In fairness to Pvt. Lynch, until we know for certain what happened or what her conduct was, I have to give her the benefit of the doubt.

That's not an easy choice. During my early 90's service in a Naval Reserve unit, I found the previous post describing delivery of the Tiffany cufflinks ( BTW) to be right on. A rating of 4.0 (theoretically perfect) has become the expected norm, so anything less than the highest praise is a black mark on your record, rendering the whole system meaningless. One officer observed that medals have become much more about "been there" than "done that."

And when the cruiser Vincennes mistakenly shot down an Iran Air A300 on July 3, 1988, the Navy gave out medals for shooting down a civilian airliner with 290 innocent people aboard. (Note - please research the event and get the facts straight before replying with any suggestion that the shootdown was justified. If your view is that it was ok because the people onboard were Middle Eastern, do us all a favor and keep it to yourself).

My father fought with the 77th Infantry Division in the Philippines and at Guam and Okinawa. He was awarded the Bronze Star with V twice and was humbled by it, saying that almost every guy there did something heroic at one point or another.

All in all, it seems clear that today, PR and public perception are far bigger drivers than they should be in determining who is decorated for what...and that blows.