Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
"As some troops have discovered," writes Richard Leiby, "... you can serve in both Afghanistan and Iraq and end up with a medal recognizing just one war. It's known in military-speak as the GWOT (rhymes with 'fought') medal, for the Global War on Terrorism." According to Pentagon spokesperson Jim Turner, "The GWOT medals tie today's global war to yesterday's global war, i.e. WWII. We are fighting across the globe and shall be for a long time." When asked "whether a 'political agenda' might lurk behind a medal lumping Operation Iraqi Freedom with the battle against al Qaeda," Defense Secretary Rumsfeld replied, "Not that I can even imagine, no. This department is not involved with politics."
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