A U.S. Army Staff Sergeant is catching serious backlash online after posting videos complaining that she wasn’t given a Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) for her retirement after 20 years of service.
Staff Sergeant Ka Xiong, an Army 92F (Petroleum Supply Specialist), shared two now-viral videos on social media where she appeared visibly upset about receiving what she viewed as an insufficient award for her career.
In one clip, captioned “POV: When they don’t want to give you an MSM for retirement…”, Xiong walks up to her company’s guidon, pulls it from its stand, and walks away—implying she “took it” as payback for not being awarded the medal she expected.
The video quickly spread across Army social media pages, drawing sharp criticism from current and former service members who saw her reaction as entitled.
One popular comment read:
“20 year SSG that’s flagged and clearly isn’t meeting ht/wt, and I’ll take a wild guess and say PT standards… What about that combo is deserving of more than an AAM?”
Others piled on:
“You can’t get any awards if you’re flagged. Get that Body Composition right and then retire.”
“Deserves nothing more than a CoA and a pat on the back for 20 years of being a scumbag.”
“Damn 20 years and not a single meritorious moment. Womp womp.”
Despite the online mockery, some viewers expressed sympathy, suggesting that the Army’s award system is often political and inconsistent—especially for lower-ranking NCOs who never made it past Staff Sergeant.
In a second video, Xiong revealed that she was ultimately presented an Army Commendation Medal (ARCOM) for her 20 years of service. The clip, captioned “POV: When they want to present an ARCOM for 20 years of active service,” shows her mockingly pretending to speak to a lieutenant colonel before the video cuts out as she appears ready to mouth, “Go f** yourself.”*
While some commenters agreed with her frustration, others pointed out that an ARCOM is a common award for retiring NCOs who don’t hold senior leadership positions.
“Really, an ARCOM for 20 years? Someone seriously failed you,” one supporter wrote.
“AF guy here, what’s wrong with getting an ARCOM?” another asked, to which a veteran replied, “Politics are gonna politic.”
Background and Service
According to a Department of Defense photo from 2009, Xiong reenlisted while serving as a Specialist in the 110th Quartermaster Company, 553rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade. A native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, she described herself online as “an American Soldier and a child of Hmong Laotian immigrants” and wrote that she was “most proud to be their daughter.”
A 2021 post by Hmong Women Today recognized her as a then-15-year Army veteran, celebrating her service and the barriers she helped break for other Hmong women in uniform.
The MSM—Meritorious Service Medal—is typically awarded to senior NCOs and officers who’ve demonstrated sustained excellence in positions of significant responsibility. For many retiring enlisted soldiers, especially those in non-leadership roles or with disciplinary flags, an Army Commendation Medal (ARCOM) or Army Achievement Medal (AAM) is more common.
While Xiong’s frustration may resonate with those who feel undervalued in retirement, her decision to publicly mock the Army and symbolically “steal” her company’s guidon struck many as unprofessional and disrespectful.
As one commenter put it:
“No civilian employer is going to give a flying f*** about your awards.”
While Xiong’s frustration may resonate with some longtime soldiers who feel overlooked at the end of their careers, her behavior also underscores exactly the kind of complacent, entitled culture that Fox News host and former Army officer Pete Hegseth has called out in his recent push to “clean up the ranks.”
Hegseth’s initiative focuses on restoring discipline, merit, and standards in a force he says has been “softened by politics and excuses.” In that light, Xiong’s viral videos — mocking leadership, flaunting poor standards, and demanding recognition she hadn’t earned — serve as a perfect example of what many veterans say is eroding the Army from within.
For those who did their twenty quietly, met the standards, and took pride in the uniform rather than the hardware on their chest, her display was less about humor — and more about everything that’s gone wrong with the modern force.
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