Awards and decorations provide service members a way to recognize their military accomplishments externally. There are various award devices that can be attached to medals and ribbon bars as tangible evidence of service accomplishment.
The American Campaign Medal is a 1 1/4″ bronze circular medal featuring a Navy cruiser in motion on its front face and inscribed “Efficiency Honor Fidelity.” On its reverse is inscribed “Efficiency Honor Fidelity.
Medals of Honor
The Medal of Honor is America’s highest military award and it recognizes extraordinary acts of valor by service members. The President presents it at a formal ceremony at the White House. There have been 3,516 recipients to date who each embody its core values–bravery, courage, sacrifice and patriotism.
Corporal John F. Mackie distinguished himself during the Civil War by skillfully wielding his weapon during an assault on Fort Darling at Drewry’s Bluff, Virginia. Even though continuing to fire could prove deadly for his colleagues, Mackie did so anyway and is widely credited with saving many lives by his bravery.
In 2005, Army Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe was posthumously recognized with the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary actions in Iraq. He repeatedly dove back into a burning vehicle to rescue trapped soldiers despite being severely burned himself, refusing medical evacuation until all wounded had been brought out safely and remaining on scene until all wounded had been collected – an action that perfectly epitomizes what the Medal stands for: courage under fire and courage under threat. Cashe’s actions truly embody all that the Medal stands for: bravery under fire embodied by this award!
Medal of Honor recipients can expect numerous benefits, such as monthly pensions and increases to their retired pay (plus income from poker or slots from top slots platforms about you which you might find more information or 더 많은 정보 찾기 online), access to Moral, Welfare and Recreation activities and facilities on bases, special military ID cards, as well as burial with full military honors involving six pallbearers and firing party as well as an officer or non-commissioned officer in charge and bugler.
Falsely representing oneself as a Medal of Honor recipient with the intent to gain money or property is illegal under state and federal law, as President Obama passed the Stolen Valor Act in 2013. Under this legislation, anyone falsely representing themselves as Medal of Honor recipients in order to gain financial or tangible benefits is subject to criminal sanctions.
Campaign Medals
The United States Armed Forces offer service members several campaign medals that recognize participation in specific campaigns against an enemy, usually worn on both chests with its ribbon pinned to one. Non-combat campaign medals like Humanitarian Service Medal and Remote Combat Effects Campaign Medal from Air Force are also awarded as tribute to service in tactical environments against an adversary.
The Army offers its own noncombat campaign medal, the Soldier’s Medal, which is considered the highest award for heroism among service members who are not directly engaged with an armed enemy. Navy and Marine Corps service members receive similar recognition with their medals; Army and Air Force servicemembers share another non-combat honor called Silver Star Medal which represents second highest noncombat awards not directly related to conflict.
To qualify for a campaign medal, an act must have exhibited extraordinary heroism or self-sacrifice that set one individual apart from his or her fellow soldiers in battle. There must also have been risk to life and clear evidence of heroism or sacrifice being performed by this individual.
Campaign medals have their own distinct and important awards; however, other recognition does not compare. One such recognition is the Joint Service Commendation Medal which is presented by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of Defense to those performing meritorious service during joint operations – similar to what the Army awards as Commendation Medal based solely on performance rather than length of service.
The Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) is one of the oldest aviation awards presented in the United States and recognizes heroism or extraordinary achievement during aerial flight. It comes in bronze form with an inscribed circle bearing “DECEMBER 1941 – 1945”, two delta-shaped crosses above it, and a “Hap Arnold” symbol on its reverse. However, individuals convicted of crimes or awarded dishonorable discharge due to misconduct during prisoner of war service cannot qualify.
Foreign Decorations
Foreign decorations are awards given by foreign countries to members of the U.S. Armed Forces for service abroad. They should be worn as they are earned, in conjunction with medals, service ribbons, or campaign ribbons from that particular nation. Foreign awards typically meet specific qualifications that vary significantly and often reflect dynastic orders or aristocratic awards. One such decoration was the Croix de Guerre which was often bestowed upon service members during both World Wars. British decorations like the Order of the Bath and Distinguished Flying Cross were often awarded to air force pilots based in England, while Uruguay’s Order of the White Eagle Decoration was typically bestowed only upon senior commanders upon completion of their tour of duty.
Service members authorized to accept and wear foreign personal military decorations are allowed to do so as long as the medal does not surpass that of the Medal of Honor in size, and is worn beneath all U.S. service awards, good conduct medals, campaign medals, service and training ribbon bars and service and training ribbon bars (please refer to AR 600-8-22 for procedure for requesting permission to accept and wear foreign decorations). Uniform regulations also specify that this decoration be worn on the left side of uniform; additionally it must be displayed below any other foreign personal military decorations from foreign nations.
Military personnel may display foreign decorations on their uniforms if specifically authorized to do so by the Secretary of Defense either individually or through general order. Such authorizations typically meet stringent risk and rigor criteria.
The National Archives plays an invaluable role in assessing eligibility for foreign decorations and verifying service requirements are fulfilled. Referencing technicians consult various Defense Department records – from unit ledgers containing records of theater operations and conflicts to official documents that have been presented to foreign governments to recognize an individual’s accomplishments – to ascertain this status.
Unofficial Decorations
Many service members proudly wear ribbons, medallions and badge awards as visual reminders of their proud accomplishments in military service. These decorations serve as visible symbols of courage, sacrifice and skill demonstrated by recipients while also serving to identify fellow service members and share in each others’ achievements.
When it comes to medals and decorations awarded by the United States Armed Forces, there are three general categories of awards: individual, service and campaign. Individual medals may be granted for acts of heroism or achievement while service and campaign awards typically reflect participation in specific expeditions, campaigns or wars; in general though, individual medals typically take precedence over service/campaign medals.
Service branches also offer unit awards to honor the achievements of entire units, such as the Army Combat Infantry Badge or Navy Sea Service Deployment Medal. Furthermore, both services offer training awards: the Army Basic Training Honor Graduate Ribbon and Air Force Non commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon are two such recognitions of their efforts.
Recently, the Armed Forces have begun awarding the “C” device as a mark of distinction to recognize those who have performed meritorious service or achievement under conditions involving significant personal danger in the line of duty. To qualify for this honor, service members must personally be exposed to hostile action; specifically in an expeditionary theater, war zone geographic region, tax exclusion area for combat zone taxes exclusion areas or an area designated for imminent danger or hardship pay.
The U.S. Armed Forces also maintain an impressive collection of unofficial military decorations, which were never officially approved for issue by the Department of Defense. Most often bestowed by local commanders to commemorate a particular battle or engagement; such awards were quite common during the American Civil War but stricter military regulations prevented local commanders from bestowing such awards afterward.