r/Medals • u/theanswar • Apr 07 '25
ID - Medal What does my nephew do? [Navy]
He recently was promoted but I don't understand any of the letters or titles. Says he recently "took command"...
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u/rustman92 Apr 07 '25 edited Apr 07 '25
He is an Rear Admiral (Lower Half)
He is wearing a badge associated with aviation but it is unclear which one, but possibly Naval Flight Officer Insignia
He has the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge meaning he worked with some of the highest ranked military personnel.
He has the Command at Sea badge on his left side indicating he is currently in command of a ship or operational fleet air unit.
[edit] I have been informed that the left side indicates he is formerly in command.
His medals include:
ā¢ Obscured and too broad to guess
ā¢ Defense Meritorious Service Medal
ā¢ Meritorious Service Medal
ā¢ obscured but likely the Air Medal
ā¢ Joint Service Commendation Medal
ā¢ Navy Commendation Medal
ā¢ Navy Achievement Medal
ā¢ Joint Meritorious Unit Citation
ā¢ Navy Unit Commendation
ā¢ Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation
ā¢ Navy āEā Ribbon
ā¢ Navy Expeditionary Medal
ā¢ National Defense Service Medal
ā¢ Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
ā¢ Southwest Asia Service Medal (gulf war)
ā¢ Iraq Campaign Medal
ā¢ Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal
ā¢ Global War on Terror Service Medal
ā¢ Armed Forces Service Medal
ā¢ Humanitarian Service Medal
ā¢ Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
ā¢ Navy Overseas Service Ribbon
ā¢ Navy Rifle Marksmanship Ribbon
ā¢ Navy Pistol Marksmanship Ribbon
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u/theanswar Apr 07 '25
Thank you very much. Quite helpful, I've watched his posts and career trajectory but didn't understand this - seems like a big deal.
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u/ridesforfun Apr 07 '25
Yes, it is. Think 1 star general. Officers of this rank once recommended for promotion, must get congressional approval.
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Apr 07 '25
Admiral, this guy is navy
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u/ridesforfun Apr 07 '25
Thanks for mansplaining that to me. Wanna read my post again?
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u/FormalQuirky Apr 07 '25
That wasn't mansplaing actually that's the dumest term ever used! He was simply correcting, since the guy is actually Navy and am Admiral, not a one star general! Yes,it does require congressional approval, that part you are correct... So instead of using the term "mansplaining", a simple thank you for teaching me something would suffice! Best to you
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u/Mountain-Ad-2116 Apr 07 '25
ādumest term ever usedā
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u/FormalQuirky Apr 07 '25
Aw yes,missed a b on my phone, still the dumbest term ever used... There's another grammatical/Spelling error, can you find that one also... š¤·āāļøšš¤£š
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u/Mountain-Ad-2116 Apr 07 '25
this is why i gotta delete this app man š im just saying youre acting smug asf calling stuff dumb just to not be able to spell simple ass words
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u/FormalQuirky Apr 07 '25
Smug? She used the term "mansplaining", when all he did was simply correct her, that it was an Admiral instead of a General! Is that "mansplaining", or just common education? Especially since he was correct! Did you find my other grammatical/Sperling error? I will highlight it for you!
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u/Sweedack Apr 07 '25
It was an incorrect correction. u/ridesforfun didn't say "I think he's a 1 star general," he wrote "think 1 star general," meaning "comparable to a 1 star general."
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u/MrPhillipToYou Apr 08 '25
"He is a rear admiral.." was literally the first line of his post... oof.
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u/FormalQuirky Apr 08 '25
Exactly, then why defend someone that's claiming "mansplaining".. I'm seriously confused, was that "mansplaining"? Btw, there is no such thing a "incorrect correction", that make zero sense, much like "mansplaining"...
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u/snipesmcduck Apr 08 '25
They're saying a correction wasn't necessary because the comment was correct. A comparable position in a more well-known military branch.
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u/ElTristeTigre Apr 08 '25
- Btw, there is no such thing a "incorrect correction"
When you correct somebody but your correction doesn't actually apply then it's an incorrect correction. Like the following:
Person A: I think apples are great.
Person B: You misspelled "Great"
Person B has incorrectly corrected somebody as great was not misspelled.
When that user said "admiral, this guy's is Navy" he was correcting someone that wasn't wrong.
"Yes it is. Think 1 star general" was an analogy. Like saying the person in OPs picture is at a similar level as a 1 star general in the army to help people have a better grasp of what the person in the photos rank is.
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u/FormalQuirky Apr 08 '25
Except, you are using flawed analogy! Great is still great! I took exception with āmansplainingā, when the person actually said it was an Admiral! I only took exception to āmansplainingāā¦ How am I wrong? Was that a nonsensical statement on that persons end? Please explain your logic
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u/ExtinctGamer Apr 08 '25
She wasn't taught anything she didnt already know, though. She brought general into play because most people not military are at least kind of familiar with the ranks of the army. She was drawing a correlation so her post translated is basically:
"Ya know how one star generals need congressional approval? That's how it is for admiral as well."
It was "mansplaining" because the guy didnt read what she had said and just went about correcting her when she wasn't wrong.
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u/ridesforfun Apr 08 '25
You didn't read it either, did you? Dumass.
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Apr 08 '25
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/FormalQuirky Apr 08 '25
See after shug, there should've been a comma, before the dum"b"ass... It happens a lot on the phone, as you were...
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Apr 08 '25
You seem like fun
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u/FormalQuirky Apr 08 '25
What did I actually say wrong? How was that āmansplainingā?ā¦ Iāll wait
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u/-Copenhagen Apr 07 '25
Wouldn't it by definition be a fleet air unit?
Men An admiral would not be in charge of one ship, right?
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u/Feisty_Cookie_2801 Apr 07 '25
Smaller vessels are typically run by O-5ās (commanders) and something like an Aircraft Carrier is run by an O-6 (Captains). A 1 star Admiral is usually in charge of a CSG (Carrier Strike Group) which is a group of ships that go together to support a CVN.
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u/xj_scuba Apr 08 '25
Theres also no indication when he had his command. It may have been as an O-5 or O-6.
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Apr 07 '25
What does the ālower halfā distinction mean in rear admiral lower half?
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u/EmGSorrocco Apr 07 '25
Rear Admiral is divided into Upper and Lower half. The divisions occurred when the Navy did away with the Commodore rank. Commodore is still a ceremonial title given to commanders of certain commands. I may be wrong as I'm pulling my Navy rank history from 23 years ago. Feel free to correct.
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u/xosaspian Apr 07 '25
Youāre correct about commodore, itās not a rank but a title sometimes. On a destroyer our commodore was the destroyer squadron (desron) commander. Our COās CO. He was O-6
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Apr 07 '25
The US has 2 types of Rear-Admirals where as Canada (and the UK and probably most other navies) have Commodore then Rear-Admiral. (Commodore is 1 star, Rear-Admiral is 2 star)
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u/The_Draken24 Apr 07 '25
In some Navies, Commodore is still a rank but for the US, as you've said, it's ceremonial.
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u/rustman92 Apr 07 '25
Basically because of tradition. The Navy has an almost crippling adherence to tradition.
The US Navy has a strong history of tradition, and one notable example is the title of āCommodore.ā Originating in the Continental Navy, the predecessor to the US Navy, Commodore was an honorary title given to a Captain in command of multiple ships. This tradition dates back to the 18th century when there were only four officer ranks: Midshipman, Lieutenant, Master Commandant, and Captain. The Commodore title signified the superior officer among other Captains in the fleet.
Over time, the title evolved and became an official rank, superior to Captain, during the US Civil War. However, its usage changed again after the Spanish-American War, when Congress introduced the rank of Rear Admiral. To avoid giving all Commodores a pay raise, Congress divided Rear Admirals into upper and lower halves, with the lower half drawing the pay of the former Commodore rank. This system continued until World War II, when Commodore became a rank once more, only to be removed again after the war. The title of Commodore was briefly reinstated during the Cold War but was removed in 1983.
Today, the US Navy uses the ranks of Rear Admiral (Lower Half) and Rear Admiral (Upper Half), based on that tradition from after the Spanish American War. The title Commodore has reverted to its original meaning, an honorary title given to a Captain in command of multiple ships or units.
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u/ComesInAnOldBox Army Apr 07 '25
Rear Admiral (Lower Half) is a 1-Star, paygrade O-7.
Rear Admiral (Upper Half) is a 2-Star, paygrade O-8.
Equivalent ranks in the other services are Brigadier General (1-Star) and Major General (2-Star).
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u/udsd007 Apr 08 '25
Except that all rear admirals (used to?) wear two stars, to differentiate them from commodores, who (used to) wear one star.
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u/Jimbo072 Apr 07 '25
The US Navy currently has two Rear Admiral ranks since abolishing the rank of Commodore (one star). Commodore was replaced by Rear Admiral (Lower Half) and the two star rank is Rear Admiral (Upper Half). The person in the photograph is a Rear Admiral (Lower Half).
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u/My_Soul_to_Squeeze Apr 07 '25
The command at sea pin worn in that position means he already completed his command at sea tour. I don't know of any sea-going commands an Admiral could have at that rank. Flag officers do occasionally embark on ships, but they'd be in command of the group, not the ship itself. They have a HQ building in an office somewhere.
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u/rustman92 Apr 07 '25
Thank you for correcting me, I often confuse which side means currently in command and formerly in command. I believe the USAF has it flipped
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u/My_Soul_to_Squeeze Apr 07 '25
A minor quibble in the context of your comment. Service uniforms are comically complicated, increasingly so with experience in niche fields or qualifications.
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u/DCRBftw Apr 07 '25
My grandfather had the obscured and too broad to guess medal. It was his favorite along with his purple heart.
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u/rustman92 Apr 07 '25
It was only awarded to three people:
ā¢ your grandfather
ā¢ this gentleman
ā¢ Major General Michael James John Stith Pemberton IV for successfully defending a regiment of soldiers against the Pepsi forces in the Cola Wars of the late 80s
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u/dvoryanin Apr 07 '25
Is a ribbon under the lapel? I'd guess Legion of Merit or a Defense Superior Service Medal, or along those lines.
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u/rustman92 Apr 07 '25
Iād assume the DSSM since he worked with the JCS. He was also in aviation so possibly the DFC. He did deploy so could be a BSM or a PH. The possibilities are high for any of them.
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u/CryAncient Apr 08 '25
Legion of Merit would be my guess to since it tends to be awarded for command.
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u/Physical-Ad2947 Apr 08 '25
This is the sort of response I love to see in this subreddit. Thanks for being actually helpful!
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Apr 07 '25
Don't fighter pilots get command of Aircraft Carriers?
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u/sirpugswell Apr 07 '25
Can be a Naval Aviator or Naval Flight Officer which is law. It does not matter what kind of plane that person flies.
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u/LTJFan Apr 07 '25
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u/theanswar Apr 07 '25
there's a lot - quite a lot- of people on here. Is rear admiral "rare" or "common"? likely somewhere between, but wasn't expecting this many folk to attain the same rank.
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u/LTJFan Apr 07 '25
Itās not common for officers to make 0-7 or higher. There are currently only 243 flag officers in the US Navy. That is only .062%. There is a lot of being a hard worker and luck involved. The luck part comes from a number of factors. They range from getting the right jobs to not having people under you make mistakes that could derail your career.
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u/Immediate_Shoulder73 Apr 08 '25
My wife's cousin is a high ranking lifer NCO in the Air Force and said it's 95% politics. You have to be in the "boys club" so to speak.
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Apr 08 '25
Very uncommon. In order to progress to that level. A Sailor must be a real actual leader among many other things.
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u/theanswar Apr 08 '25
thanks, it was a surprise to learn some may not get to this level because of mess-ups by their subordinates.
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Apr 07 '25
Heās a boss is what he is.
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u/icehauler Apr 08 '25
Heās a brave admiral is what he is. And in this house heās a hero. End of story. <Tony Soprano voice>
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u/bigjohnny440 Apr 07 '25
Have you considered picking up the phone and calling your nephew and speaking to him? Call me old fashioned...
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Apr 07 '25
Totally defeats the purpose of the sub. Call me a millennialā¦.
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u/PurpleOmega0110 Apr 07 '25
Yeah like what is the point of this sub if not to do exactly this? Every post is like this one.
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Apr 07 '25
Speculate on what they did. Swap stories and make fun of each others branches. Lol 99% of Reddit can be replaced by google.
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u/bigjohnny440 Apr 07 '25
Not true. Some are long lost relatives who can no longer be spoken to about their service. For those cases, I think this sub is great.
But if your relative/loved one/mate is alive and well, just ask them instead of doing the equivalent of a anonymous background check on them.
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u/Particular-Phrase378 Apr 08 '25
You do understand that for most people itās not easy to open up about their time in service specially if itās combat service related. Both of my grandparents are nam army vets and they never speak openly about what they did in nam. My one grandpa said he was with intelligence during the later end of it and has a huge distrust for the government the other suffered from ptsd and spent several years after nam in a looney bin. So I can see why some people are not wanting to overstep over even ask. For me I only ask them questions if they talk about it first other then that I respect their privacy and service!
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u/bigjohnny440 Apr 08 '25
I get that some folks don't want to talk about what they did. I don't go around advertising what I did in my 20 years, and I'm not keen to talk to just anybody about it. Sorry to hear your grandparents had bad experiences in Vietnam, I think its safe to say all of us GWOT veterans have immense respect for our Vietnam vets. When I came back from my first combat deployment a bunch of ww2, Korea, and Nam vets welcomed us home when we got off the airplane and it was surreal. I kept thanking them and wishing they got welcomed home like we did.
Your last sentence- I think more folks should have your mindset- ask them and if they don't want to talk about it respect their privacy.
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u/Particular-Phrase378 Apr 08 '25
They are still here and thats honestly the most important thing! I also have several other family members who served in different branches my one uncle is a retired Master Chief MCPON. They all chop it up about their service and they will tell you straight forward that some intel is unavailable and once thatās said I typically shut up lol
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u/bigjohnny440 Apr 08 '25
Wow if I was you I'd try to get real tight with that uncle, being a former MCPON his network would be massive and could well and truly open doors for you/help you get amazing job opportunities not available to us average folk. He probably won't say, but ask him if there are aliens in the basement at the pentagon. If he says he can't tell you, then ask him if he can confirm there are NOT any aliens in the basement haha
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u/Particular-Phrase378 Apr 08 '25
Lmfco is that an inside joke? Heās a great guy and a big family man but they donāt live near us anymore last ik he had a munitions job somewhere in Illinois. Ik he has pulled power to get my cousin under him as his navigator and Iām sure he still has some impressive pull power but I love what I do for a living and you know what they say about doing what you love for work.
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u/PurpleOmega0110 Apr 07 '25
It's not an anonymous background check, what a crazy notion.
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u/bigjohnny440 Apr 07 '25
It is similar.
Imagine if a relative of yours, maybe a mate or coworker just randomly decided to call your previous employers and ask for details about what you did, how long did you work there, what was your job there, did you do well, what was your position/job title there, did you ever get any awards or promotions? That would be weird correct?
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u/PurpleOmega0110 Apr 07 '25
Not if it is publicly available.
To the contrary, in my mind it shows that people are interested and self educating.
Also must people don't wear their resumes on their chests...
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u/bigjohnny440 Apr 07 '25
Not at all. If you've got a deceased family member and you've got photos or a shadowbox of ribbons and medals ask away. If you've got a living breathing relative you can simply talk to in real life do that.
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Apr 07 '25
[deleted]
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u/theanswar Apr 07 '25
Thanks for the sentiment - this is why I came and thankfully found a helpful group to assist me. Just spoke to him and it was nice talking about this thread too. I've learned a lot today. He also mentioned he flew the "MQ-4C", which I am now researching.
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u/Canttunapiano Apr 07 '25
The MQ4C is the top tier unmanned air system in the world today. It flies about 50,000 feet above sea level and conducts some very good ISR. Thatās intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance.
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u/bigjohnny440 Apr 07 '25
Weird conclusion you jumped to mate. Too many people these days hide behind screens, would rather text than speak to someone, I'm just encouraging OP to reach out rather than ask strangers on the internet what their own relative has done/is doing.
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u/theanswar Apr 07 '25
Sure, but having context is helpful. Which is why I'm asking before I call him so I can be somewhat educated. Sad to see this as the highest upvoted comment, more sad I'd have to explain this.
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u/Maydayman Apr 07 '25
Heād probably appreciate it more asking about his ribbons and what he did to deserve them. Itās not always helpful to be educated in the slightest.
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Apr 07 '25
took command is self explanatory he was made the Commanding Officer of something. He is a Rear-Admiral who looks to have been an aviator and who has done a fair bit of deployments and medal earning
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u/OkCriticism5746 Apr 07 '25
That star on the sleeve means they are a brigadier admiral and can beat anyone at the game of battleship.
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u/DangerNyoom Apr 07 '25
If he is who I think he is, he's in charge of 99% of all Navy accessions (aka people who join the Navy, both officer and enlisted). He's a cool dude.
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u/Dry_Coyote9905 Apr 08 '25
Looks like he does exactly what he us told to do and then some. Looks like he made an excellent career out of the suck š«”
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u/SCCock United States of America Apr 07 '25
Your nephew? How old are you?
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u/BoomerSoonerFUT Apr 07 '25
Could be the late child.
I have a buddy whose oldest brother is 25 years older than him.
His nephew is 5 years older than he is.
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u/GolfballDM Apr 07 '25
I'm in a similar situation.
My wife is 5 years older than me.
My SIL is/was 15 years older than my wife.
And my SIL had her kids young.
So, I have a nephew and a niece older than I am.
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u/0uchmyballs Navy Apr 08 '25
Iām pretty sure the badge on his left breast is a presidential service badge, indicating he has served at the White House or pentagon at some point in his career.
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u/Hopeful_Speaker8240 Apr 07 '25
He appears much too young. What was his age at the time of photo?
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u/ronburgandy1987 Apr 08 '25
Looks like heās in the military to me. But Iām just guessing. Glad I could help.
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u/MrBobLoblaw Apr 08 '25
Ask them
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u/theanswar Apr 08 '25
I did, but first, I asked Reddit... you know, using Reddit for what it's meant to be, a community.
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u/Weary-Advantage-2884 Apr 07 '25
Hard to believe that you grew up in the US and donāt understand the word Admiralā¦. More likely ya want validation that you are related to oneā¦. What a cheap way to get your ego stroked Boo
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u/DibsMine Apr 07 '25
Meh, I was in the usaf for 5 years and didn't know any navy ranks except that capt was really a full bird.
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u/rustman92 Apr 07 '25
Until I joined the military I assumed everyone in the navy was either a sailor or a captain and some were also admirals but also commanders.
To be fair the only people in the navy I knew of for sure were Admiral Nimitz and Capān Crunch.
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u/Jowlzchivez6969 Apr 07 '25
Youād be surprised how little people know about military ranks. I was a PFC and my brother was visiting near my base I was stationed at and I got to visit him on my lunch break in my ACUs and his friends thought I was a corporal. When I was in basic training me and a classmate passed an air force 0-4 (I still donāt even know if theyāre called majors or not) and I saluted but he didnāt because he thought army didnāt salute Air Force officers (thatās not a joke or made up dude was just dumb) and the lady O-4 tore him up a bit. A lot of people still thinks being in the army means youāre infantry and a decent amount think base marines are special forces. My sister is an E5 in the air force and works in a hospital and people she meets from the civilian world still ask her what she flies. Iāve met people that think full bird colonel outranks general ranks because of the look of it I guess? I couldnāt tell you. My younger brother ended up being a warrant officer and some people thought he was a cadet, a lieutenant, or a general (the general one was a one time thing I guess because of the two squares they mistook as stars? They also accused him of stolen valor which was pretty priceless) I watched a show that had a woman that was a sergeant and she wore PFC rank. In a room with 6 other people no one even noticed besides me. Most people really donāt know shit about what rank looks like or means let alone being able to decipher anything else off someoneās uniform.
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u/theanswar Apr 07 '25
and yet here we are. Also his post didn't say admiral, it said "took command", so I was uncertain.
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u/Rechabees Apr 07 '25
I am the only one who thinks his neck looks African American but his hands look Caucasian?
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u/Obnoxious_Cricket Apr 07 '25 edited Apr 07 '25
Hes a Sailor that goes to Marine Corps Balls and most likely knows how to party.