What are all those medals for?

Here are pictures of Generals Patraeus, Eisenhower and Marshall. The later have pretty impressive military resumes and actually won the wars they fought in. Check out how many medals Patraeus has. And how many Eisenhower and Marshall have. I'll admit, I don't understand military ways. I can't make a bed properly or polish my shoes to a high-gloss. But what did Patraeus do to get all those ribbons? Is he that much better a military leader than Eisenhower and Marshall? Or are we just supposed to be impressed and awed and therefore deferential? I wonder how many medals George Walker Bush got from skipping out of the National Guard.