What Do Army Medals Mean?
The first medal in United States military history was commissioned by Gen. George Washington on Aug. 7, 1782. Known as the Badge of Military Merit, it was later re-commissioned in 1932 as the Purple Heart. Medals have been awarded to soldiers of the United State Army for service as far back as the Revolutionary War and indicate a soldier's accomplishments. Used to recognize outstanding achievement and meritorious service, military medals are awarded to soldiers of the United States Army and other armed services to this day.
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Decorations
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Decorations are granted solely to an individual and are awarded for outstanding service or meritorious action, usually involving risk of life. The highest ranking decoration in the Army is the Medal of Honor. Also known as the Congressional Medal of Honor, the decoration is awarded to the recipient by the President of the United States on behalf of Congress. Other decorations of note include (in order of precedence) the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit Award, the Soldier's Medal, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Commendation Medal and the Achievement Medal. Precedence is established according to the degree of risk and service required to earn the medal.
Service Awards
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Service Awards are bestowed upon an entire military unit or an individual. Unit awards include the Presidential Unit Citation, the Valorous Unit Awards, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, and the Meritorious Unit Commendation.
Unit award precedence is established based on degree of merit as well as the time-frame in which the act of heroism took place. For example, the Valorous Unit Award applies only to actions taking place on or after Aug. 3, 1963.
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Appurtenances
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According to the Code of Federal Regulations on Decorations, Medals and Ribbons, appurtenances are symbols worn on military ribbons and medals to denote additional awards or achievement, or participation in specific events particular to the award. Appurtenances include the "V" for valor which is added to decorations such as the Bronze Star, the Air Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal. The "V" denotes acts of heroism and can further honor the recipient without promoting them to the next highest medal. Oak Leaf Clusters are appurtenances used to denote successive awards of the same medal or decoration.
Campaign Awards
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Campaign Awards denote participation in a particular conflict. Campaign Awards honor participation in conflicts as far back as the Civil War. Other Campaign Awards include World War I Occupation, World War II Victory, Korean War, Vietnam Service, Kosovo Campaign, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Iraq Campaign Medal.
Ribbons
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Many honors are awarded solely as ribbons rather than medals. Unit citations are all awarded as ribbons only. Additional ribbon awards include the Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon and the Overseas Service Ribbon.
Ribbons are also used on dress uniforms to denote all decorations and awards earned by the individual. Ribbons match the pattern of the ribbon the decoration or award hangs from and are worn on a ribbon rack on the uniform in order of precedence. Individual decorations are worn on the left lapel of the uniform and unit citations are worn on the right lapel.
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References
- Photo Credit us soldier"s medal for valor image by James Insogna from Fotolia.com
