Milley Receives France’s Highest End-of-Tour Medal

| June 6, 2023

The National Order of the Legion of Honour- French Ordre National de la Légion d’honneur was created by Napoleon Bonaparte as a general military and civil order of merit.

Awardees of the Legion are both French citizens and foreigners- civilian and military- irrespective of rank, birth, or religion. Admission into this order, which can be conferred posthumously, requires years of civil achievement in peacetime or extraordinary military bravery and service in times of war.

It is awarded to about 2,000 citizens and about 300 foreigners each year for defense of French values.

Macron awards top U.S. general France’s highest honors

French President Emmanuel Macron has awarded U.S. Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley France’s highest medal of honor for his role in coordinating support for Ukraine and for his more than 40-year military career spent in defense of democracy

By TARA COPP and SYLVIE CORBET

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron awarded France’s highest medal of honor to the U.S. Joint Chiefs chairman, Gen. Mark Milley, on Friday for his role in coordinating support for Ukraine and for his more than 40-year military career spent in defense of democracy.

Milley, who is traveling in France to attend ceremonies at Normandy to mark the 79th anniversary of D-Day, is close to finishing a four-year term as the top U.S. military officer and plans to retire when his tenure as chairman ends Sept. 30.

Macron awarded Milley the order of Commander of the Legion of Honor at a closed ceremony at the Élysée, the presidential palace.

ABC News

Cool. He can display it on his “I Love Me” wall next to that bicycle reflector he wears for jump wings. AMF, Mark. Can’t wait to see which woke toady Joe’s Handlers will elevate to fill the seat next.

Category: "Teh Stoopid", Big Pentagon, International Affairs, Points-and-Laughs

75 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
KoB

Yawn.

Lafayette weeps. Black Jack snorts derisively.

Roh-Dog

Milley, who is traveling in France to attend ceremonies at Normandy to mark the 79th anniversary of D-Day

[bold and underlined for reasons…]

Looking forward to reading his remarks. My bet is he mentions today’s favorite buzzword ‘democracy’ a dozen-or-so times.

Generals Arnold, Bradley and Marshall wept.

Marshall_arnold_and_bradley.jpg
fm2176

It’s like the Foreign Dignitary Arrival Ceremonies my company and I stood in formation donning Wigs and Tights for. Foreign head of state or senior military official getting awarded a Legion of Merit few, if any, of us would ever receive. I got a couple MSMs, the NDSM, and a CIB. Milley can keep his “Gimme, ’cause I was CJCS/CSA” foreign awards. They’ll look nice next to his Green Beret and Uncle Joe fleshlight.

26Limabeans

Is it worn around the neck or the waist?

rgr1480

Neck.

cf: wiki

  • Three ranks:
  • Chevalier (Knight): badge worn on left breast suspended from ribbon
  • Officier (Officer): badge worn on left breast suspended from a ribbon with a rosette
  • Commandeur (Commander): badge around neck suspended from ribbon necklet
  • Two dignities:
  • Grand officier (Grand Officer): badge worn on left breast suspended from a ribbon (Officer), with star displayed on right breast
  • Grand-croix (Grand Cross), formerly Grande décoration, Grand aigle, or Grand cordon: the highest level; badge affixed to sash worn over the right shoulder, with star displayed on left breast

For business suit jackets, only the lapel boutonnièr:

Commandeur--le?gion_d'honneur--boutonnie?res.jpg
ninja

AW1Ed wrote:

“Can’t wait to see which woke toady Joe’s Handlers will elevate to fill the seat next.”

Here we go:

“Biden To Nominate Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr As Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair To Replace Army Gen. Mark Milley”

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-to-nominate-air-force-gen-cq-brown-jr-joint-chiefs-of-staff-chair-replace-army-gen-mark-milley

His Biography to include assignments and awards:

https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/108485/charles-q-brown-jr/

18926.jpeg
26Limabeans

“1984 Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock”

I guess the job at the state’s dept. of weights and measures
fell through so he joined the Air Force.

ninja

Awaiting approval for a comment I just left…😉😎

gabn

18929.jpeg
ninja

Gotta keep our favorite “Top Gun” Advisor on his toes!

(We checked the Duty Roster, AKA DA FORM 6..It was our time to be “That Guy”…)

🫡😉😎

gabn

18932.jpeg
ninja

🫡🫡🫡🫡👍👍👍😂🤭😆😅🤣

Those seabats will getcha everytime….😉😎

gabn

ninja

“After all, the general’s experience with racism and diversity is personal, and he is a rare sight: a Black military officer who made it to the very top ranks of a service branch.”

Whoever wrote that comment probably forgot the following individuals:

* BENJAMIN O. DAVIS SR

* BENJAMIN O. DAVIS JR

* JULIUS W. BECTON JR.

* FREDERIC ELLIS DAVISON

* JOHN Q. TAYLOR KING SR

* HAZEL W. JOHNSON

* ARTHUR JAMES GREGG

* HENRY DOCTOR, JR

* EDWARD HONOR SR

* CALVIN AUGUSTINE HOFFMAN WALLER

* ANDREW P. CHAMBERS, JR

* JAMES REGINALD HALL, JR

* FRED GORDEN

* ROBERT EARL GRAY

* JOE NATHAN BALLARD

* SAMUEL EMANUEL EBBESEN

* BILLY KING SOLOMON

* LARRY R. JORDAN

* RUSSEL L. HONORÉ

* ALONZO EARL SHORT, JR

* FRANCIS XAVIER TAYLOR

* MICHAEL D. ROCHELLE

* THOMAS PAUL BOSTICK

* ROSCOE ROBINSON, JR

* COLIN POWELL

* JOHNNIE E. WILSON

* LARRY RUDELL ELLIS

* WILLIAM E. WARD

* LLOYD JAMES AUSTIN III

* VINCENT K. BROOKS

* Leo A. Brooks Sr

* Leo A. Brooks Jr

ninja
rgr769

The primary reason there aren’t more Black generals has nothing to do with racism. It is a function of the number of Black officers in the pipeline who wished to make the military a career. Most of the Black officers I served with (which were very few in number) had no intention of spending over 20 years in the military. In the 1970’s and ’80’s, the US military was the least discriminatory organization of the federal government, IMHO.

Devtun

This dude had an astonishing fall from grace. At one time the senior military assistant to the SecDef, and possibly the youngest 3-star general in the army.
Ronald F. Lewis – Wikipedia

ninja

Yep.

We also remember THIS guy…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_McKinney

18938.jpeg
Sapper3307

I was at FORT BRAGG for CM proceeding, he talked just like a used car salesman outside the gate. complete turd

Sapper3307

I member the released phone call to the SFC he was harassing, “knock this off or I can destroy your career with one phone call!” After that he fired his ARMY lawyers cried racism and hired a team of race hustlers.😂

Claw

We also remember that one of the guys that replaced him for awhile (not the twin brother, the other guy) was yet just a First Sergeant in 1/12 INF at Fort Carson. He would come into my S-4 shop and suck up all the coffee cause he spent all day at Battalion Headquarters with his nose stuck up the Bn CSM’s ass.
Anyway, the two of them made a good pair as the Bn CSM would go around handing out “Letters of Astonishment” to the NCO’s who he thought weren’t doing a good job.

Good Times!! / s

SFC D

One of the all-time funniest things I ever saw in my military career was watching a young PFC replacing the official USAREUR CSM pictures at Campbell Barracks. CSM Gene McKinney was replaced by his twin, CSM James McKinney, and the poor kid got the pictures mixed up. Serious panic.

ninja

Sapper3307, Claw and SFC D:

Thank You for sharing your stories! Brought smiles to our faces!

Here is another “funny” story about Gene McKinney that came out in November 2010.

Gee Whiz! 😉😎

“Man Arrested in Arlington Was Former Top Army Soldier”

https://www.arlnow.com/2010/11/01/man-arrested-in-arlington-was-former-top-army-soldier/

“A man who investigators say purposely struck a person with his car in Pentagon City last week was formerly the top enlisted member of the U.S. Army.”

“Police say Manassas resident Gene C. McKinney, 59, had picked up commuters from a slug line and was driving north toward Washington when the commuters demanded to be let out of the car because, they claimed, McKinney was driving fast and erratically.”

“After McKinney let them out on the 1100 block of South Eads Street, one man took out a camera and tried to snap a photo of McKinney’s license plate. That’s when McKinney hit the gas and struck the man with his car, according to police. He was arrested and charged with attempted malicious wounding.”

BTW, here is picture of Gene with his twin James.

Is James wearing jungle boots?

18948.jpeg
SFC D

Yup. I wore jungles right up until you couldn’t get ’em, anymore. Cheap, comfy, and only had to shine half a boot.

Claw

“Is James wearing jungle boots?”

Sure does look like it. Why, dunno. He never went to Viet of the Nam. But they show up in every picture of him in fatigues.

Maybe it’s in memory of the tour to Korea that he did (as an Artilleryman) and that he wears a 2ID combat patch for. / s

Last edited 1 year ago by Claw
Claw

Also, I have viewed several pictures of him wearing those boots. To my eyes, they seem to be too tall (lacings) to be standard issue jungle boots. I’ll bet those were made by a Kimchi Cobbler and he wore them all the time even when he was in Europe. / s

rgr769

Yes, they are too tall for issue jungle boots. I am intimately familiar with them, as I wore them continuously for fifteen months in RVN and for two months in Ranger school.

Sapper3307

The old U.S CAV store used to extra tall Jungle boots for the cool kids

Claw

I did a little visual searching on them. It showed that the original jungle boots in the 60s had eight eyelets, then in 1970 they changed to nine eyelets and stayed that way.

Those boots that the brother is wearing has 12 or 13 eyelets, so they are definitely an off the shelf item from somewhere, perhaps the Old Cav Store as suggested by Sapper 3307.

MustangCPT

So wait, this was a case of a cab driver in the vicinity of a military installation who had really been a SGM/CSM at some point? Will wonders never cease?🤣

fm2176

He was a Slug Line driver. I slugged for a few months before getting smart and taking advantage of the DOD commuter benefit. Wait in line, while people drive up and shout out where they’re stopping. I was good for L’Enfant Plaza or the Navy Yard but had to get dropped off at North Stafford in the evening. Benefits were not driving, while the operator got to hit the Express Lanes…difference of 2-3 hours commute time some days.

Hate_me

The investigation was undergoing while I was at OSUT. He was my first example of predatory leadership.

I hate that he retired at the same rank as I did (MSG – a rank I’m otherwise proud of, but I’d made the list for SGM and whenever McKinney’s name comes up I wish I’d accepted the billet – he’s not and never will be my equal or peer).

USAFRetired

The difference between Civil Engineers and Mechanical Engineers… Civil Engineers build targets and mechanical engineers build weapons.

Kind of curious how a lawn dart pilot gets 130 combat hours and no Air Medals or DFCs. He has a single Aerial Achevement Medal but no Combat Support flying time listed.

USMC Steve

Oh great, another affirmative action hire/promotion.

ninja

Other Americans that received the award include:

* Harvey Weinstein

*Jerry Lewis

* Kirk Douglas

* Alexander Graham Bell

* Jeff Bezos

* Julia Child

* Bette Davis

* Walt Disney

* Bob Dylan

* Clint Eastwood

* Jesse Jackson

* Robert Redford

* Eleanor Roosevelt

* Steven Spielberg

* Arnold Schwarzenegger

* Barbra Streisand

From Russia:

* Vladimir Putin

* Gérard Depardieu

From Ukraine:

*Volodymyr Zelenskyy

From The United Kingdom:

* Sean Connery

* Elton John

* Paul McCartney

* J.K. Rowling

From Canada:

* Celine Dion

From Mexico:

* Salma Hayeck

From Sweden:

*Max von Sydow

11B-Mailclerk

Ain’t that a pain in the ass.

QMC

Award from France to Milley? Assumed that the medal would look something along that of a white flag symbol.

“Why are there so many trees in Paris?”

“So the Germans can march in the shade.”

Roh-Dog

Few months ‘go Macron Maricón went to China to negotiate ‘peace’ in the Russia/Ukraine issue.

WEF puppets be like:

France things.jpg
Last edited 1 year ago by Roh-Dog
Sapper3307

The true glory.

9f4b22185ae09f8c9520105a5989abd5.jpg
Sapper3307

Well, I hope he got his “WHITE RAGE” under control.

OIP (16).jpg
rgr769

Word on the street is that Milley’s replacement will be a Black Chair Force general.

rgr769

Marvelous Milley must be thrilled and tickled pink to get this major award. He looks to have been a world class badge hunter his entire career.

poetrooper

2300 awardees per year? That’s over six per day, 365 days per year, most of ’em entertainers. Wow! Talk about an exclusive club!

Milley must be bursting with pride–with that full-figured look so now in favor with the Woke folk, it sure as hell looks like he’s bursting with something… 🙄 

fm2176

The term “ticket puncher” comes to mind. I was a lowly Leg Infantryman but got enough Rakkasan indoctrination (and ended up with a 187th Regimental Association history book) to believe that there was a time when being Airborne, Ranger, and Special Forces was truly an elite thing. I can’t detract from those who “live the life” of an Airborne Ranger or Green Beret, but Parachutist’s Wings have become trinkets that even Cadets earn, while the Ranger tab is essentially a requirement to get a brigade, if not battalion, command in the Infantry. SF seems to be getting that mainstream Army appeal, where aspiring senior officers and enlisted earn the qualification, spend some time on Teams, then branch out to more lucrative assignments. After all, there’s only so much room in SOCOM and JSOC; much more room for the “highly qualified” in Big Army.

I’m a gone-away former never-tried sort when it comes to the hard schools and assignments. I mean, I made it through the “10 toughest days in the Army”, but never earned a qualification tab and never jumped from functional aircraft (unless you count a hovering Blackhawk). As such, I’m wholly unqualified to criticize those who’ve been there and done that. In Milley’s case, however, he’s proven that he’s a yes-man at best, willing to sell his soul for the next achievement award or promotion. Hell, he’s the one potentially walking into a well-into six-figure advisory or board position for a defense contractor or think tank later this year, so maybe he’s onto something.

rgr769

Well, I have all those qualifications, and I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of Milley. Fortunately, I left AD before I found out about the creation of the first Ranger battalion, or I might have stayed in.

fm2176

All due respect. As an amateur military history buff, I have nothing but complete admiration for the Airborne and Glider troops, Ranger Companies, and later Special Forces Teams which paved the way for modern Special Operations. As a Vet of the modern US military, having served alongside guys who later went the SOCOM route, or had already proven themselves in the community (we had an 18C Drill Sergeant in my company and my last assignment saw a career 75th Ranger type who’d gotten beat to all hell, spent some time on Staff in JSOC, and then was sent to Acquisitions), I know that many still “[make their] livin’ as an Airborne Ranger”.

Milley, like 95% of senior GOs, might have had a selfless career doing high-speed things earlier in life, but has become a political pawn to be used as a tool by the string-pullers. His qualifications, education, decorations, and so on, are as meaningful to the Patriot as were Benedict Arnold’s after his betrayal.

Last edited 1 year ago by fm2176
rgr769

Agree. With rare exceptions, I found most career officers above O-4 were ticket punching careerists working on the next promotion, not professional soldiers. I was happy to avoid being a staff officer or other form of REMF for most of my AD.

Trent

I refused to be one of those as an O5. I enjoyed being the stick in the eye for the Brigade commanders and above. All my friends who were my rank were not yes men.

rgr769

I served with some extraordinary O-5’s, as well. But they were the exception.

Veritas Omnia Vincit

We’re all legs once we’re on the ground….

Stacy0311

Always wondered why we had a long tab SF guy as a HHBn CDR in 1AD. “Well he needed a BN command”. Well if he was so shit hot, why couldn’t they find him a BN command in the Groups? There’s 5 Groups with multiple BNs, so plenty of opportunity.
And he had all the cool guy merit badges.

fm2176

Sometimes it’s truly just a boost for the career path. My battalion CSM later in Iraq was a career 75th guy who was sent to the 101st when he got selected for SGM with about 14 years in, spent a year or so as an Ops SGM in 502nd, then became the 3/187 CSM. He was in the behind-the-scenes footage of Blackhawk Down as a 1SG drilling the actors, and as soon as the slot was opened, he took over as CSM for the RSTB, then 75th RGR, and finally MCOE.

I also had a Brigade CSM at Stewart who’d come from SFOD-D. He didn’t hide his disdain for Regular Army troops, and under his watch we had the Spartan Performance Triad, or “Fat Camp”, consisting of four days at remote Camp Oliver with fitness, rest, and nutrition education and monitoring. I lucked out: earlier that year I was a fat staff NCO resigned to retiring as a SSG but having come down on Drill Sergeant orders over the summer, I’d gotten motivated and dropped over 30 pounds.

akpual

A major award? Was it a lamp?

rgr769

Ahh, you caught the reference. Looks like this “award” is just about as rare and special.

SFC D

It’s even more special. It’s French, not Italian. Frah-Gee-Lay.

Green Thumb

What a joke for a joke.

ninja

Speaking of “diversity”..

We are fed up with this…

Unacceptable behavior by the VA!

“VA Blasted For Replacing American flag With Pride Flag At Veteran Cemetery, State GOP Demands Its Removal”

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/va-replacing-american-flag-pride-flag-veteran-cemetery-state-gop-demands-removal

“American flags flying over the Biloxi National Cemetery and VA Medical Center were replaced with rainbow LGBTQ flags after Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough authorized the flying of such flags above VA facilities.”

“We believe this decisions shows deep disrespect to our service members, veterans and their families, and demand that you take immediate action to restore the United States flag to its rightful place at Veterans Affairs facilities across the state of Mississippi,” five Mississippi Republicans wrote in a letter to McDonough Monday.”

“Replacing the United States flag with a flag that promotes particular sexual or gender identity goes against the very mission of our national cemeteries,” the Republicans wrote in a joint letter. “This political stunt is yet another example of this Administration’s willingness to promote its political agenda rather than focus on its mission as the executive branch. Our veterans expect the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide services, not promote controversial ideologies.”

“Taking down American flags and replacing them with pride flags is a disgrace. All people are represented by the Stars and Stripes. Black, white, latino, gay, straight, Christian, Jewish or Muslim are all represented under the US Flag,” Mississippi resident Carl Boyanton wrote on Facebook from the site of the protest.”

18939.jpeg
ninja

“It’s quite astonishing. Minority groups get a whole month of recognition.”

“Veterans get 2 days a year.”

AMEN!

18942.jpeg
Hate_me

What’s the second day?

fm2176

The US flag, state flags, service flags, and POW-MIA flag should be the only ones on display in any state or national Veterans’ Cemetery. Our fellow Service Men and Women didn’t give their lives for some LGBT agenda or so that any given race or religion could express dominance over others. In death we are all equal regardless of how we looked or expressed ourselves in life. The bond that Veterans share is one of love for Country, Selfless Service, and knowing that despite our differences we have each other’s backs.

One of the myriad problems with the VA is that its leadership and decision-makers are largely bureaucrats that aspire to be unelected politicians. It’s Pride Month, so break out the flag. Sure, it might piss off some naysayers who are on the “wrong side of history”, but certain elected officials will be sure to advocate for the display of the Pride flag even over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier if they feel like it will win them votes or a bit of sympathetic press.

Hate_me

I’d be ok with extending the list of appropriate flags to include territories, the Stars & Bars, the Rebel Jack, and foreign nations (especially if representative of those buried there or of the nations in which the honorable dead gave their lives). Concur completely, otherwise.

Politically-charged flags do not belong anywhere in the VA’s inventory – whether MAGA, Pride, etc. – and if I ever see one flown over my local vets cemetery I’m bringing it down personally. Respectfully, of course, but it’s coming down.

Green Thumb

Maybe he will get a little french butter in his ass out the door as a side award to soften and cheapen it up as he did the US Army.

Good bye you fucking clown.

Blaster

Maybe he can take that medal, role it into a nice, tight little ball, and shove it straight up his a$$!

A Proud Infidel®™

Good for “General Mildew”, BLESS HIS HEART sideways with a syphilis-infected Blue Whale cock wrapped in asbestos soaked in diarrhea and nuclear waste, I hope he puffs his chest out sporting it, after all, he DID sell his soul to politics!

Tallywhagger

How very French of them and him. Will John FONDA-Kerry be at the ceremony?

Ah hell, Milley used to be something and he was never in the scum bag bracket where Kerry and Fonda were born. Trying to be “hip” or up-to-date on the latest trends is not the place where Generals roam, let alone promote.

Hate_me

Such is the nature of shitbags and sycophants. They focus on stupid hats and special recognition.

Anyone who has ever accomplished anything of note in the “long-haired, freaky-people” world of Camp McCall will recognize that being good at shit while wearing a soft cap trumps anything that green beanie on its own might stand for. Macron is no Napoleon, and Milley is no Donovan. Men do die for that silly little piece of felt – it’s very rare that men shame themselves wearing it.

Macron just shat on every American grave spread across France. Milley earned his beanie, I won’t take that away from him – he did not, however, earn my respect… nor did he trump the conventional Americans who spread their free blood on French ground 79 years ago.

Fuck Macron, fuck Milley, fuck Biden, and fuck how far we’ve fallen from the principles on which this great American experiment was built. Macron and Milley are the Jean-Paul Marat to our Voltaire and Jefferson. I’m desperate for a Charlotte Corday, and guarantee I’ll do better by her legacy.

11B-Mailclerk

It will take mass firings of GO/FO to unfuck the US armed forces.

“Ready! Aim! ….”

Old tanker

Getting an award from France for not doing anything in France or about France regarding a valorous act??

Screen-Shot-2021-08-22-at-8.21.01-PM.jpg
11B-Mailclerk

To whom did he surrender?

USMC Steve

I am hearing the Head Zoomie is a shoe in for the job.

Skivvy Stacker

“It is awarded to about 2,000 citizens and about 300 foreigners each year for defense of French values.”

So, in this case the French value would be rapid surrender to the slightest incursion…or thinking Jerry Lewis is a genius. I’ll go with the former.

Graybeard

A French recognition for his skills frenching his higher-ups ardz?

I’s underwhelmed.

Av8or33

Napoleon would have had him shot, not decorated.