The giant paper-collecting spider is always pleased with IPAC’s work.

But on a serious note, I find it disturbing that I could not get one award processed. Putting the humanitarian service medal (HSM) in the system and on your record is not easy or apparently possible. Even though, there was a Marine Administrative message out saying that if you were in a specified place, time, operation doing humanitarian work, you rate the HSM. I had a letter of appreciation (LOA) thanking me for working there in that specific operation.

I thought I could just hand the MARADMIN and my LOA, two pieces of paper, to someone and they could forward that up to higher and they’ll look at it and say to themselves, “Looks good. Give him the HSM.” But no, it ain’t that easy. It’s like trying to put in for the congressional Medal of Honor. In all honesty, it shouldn’t have to be.

What irritates me is the fact that half the team who worked on that humanitarian mission got the HSMs and the other half didn’t. Someone obviously fucked up the paper work and didn’t give a shit afterward. What irritates me even more is that the Staff Sergeant in charge of us got a god damn Navy Achievement Medal (NAM) half a year after the operation. The higher ups take care of higher ups but fail to give a shit about everyone else. Great. Well, fuck you too.

Feeding spiders our paperwork since 1775.