The US military reserves its highest decorations, obviously, for those who display gallantry and valor in actions where their lives are on the line, but the Pentagon finds that recognition is necessary for the extraordinary achievements that directly impact combat operations and do not involve acts of valor or physical risk but remove the enemy from the field of battle even if those actions are physically removed from the fight.http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/14/us/new-medal-to-honor-drone-pilots-and-computer-experts.html?ref=us