Army recruits vote for medal winner
By Catriona Davies
(Filed: 19/06/2006)
Soldiers are voting for each other to receive the Army's first medal to be allocated democratically.
The Soldiers' Medal, for recruits completing their basic training, is awarded on the basis of a ballot.
It is intended for the recruit with whom peers would most want to be on the battlefield and who best embodies the Army's "core values".
Brig David Homer, the commander of the Army's initial training group, said: "I got the idea from my children playing rugby. They have a coach's player of the year and a players' player. It is the players' player that the children all want to win.''
A secret vote is held among a platoon - of between 30 and 50 recruits - at the end of basic training, which lasts between 14 and 42 weeks.
To win the Soldiers' Medal, a recruit must receive a majority of votes from his or her platoon. Since the idea was introduced late last year, only eight recruits have received the medal.
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Interviewer: "Describe yourself in 12 words or less?"
Me: "Lazy."
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