The Army good conduct medal is automatic now for any soldier every three years of service- if there has been no non-judicial punishment or letter of reprimand given to the soldier. In the old days, if you didn't get an Article 15, you wouldn't make a great NCO. Now, even one bad mark in your records can stop a career and get you forced (chaptered) out of the service.
I was actually surprised that the Marine Sergeant didn't have more awards- all those listed are automatically awarded for service in current operations - especially for an NCO.
In my opinion, anyone willing to sign the line is already a hero in my book. Especially those Marines.
Marines don't give medals for morale, they give medals for exceptional service.