When somebody comes out wearing a bunch of ribbons, it's always interesting to see whats above and below the National Defense / Commendation Ribbon block. I'm not sure my dad ever had a Commendation Medal until he retired even though he had a lot of different ribbons from WW2 and Korea. During the time my wife was in the Navy Reserve, it seemed that any time someone ended an assignment they received a Commendation Medal. There's generally no shortage of Green and White and Green and Orange ribbons on chests today. They've even devalued the Bronze Star participation trophy - the one for merit rather than for valor. I knew a Navy Reserve doc who wrote himself up and received a Legion of Merit for "achievements". A new merit badge for the military doesn't surprise me.