.United States Army Decorations.
The Medal of Honor
[MOH]
This is the highest honor the United States can bestow on members of
its Armed Forces.
It is only presented by the President and is awarded in the name of
Congress.
Awarded "For Conspicuous Gallantry and Intrepidity at the Risk of
Life, Above and Beyond the Call of Duty, in Action Involving Actual
Conflict
with an Opposing Armed Force."
Persons on the Medal of Honor Roll and otherwise eligible
may, upon
application, qualify for a
special life time pension of $400 per month.
{The Medal of Honor is protected
from all sale, trade, or exchange by United States Code;Title 18, Part I, Chapter 33, Section 704
.}
The Distinguished Service Cross
[DSC]
Established by order of the President 02 JAN 1918, confirmed by
Congress 09 JUL 1918. Awarded to members of the US Army serving after
06 APR 1917, who distinguish themselves by
"Extraordinary Heroism in Connection with Military Operations
Against an
Opposing Armed Force."
Second and subsequent awards are denoted by bronze Oak Leaf
Clusters;
a silver Oak Leaf Cluster is worn in lieu of five bronze.
Designed by CPT Aymar Embury; Sculpted by CPL Gaetano Cecere
(Awarded to US Air Force personnel until 1960)
The Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Established by order of the Secretary of Defense and the President
on 09
JUL 1970.
Awarded by the Secretary of Defense to military officers for:
"Exceptionally Meritorious Service in a Duty of
Great Responsibility."
Second and subsequent awards are denoted by bronze Oak Leaf
Clusters;
a silver Oak Leaf Cluster is worn in lieu of five bronze.
Designed by The Institute of Heraldry, US Army
The Distinguished Service Medal
[DSM]
Established by Presidential order on 02 JAN 1918, confirmed by
Congress on 09 JUL 1918. Awarded to personnel of the US Army serving
after 06 APR 1917, who distinguished themselves by:
"Exceptionally Meritorious Service to the Government in a
Duty of Great Responsibility."
Second and subsequent awards are denoted by bronze Oak Leaf
Clusters;
a silver Oak Leaf Cluster is worn in lieu of five bronze.
Designed by CPT Aymar Embury; Sculpted by CPL Gaetano Cecere
(Awarded to US Air Force personnel until 1960)
The Silver Star
Established by Congress on 09 JUL 1918.
For each Citation received by US Army personnel for gallantry in
action, not sufficient to warrant the Medal of Honor or the
Distinguished Service Cross, a 'Silver Star', 3/16-inch in diameter was
authorized for wear on the suspension and service ribbons of
appropriate service medals (World War I Victory Medal). This award was
called the 'Citation Star'. On 08 AUG 1932, this decoration was revised
by Congress and redesigned to its present form.
"For Gallantry in Action Against an Opposing Armed Force."
Second and subsequent awards are denoted by bronze Oak Leaf
Clusters;
a silver Oak Leaf Cluster is worn in lieu of five bronze.
Designed by Bailey, Banks, and Biddle
The Defense Superior Service Medal
Established by order of the Secretary of Defense and the President
on 06
FEB 1976.
Awarded by the Secretary of Defense to military officers for:
"Superior Meritorious Service in a Duty of Great Responsibility
while Assigned to a Joint Activity."
Second and subsequent awards are denoted by bronze Oak Leaf
Clusters;
a silver Oak Leaf Cluster is worn in lieu of five bronze.
Designed by The Institute of Heraldry, US Army
The Legion of Merit
Established by Congress on 10 JUL 1942, in four degrees: Chief
Commander, Commander, Officer, and Legionnaire; for award to
personnel of Armed Forces of friendly foreign nations and personnel of
the Armed Forces of the United States and the Philippines. Awarded for
actions since the Presidential Proclamation of Emergency, 08 SEP 1939,
"For Exceptionally Meritorious Conduct in the Performance of
Outstanding Service."
This is as close as the United States has come to creating an Order
of the European type.
It is the first specific decoration awarded to foreigners and the first
decoration of the United States
to be awarded in different degrees.
- Chief Commander; Chief of State or Head of
Government
- Commander; Equivalent of an
U.S.
military Chief of Staff or higher position, but not to Chief of State.
- Officer; General or Flag
Officer below the equivalent of a U.S. military Chief of Staff;
Colonel or equivalent rank for service in assignments equivalent to
those normally held by a General or Flag Officer in U.S. military
service; or
Military Attachés.
- Legionnaire; All recipients
not
included above.
Second and subsequent awards are denoted by bronze Oak Leaf
Clusters;
a silver Oak Leaf Cluster is worn in lieu of five bronze.
Designed by COL Townsend Heard, USA
The Distinguished Flying Cross
[DFC]
Established by Congress on 02 JUL 1926, for award to any person who,
serving any branch of the service including the National Guard and the
Organized Reserves after 06 APR 1917:
"For Heroism or Extraordinary Achievement while Participating in
Aerial Flight."
Second and subsequent awards are denoted by bronze Oak Leaf
Clusters;
a silver Oak Leaf Cluster is worn in lieu of five bronze.
Designed by Elizabeth Will and Arthur DuBors
The Soldier's Medal
Established by Congress on 02 JUL 1926,
"For Heroism by those serving with the US Army in any capacity
that Involves the Voluntary Risk of Life under conditions Other Than
Those of Conflict with an Opposing Armed Force."
The same degree of Heroism is required as for the Distinguished
Flying Cross.
Second and subsequent awards are denoted by bronze Oak Leaf Clusters;
a silver Oak Leaf Cluster is worn in lieu of five bronze.
Designed by CPL Gaetano Cecere
The Bronze Star
Established by order of the President on
04 FEB 1944, awarded to
personnel of the US Armed Forces,
who on or after 07 DEC 1941, distinguished themselves:
"For Heroic or Meritorious
Achievement of Service, not involving
aerial flight,
in connection with Operations Against an Opposing Armed Force."
|
Special
Circumstances for WW II Combat Veterans (U.S. & Canadian):
Army Regulation AR
600-8-22, Chapter 3, Section 13. Bronze Star Medal
d. (2) "Award may be made
by letter application to
Commander
ARPERCEN
ATTN:
DARP-VSE-A
9700
Page Blvd.
St.
Louis, MO 63132-5200 |
(enclosing
documentary evidence, if possible), to each member of the US Armed
Forces who, after 6 December 1941, has been cited in
orders or awarded a certificate for exemplary conduct in ground combat
against an armed enemy between 7 December 1941 and 2 September 1945,
inclusive, or whose meritorious achievement has been otherwise
confirmed by documents executed prior to 1
July 1947. For this purpose, an award of the Combat
Infantryman
Badge
or Combat Medical Badge is considered as a citation in orders...
(3) Upon letter
application, award of the Bronze Star Medal may
be made to eligible soldiers who participated in the Philippine
Islands Campaign between 7 December 1941 to 10 May 1942. Performance
of duty must have been on the island of Luzon or the Harbor
Defenses
in Corregidor and Bataan. Only soldiers who were
awarded the Distinguished
Unit Citation (Presidential Unit Citation) may be awarded this
decoration. Letter application should be sent to the same address
above."
_______
WASHINGTON,DC, Aug.
18, 2006 – The Army has authorized award of the Bronze Star Medal
for
Service to the living Canadian veterans of the 1st Special Services
Force for their service to the U.S.
Army during World War II. Although approved for the unit as a whole, the
almost 120 eligible
veterans must submit verification documents showing their complete
name, rank, service number, and dates of service when they apply for
the
medal.
Eligible veterans may send their request and copies of their
verification documents to:
U.S.
Army Human Resources Command
ATTN: AHRC-PDO-PA
200 Stovall Street
Alexandria, VA 22332-4000
|
A Bronze "V" device is worn to denote Valor/Heroism.
Second and subsequent awards are denoted by bronze Oak Leaf Clusters;
a silver Oak Leaf Cluster is worn in lieu of five bronze.
Designed by Bailey, Banks, and Biddle
The Purple Heart
Originally established by Commander-in-Chief George Washington on 07
AUG 1782,
at Newburgh on the Hudson, New York, as an award for outstanding
military merit, or the 'Badge of Merit'.
The award was in the form of an embroidered, heart-shaped badge of
purple cloth
and bestowed on only three non-commissioned officers.
Though never officially abolished it was not again awarded for almost
one hundred and fifty years.
Upon its revival in 1932, as the Purple Heart medal, the new decoration
was
to be awarded in two categories:
- "For
being wounded in action in any war or campaign
- "For
those persons who perform any singularly meritorious act
of
extraordinary fidelity or essential service."
In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an
Executive Order which provided that the Purple Heart would be made
available to members of all the US Armed Services who were wounded in
action. Since then the Purple Heart has become one of the most highly
respected decorations of the US Armed Forces. The decoration holds a
very unique position in that it can be earned in only one way, by being
wounded. An attendant requirement is that
the wound must have been received as a direct result of enemy actions.
For additional reading, see The Army
Wound Ribbon.
The Defense Meritorious
Service Medal
Established by order of the Secretary of Defense and the President
on 03
NOV 1977.
Awarded to military officers for:
"Exceptionally Meritorious Service in a Duty of Great
Responsibility
while Assigned to a Joint Activity."
Second and subsequent awards are denoted by bronze Oak Leaf
Clusters;
a silver Oak Leaf Cluster is worn in lieu of five bronze.
Designed by The Institute of Heraldry, US Army
The Meritorious Service Medal
Established by order of the President on 16 JAN 1969, as an award
primarily for
"Outstanding Non-combat Meritorious Achievement or Service to the
United States"
by any member of the US Armed Forces. Some portion of the completed
service or achievement must have been made on or after 16 JAN 1969. In
actuality, this decoration could be described as a 'fifth class' or
grade of the Legion of Merit and finally one that could be awarded to
enlisted personnel. This is exemplified by the reversal of the color
(red-purple instead of purple-red) of the ribbon of the Legion of
Merit.
Second and subsequent awards are denoted by bronze Oak Leaf
Clusters;
a silver Oak Leaf Cluster is worn in lieu of five bronze.
Designed by Jay Morris
The Air Medal
Established by order of the President on 11 MAY 1942. Members of the
US Armed Forces must have distinguished themselves after 08 SEP 1939
"For Meritorious Achievement while Participating in Aerial
Flight."
A Bronze "V" device is worn to denote Valor/Heroism.
Subsequent awards denoted by bronze arabic Numerals.
Oak Leaf Clusters were initially used to denote subsequent awards of
the Air Medal, but
the numbers of additional awards became so great that the OLC's did not
fit on the ribbon.
As a result, the policy was changed, in September 1968, to require the
use of Numerals.
Designed by Walker Hancock
The Joint Service Commendation
Medal
Established by order of the Secretary of Defense on 17 MAY 1967, as
an award
to any member of the US Armed Forces who is distinguished by
"Meritorious Achievement or Service while Assigned to a Joint
Activity."
The degree of merit need not be unique but must be distinctive.
A Bronze "V" device is worn to denote Valor/Heroism in Combat.
Second and subsequent awards are denoted by bronze Oak Leaf
Clusters;
a silver Oak Leaf Cluster is worn in lieu of five bronze.
Designed by The Institute of Heraldry, US Army
The Army Commendation Medal
[ARCOM]
Originally established by the Secretary of War as a ribbon-only
award in
1945,
the medal was added in 1949. Awarded to members of the US Army, on or
after 07 DEC 1941,
"For Heroism, Meritorious Achievement, or MeritoriousService"
A Bronze "V" device is worn to denote Valor/Heroism in Combat.
Second and subsequent awards are denoted by bronze Oak Leaf Clusters;
a silver Oak Leaf Cluster is worn in lieu of five bronze.
Designed by The Institute of Heraldry, US Army
The Joint Service Achievement
Medal
Established by order of the Secretary of Defense on 29 MAR 1984,
this medal
may be awarded
to any member of the US Armed Forces below the grade of Colonel (O-6)
"For Meritorious Achievement or Service
while Assigned to a Joint Activity after 03 AUG 1983."
Second and subsequent awards are denoted by bronze Oak Leaf
Clusters;
a silver Oak Leaf Cluster is worn in lieu of five bronze.
Designed by The Institute of Heraldry, US Army
The Army Achievement Medal
[AAM]
Established by the Secretary of the Army on 10 APR 1981. Awarded to
members of the
US Armed Forces, not a general officer, who distinguish themselves by
"Meritorious Achievement in a Non-combat Area on or after 01 AUG
1981."
Second and subsequent awards are denoted by bronze Oak Leaf
Clusters;
a silver Oak Leaf Cluster is worn in lieu of five bronze.
Designed by The Institute of Heraldry, US Army
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