Carter meant what?

[T'Girl]

Avalon, the first episode of season eight, is currently playing on SyFy. While Cameron Mitchell is recovering in his hospital room from his Antarctic crash, Samantha Carter visits him to present Mitchell with the Medal of Honor, The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. During the short scene Cater refers to the decoration as "the congressional Medal of Honor." No actual military member, officer or enlisted, would ever attach the word congressional to this decoration, it's considered disrespectful.

Samantha Carter was always very militarily correct and she doesn't make many mistakes. The producers and writers are generally careful as well.

What's up with this?

 

[Tom]

Tappings just reading the lines, its a writers mistake and hey they film in Canada so who knows.

 

[The Wormhole]

It does seem an odd mistake. The show had a militatry advisor on set who even sent scripts back to the Pentagon.

 

[Caliburn24]

The MoH has not been awarded to a living awardee since I believe 1972, and you want to critique Carter for the use of 'congressional'?

Me thinks there are bigger fish to fry. Even in the fictional world of Stargate a flag officer(IE general) at the very least would present it, and since Mitchell was quite literally saving Earth, the president himself would probably have presented it.

 

[Star Wolf]

Did they ever play the other honors like having Generals salute Colonel Mitchell?

 

[TiberiusMaximus]

Maybe in the Stargate universe, it's not considered disrespectful. That, and Amanda Tapping was just reading lines.
BTW why is it considered disrespectful?

 

[od0_ital]

"Its just the Medal of Honor, not the Congressional Medal of Honor."
"Tell that to Congress."
- Courage Under Fire

 

[Caliburn24]

You know I had forgotten that point. Soldiers of any rank are supposed to salute a MoH awardee. Even higher ranking officers.

It would have been a nice touch to see in the series.

 

[Apogeal Alpha01]

As the award citation includes the phrase "in the name of Congress", it is sometimes erroneously called the Congressional Medal of Honor, however the official title is the Medal of Honor.

1. ^ Boatner, Military Customs and Traditions. and Johnson, The Oxford Companion to American History.
2. ^ The Congressional Medal of Honor Society is so named because that is the name it was given in an act of Congress signed into law by President Eisenhower on August 5, 1958 as Title 36, Chapter 33 of the U.S. Code. (See "The Congressional Medal of Honor Society's History". Official Site. Congressional Medal of Honor Society. http://www.cmohs.org/society-history.php. Retrieved 2006-10-01. .) The law authorizing the society has since been transferred to Title 36, Chapter 405 of the U.S. Code.

 

[Broccoli]

If we are going to be nitpicky, "Avalon" was the first episode of season nine, not eight.

 

[Star Wolf]

It does seem an odd mistake. The show had a militatry advisor on set who even sent scripts back to the Pentagon.

Other mistakes.

I do think TPTB originally had Master Sergeant Greer as a USAF and not a USMC Master Sergeant. First, Jamil Walker Smith seems way too young to be an E8. Secondly he is always addressed as "Sergeant Greer" Army style and not "Master Sergeant Greer" USMC style.

Then there is Senior Airman (Sergeant) Riley although I guess he could have been in a Sergeant's billet and earned the title if not the rank yet.

 

[The Wormhole]

It does seem an odd mistake. The show had a militatry advisor on set who even sent scripts back to the Pentagon.

Other mistakes.

I do think TPTB originally had Master Sergeant Greer as a USAF and not a USMC Master Sergeant. First, Jamil Walker Smith seems way too young to be an E8. Secondly he is always addressed as "Sergeant Greer" Army style and not "Master Sergeant Greer" USMC style.

Then there is Senior Airman (Sergeant) Riley although I guess he could have been in a Sergeant's billet and earned the title if not the rank yet.

I meant SG-1 had a military advisor. Your examples are from SGU, which I'm not sure if that has a military advisor. You'd think they'd have one, given half the characters are serving in the military, but I kind of get the impression they don't.

 

[JonathonWally]

She had either just given birth, or was about to any minute, I'm guessing they kept her filming down to as few takes as possible.

You know I had forgotten that point. Soldiers of any rank are supposed to salute a MoH awardee. Even higher ranking officers.

It would have been a nice touch to see in the series.

Doesn't the POTUS have to salute MoH?

 

[Caliburn24]

^Yes in theory, and it certainly makes for good PR photos.

Its a shame the that every MoH awardee since 1972 has been posthumous. It would give the military some great press if they awarded it to someone still alive.