage is in fact justified because:
a: The War on Terror is “not fully supported” whatever the hell that means. I’d point out that WWII was “not fully supported” either.
b: Afghanistan isn’t part of the WOT anyway. Maybe of Mars but here on earth it’s one of the primary theaters.
c: All the soldiers chose to go there anyway. When explained that soldiers don’t actually CHOOSE their deployments I was informed that people only join the army for free food, clothing and accommodation anyway so suck it up.
This was from a person who claimed to support New Zealand troops.
For more context 2006 was the “Year of the Veteran” in New Zealand. Given this context where are the receptions, where are the official functions where are flags where are the parades?
At present there are over 5,000 New Zealanders who have not been issued their medals for service in Malaya. Thats because our own government can’t be arsed in the Year of the Veteran to tell them that the King of Malaysia has honored their service to his country with the Pingat Jasa Malaysia and the individuals have to find out for themselves and ASK for the medal then prove they are entitled to it off their own bat.
At the awards presentation at the Malaysian High Commission they did not have the 20 recipients they needed and had to seek out several to make up the numbers – from the over 5,500 who were entitled to it.
Other veterans have even been required to purchase their own medals – which turn out to have been made in China. Which considering the war they served in is nothing less than a slap in the face.
Thankfully the Medals Office is a model of efficiency and their service is second to none. They respond quickly and efficiently to all enquiries. This however is an island of attention in a sea of official disinterest.
The only group more marginalized than Servicemen in this country are Christians.