The next medal is the "Command" medal. When somebody demonstrates remarkable leadership of their forces for an entire game, you might consider nominating him for this medal! This medal can also be considered as a higher order of the "Commendation" medal. That's because the Commendation medal commends the events of one game turn, or one series of connected actions; but the Command medal is about the sweep of
the entire game, OK?
Because of its higher "dignity", this medal requires a nomination, a second, and a third vote. The third vote can be simply a "+1".
The first recipient of this award is my husband.
OK, fair enough: maybe you're thinking "Nepotism!"
I'll tell you what: I'll tell you why I've nominated him, and if anybody thinks that my reason is inadequate, then you can veto the award, OK? Nobody's feelings will be hurt. (I've checked, so I'm sure.)
I've nominated Dixicrat for this award, because of his exemplary management of his forces in his tournament game against Coffee Sergeant. So many other players of the Far West Scenario lost hundreds of soldiers due to lack of adequate supply in bad weather and all that, but Dixicrat didn't lose
one to those causes!
Good management is a fundamental prerequisite of any successful command, and so normally Dixicrat wouldn't have been awarded this medal. However, as far as I know, he was the only player
in the entire tournament field who played the scenario and won the game without losing a single soldier because of logistical breakdowns. Even if it turns out there were more people who did the same thing... well, to me, that's simply amazing! I wasn't able to do it, and I tried!
Congratulations,
Dixicrat! You care for your people, and it shows!
Here is what his medal looks like!
OK: here is the symbolism behind my design of the medal.
As a commander of any force, you are expected to be equal to any task that you're assigned. If you're not, it's really simple: you don't retain command! Among the chosen few who remain, it is those leaders who excel that set themselves apart from those who are merely "sufficient". They're
exceptional!
I already talked about how the red pillars are all about the "four fundamentals of command". The gold threads on the sides show the
exceptional nature of the command that earned the award. But notice how the brilliant "sparkle" is gone, from the gold! That's because it is only a military genius who can be brilliant in
all aspects of command,
all of the time. (Don't worry, military geniuses have their own medal, OK? Eventually, we'll get there.
)
In the middle of the medal is a big band of pure white, with sparkling gold on each side! The white represents the leader who places his men above all other considerations, except when deep convictions of "Truth" and "Duty" say otherwise. The gold braid represents how special those convictions are, as the foundation of a successful command.
OK: many years ago, I served in the United States Army. During that time, I met a leader who was a "real life" example of the kind of leadership that I'm talking about, and so I'd like to tell you his story so you can see what I'm talking about.
He was an Infantry Sergeant who was the acting Platoon Sergeant for a bunch of rough-neck Grunts, when I met him. I knew some of his soldiers, and man, they were an unruly bunch of thugs! Think "urban ghetto assassins", and you'll kinda have a clue! To be completely honest, they scared me.
It was pretty obvious that my Infantry Sergeant friend had somehow been given the "worst case scenarios". But you know what? Those "thugs" always seemed to shoot the best, run further, carry the most, and shout the loudest! It was because they
respectedtheir leader. And all of those officers who'd been saying stuff to my friend about how he couldn't "maintain discipline" with his soldiers because his thug's boots weren't shined quite right, and stuff like that... well, they kinda shut up, after his Platoon started setting records and causing the higher command to receive awards. The respect those soldiers gave him wasn't because he was a "tough guy". As I distantly recall, it was because he
inspired them!
To shoot better. To run further. To carry more, and shout louder. That kinda stuff!
Of course, you can see where this story is heading. I was so impressed with that soldier, that I ended up marrying him!
So:
my total inspiration for this medal came from watching my husband play Coffee Sergeant in the tournament. I chose the base color of the medal because it's the favorite color of the finest leader of men (and women!
) who I have ever personally known. His attitude of "the men come first" is even reflected in the
games he plays!
OK!
...Let's pause for a moment to bask in the warm glow of "coolness"...
...and then move on, to other things.
I hereby rescind the award of the "Commendation" medal to both Banks and Soundoff, so that I may hereby award the "Command" medal to both, in its stead. I'm doing this because both instances cited for their original award are more than sufficient for award of the "Command" medal.
Congratulations,
Banks and
Soundoff! You exemplify exceptional leadership within the forum!
On behalf of the forum, I thank you!
[1]
In my next "medal" post, I'll talk about the "Valor" medal!
[SIZE="1"]In case you're wondering: Yes. It's even cooler.[/size]
[1] As "ceremonial Queen", I'm allowed to say stuff like "On behalf of the forum...", OK? [2]
[2] As a Knighted "ceremonial participant", you're allowed to veto anything the Queen says!
[SIZE="1"]So, go ahead. I dare you!
[/size]