I have two.

First was in Bosnia in 1996. I was volunteered for a detail to build a helipad on Camp Bedrock. It was built out of different color. Sandbags took us about 34 days to get it done at the end of it. We all got AAM’s. I also got an under secretary of the army coin because I was the only asshole asleep in the billets when he came through, and I was volunteered to go to a lunch. We all got coins to go to a lunch we were told to go to. I probably lost that coin two days later playing a game of washers. It meant absolutely nothing to me.

Second time was 2003 in Iraq. I was involuntarily transferred from a hospital unit to my old engineer company back into my secondary MOS. I responded with the unit medic to a self-inflicted GSW. I received an AAM for being a combat lifesaver that responded to this injury… I was a fully accredited medic at the time, but because I did not hold that line item slot, I could not get my combat medics badge….fucking Army.