Courtesy Washington Post.com:
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered the military to stop production of a controversial new medal pending a 30-day study of whether the award for drone pilots and cyberwarriors should outrank medals given for battlefield bravery.
The Distinguished Warfare Medal, approved by former secretary Leon E. Panetta during his final days in office last month, was criticized by members of Congress and veterans groups because it was ranked above the Bronze Star and Purple Heart in the military’s order of precedence.
A letter from the Senate’s top two leaders on military affairs asking Hagel to reconsider was waiting on his desk when he returned Monday from a trip to Afghanistan. He made the decision Monday evening, according to a defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity before an official announcement planned for Tuesday afternoon.
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