Well, that seals it. I renounce him. Straw that broke the camel's back.

13. DECORATIONS, MEDALS, BADGES, CITATIONS AND CAMPAIGN
RIBBONS AWARDED OR AUTHORIZED (All periods of service)
Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal. Navy and Marine Corps
Achievement Medal (2nd Awd). Combat Action Ribbon (Iraq), Sea
Service Deployment Ribbon (3rd Awd). Iraq Campaign Medal
(20060308-20060409). Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
(Iraq 20050115-20050216), Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
National Defense Service Medal. Navy Unit Commendation. Certificate
of Commendation. Rifle Qualification Badge 2nd Awd

Seems impressive to me, but I'm no expert on these things.

The Good Conduct Medal is awarded for what its name implies. It is awarded for "exemplary obedience, sobriety, military proficiency, neatness and intelligence during three years of continuous active service." If you serve three years in the Marines and don't get in trouble during that timeframe, they award one to you.

All branches have an Achievement Medal, and it doesn't take much to get one. I have four of them. He could have gotten one of them for something as simple as reorganizing the supply room to make it easier to find what you need in there. These are generally not awarded for combat actions. This is basically a top-of-the-line attaboy.

The Combat Action Ribbon is awarded for exchanging fire with the enemy. Since he was a machinegunner during a war, it's obvious he went past the line of departure and fought the enemy at least once.

Three Sea Service Deployment Ribbons means his unit deployed to the sandbox three times. During Iraq they were rotating units back and forth between the Continental United States and the war on a six months at war - six months at home station schedule.

The Iraq Campaign Medal, GWOT Expeditionary Medal and GWOT Service Medal are what we refer to as "I Was There!" awards.

The National Defense Service Medal is awarded to everyone on active duty during a period of declared hostility. I served during Desert Storm, didn't deploy to it and still got one.

The Navy Unit Commendation says he was in a very good unit. It goes to everyone who was in the unit during the period the award was authorized for.

A Certificate of Commendation is an attaboy not strong enough to justify getting the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

As far as his Rifle Qualification Badge goes...every Marine has one; you can't be a jarhead if you can't shoot.

It's a nice collection of fruit salad, but to a GI's jaded eye it isn't superlative.

What impresses the hell out of me is he made Sergeant in his first enlistment. That's not common in the Marines.

Wow.

About the sergeant thing - would you know what criteria would be considered in awarding a higher than usual rank?

Unlike the Army, the Marines have a very strict limit on the number of personnel in each MOS at each rank. If he got promoted to Sergeant in less than four years, that means:

A Gunnery Sergeant machinegunner had to be promoted to either Master Sergeant or First Sergeant. Once a Marine is promoted to the rank of Gunnery Sergeant (equivalent to an Army Sergeant First Class, a Navy Chief Petty Officer, or an Air Force/Space Force Master Sergeant) they are given the choice: when you are promoted to the next level would you prefer to work in leadership or in a technical role? They need both so there's no real pressure to be a leader if you'd rather run the motor pool. How this affects your promotion is if a Marine Master Sergeant (technical track) retires and you preferred leadership track, the most qualified Gunnery Sergeant who elected technical track gets the promotion and you wait until a First Sergeant (leadership track) retires before you move up.

Then a Staff Sergeant machinegunner had to be promoted to Gunnery Sergeant.

And finally, a Sergeant machinegunner had to be promoted to Staff Sergeant to make room for you.

The Marines wait until the MSgt/1Sgt actually retires before they start moving people up. The Army, on the other hand, tends to be a little more anticipatory...if Command Sergeant Major Smith who runs the 82d Airborne Division drops his retirement packet (this is done one year before your requested retirement date) and 120 days before he retires Department of the Army comes in and tells him, "Sergeant Major, if you'll defer your retirement three years we'll give you the 8th Army CSM slot," they'll have promoted all those people to their new ranks but the guy the whole chain was predicated on is now running all the US forces in Korea.

Your knowledge about the military is impressive.

The Army seems a better choice for faster advancement. Platner's making sergeant at such a fast clip wss not solely due to merit then, luck with retirements and vacancies would have played a part too.

My list of ribbons is much shorter. I did earn a expert marksman ribbon, though. I never touched a firearm after Basic. LOL!