I came home on leave to be a pallbearer for my great grandmother & naturally, wore my best suit, aka my Class A uniform. My grandpa, a WW2 & Korea vet asked me what all that fruit salad was for. He just chuckled when I explained that this one's getting through Basic & this one's for going to Germany, that's for not getting caught for 3 years straight, this is 'cos there was a war going on & I didn't get sent.....
I hated wearing the Armed Forces Expeditionary medal & Humanitarian Service medal. The former awarded for a tour in Bosnia & the latter for pulling weeds out of the cracked sidewalks in family housing after a hurricane, while Dependapotomi smoked skinny cigarettes, drank Mt Dew & watched us from their porches. Peacekeeping is in no way "expeditionary" & awarding for that takes away from the bubbas who had to get shot at to receive it. Don't think that HSM requires any further elaboration.
All that friggin' gingerbread made my A's a pain in the ass to put together. Had to start offsetting my ribbons to the left after the 3rd row & barely had enough room for my wings & flash above 'em, yet not covered by my lapel. Couldn't couldn't put my wings on the pocket flap, 'cos there wasn't room with the marksmanship badge & stupid driver's badge I had to wear. Right side wasn't much better either with unit citations, regimental affiliation crest & German jump wings.
First world problems, lol.