SOLVED: MCU - Glenn Talbot Question

[dewline]

Update - 18 Sept. 2014: Thanks to thetimesink for his help with this one. But if anyone still wants to pitch in with their own thoughts, I'll leave this open to comments for a while yet.

Okay, here we are: a publicity still from the Agents of SHIELD episode "Shadows", kicking off the second season.

My question - which I expect I'll be trying to answer for myself - is what do those 20 decorations under the pilot's wings represent about Talbot's career before crossing paths with Coulson's Crew? I'm guessing right now that this version of Talbot's been in the USAF for 25 to 30 years, so service in conflicts before 1984 is probably right out for the purpose of this version of continuity. And yes, I'm looking at a higher-resolution version of this image at home.

So...subject to revision and/or correction:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5. Aerial Achievement Medal
6.
7. Joint Meritorious Unit Award
8. Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with what looks like three Oak Leaf Clusters and a "V" Device
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15. Humanitarian Service Medal
16. Air Force Overseas Short Tour Service Ribbon
17. Air Force Longevity Service Award with what looks like one silver and three bronze oak leaf clusters. (32 years' service, then?)
18. Air Force Military Training Instructor Ribbon
19. Air Force Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
20. Air Force Training Ribbon

Comments

Looking for expertise...

[dewline.livejournal.com]

...so I'm seconding that "Please feel free to correct!" call.

Re: Looking for expertise...

[thetimesink.livejournal.com]

...and I'll start!

Change my Air Force Recognition (your #8): that V doesn't work with that at all. It does work with your Air Force Outstanding Unit Award.

So far (way not done because I know the WWII and Korea stuff better) that "V" on that ribbon seems to be the only direct reflection of combat experience (versus Theater of Operations and such).

Re: Looking for expertise...

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Which leaves us wondering where his combat service might have been.

I'm also wondering if the Global War on Terrorism decorations might be further explained as explanatory cover for more...Marvel Universe-specific combat operations, shall we say? Stuff that the public didn't know about until the SHIELD files started hitting the Internet in TWS.

(SHIELD probably didn't handle every ET incursion, but they would know about most of them.)

And Talbot has to have had some qualifications to be assigned to hunting down SHIELD agents, after all.

Re: Looking for expertise...

[thetimesink.livejournal.com]

Yepper. You don't wear ribbons for "things that didn't happen"; you may end up with a citation, but you can't display it (again, more Marvel than RL, but not exclusive).

Sometimes you find out; sometimes you don't. Like why a radio operator had a very interesting marksmanship medal (with additions that meant something to his contemporaries from another theater and a later police action).