Arguments over the finer points of semantics often leave people in confusion. I don't believe the current, manufactured, flap over John Kerry's "medals" should fall into this category of semantic hair splitting. But it does require a little bit of knowledge of "military-speak." Every profession has a jargon; the military's just happens to be one of the better developed and more arcane. In the official jargon, there is a big difference between a medal and a ribbon.
A medal is just that, a die cast bit of metal hanging from a short piece of ribbon that is uniquely colored and striped. Medals are worn on the most formal uniforms in the military - and sometimes on civilian clothing as well. A ribbon on the other hand is a small bar of that colored and striped ribbon with no medal hanging from it that is worn on less formal uniforms. (See the photo at left.)
I never had to buy that most formal of dress uniforms when I was in the military, so I never bought dress medals; although I did have the larger presentation medals that came with some of the medals, I never wore them. To me - and to most soldiers - in the more relaxed, unofficial jargon of soldiers, these were "medals." Or, if you had enough of them, "fruit salad," because of the mix of colors and stripes.
It would not have been unusual for Kerry to have spoken of medals and been specifically talking about ribbons. And it would be why, having to speak more specifically about the event years later that he could say that he threw out his ribbons, but retained the medals and not contradict his earlier statements.
But don't look for that kind of knowledgeable detail from the Rethugs, as they haven't ever had a medal pinned to their chests. Nor from the press, apparently, who no longer look beyond the talking points handed them every morning.
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