Given troop performance and lack of signs of morale breakdown, I could only conclude that the reporters were simply reporting the gripes of soldiers, which is not in fact directly related to morale. As the war dragged on, I worried that the reports might be right, but the signs of ill discipline never showed up.
Strategypage gives as good evidence as you'll see that morale was never a real issue. You see, award inflation never kicked in during the current wars:
During the last seven years of combat, only five Medals of Honor (MoH), the highest American award for bravery in combat, have been awarded. A lot more MoHs were awarded in past wars. During World War I, there were 124. During World War II- 440, while Korea had 131 and Vietnam, 244.
If our troop morale had been bad, you'd have seen a lot more Medals of Honor. Yes, medal standards are also more rigorous, but how many of the Silver Stars awarded for the Wanat Battle would have been Medals of Honor if our troops were worn out and sick of fighting.
Remember, a major purpose of medals is to bolster morale and not just recognize excellence and bravery. I'm not actually arguing against medal inflation when needed.
The point is, we haven't needed to award our highest medal more frequently. This is a sign of a military with good morale.
