"Way to Guard the Parking Lot"

Guard: "I have three medals for this."

Something I've noticed over the last few years is how the chest ribbons of the American military and naval leadership have multiplied since the mid-20th century.

Compare General George C. Marshall with Lt. General Emil Bernard:


Now compare Lt. General Bernard with a general officer of the old Soviet Union:


I don't know whether the change was gradual or punctuated, or what may underlie it. My first suspicion is that it's a response to public attitudes towards the armed services after Vietnam, but that's no more than a suspicion. I haven't actually investigated this, only noticed the change in the U.S. and the similarity between current U.S. and U.S.S.R. It seems like it should signify something, and I have my suspicions about what that something might be, but for now it's just an interesting couple of observations.