Encyclopedia > Awards and decorations of the United States Army
Awards and decorations of the United States Army are those military decorations which are issued to members of the United States Army under the authority of the Secretary of the Army. Together with military badges such awards provide an outward display of a service member's accomplishments. Awards and decorations of the United States military are military decorations which recognize a service members service and personal accomplishments while a member of the United States armed forces. ...
US Army Seal HHC, US Army Distinctive Unit Insignia The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces that has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ...
Flag of the United States Secretary of the Army The United States Secretary of the Army has statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, installations, environmental issues, weapons systems and equipment acquisition, communications, and financial management. ...
Badges of the United States Army are military decorations of the U.S. Army which are displayed on Army uniforms to denote a variety of qualifications and accomplishments to military service members. ...
The first recognized medals of the U.S. Army appeared during the American Civil War and were generally issued by local commanders on an unofficial basis. The Medal of Honor was the first award to be established in regulations as a permanent Army decoration, complete with benefits. The Medal of Honor is the only Civil War era award which has survived as a decoration into the modern age. The American Civil War (1861–1865) was fought in North America within the United States of America, between twenty-four mostly northern states of the Union and the Confederate States of America, a coalition of eleven southern states that declared their independence and claimed the right of secession from the...
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States. ...
The Spanish-American War saw the first widespread award of campaign medals, both for service in the actual conflict and for participation in subsequent garrison and occupation duty. After the Spanish-American War, however, medals in the U.S. Army fell into disuse and, apart from a few peacetime Medal of Honor decorations, there were no further Army medals created until the First World War. Combatants United States Spain Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 2,446 combat dead or wounded 5,500 combat dead or wounded {{Campaignbox {{{campaign}}}}} The Spanish-American War took place in 1898, and resulted in the United States of America gaining control over the former colonies of Spain in...
A Campaign medal is a military decoration which is awarded to a member of the military who serves in a designated military operation or performs duty in a geographical theater. ...
Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ...
World War I saw the first widespread distribution of medals for combat, as the Medal of Honor returned awarded for bravery in battle against an enemy force. The Distinguished Service Cross was also created for those soldiers who had performed feats of bravery but not to the level required of the Medal of Honor. The only other medal of World War I was the World War I Victory Medal, accompanied by a confusing array of battle clasps to denote combat participation. The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. ...
The World War I Victory Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was first created in 1919. ...
Campaign Clasp Examples A Campaign clasp is an attachment to a military award consisting of a metal bar which is pinned to the upper cloth portion of an award medal. ...
In the 1920s and 30s, the U.S. Army issued very few decorations and it was often common for a service member to spend an entire career without receiving a single medal. With the outbreak of World War II, however, the Army began the largest expansion of medals since the Spanish-American War as well as the first wide scale issuance of inter-service awards. In addition, several World War II campaign medals were created for various theaters and a World War II Victory Medal was established at the end of the conflict as well as an occupation medal. World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ...
Inter-service medals of the United States military are decorations which are issued by the United States armed forces to members of all five branches of military service. ...
United States service medals of the World Wars are U.S. military decorations which were created solely as a result of the First World War and World War II. Such medals are now considered obsolete, but may still be found in various publications, manuals, and award precedence charts due to...
WWII Victory Medal The World War II Victory Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was created by an act of Congress in July 1945. ...
Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp The Army of Occupation Medal is a military decoration of the United States military which was established by the United States War Department in 1946. ...
In the 1950s and 1960s, the Army expanded both its number of medals and ribbons, as well as having its service members eligible for several new inter-service campaign and service medals (such as the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the National Defense Service Medal). A service medal is a military award generally of the lowest degree. ...
The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) is a military award of the United States military which was first created in 1961 by Executive Order of President John Kennedy. ...
The National Defense Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States military and was the brainchild of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. ...
In the modern age, members of other military branches serving under an Army command are also eligible to receive Army decorations. All Army service members may receive inter-service awards, international decorations, and authorized foreign medals. The Department of the Army also awards a limited number of civilian awards. Inter-service medals of the United States military are decorations which are issued by the United States armed forces to members of all five branches of military service. ...
An international decoration is an april woolgar creation which is not bestowed by a particular country, but rather by an international organization such as the United Nations or NATO. Such awards are normally issued as service medals, for participation in various international military operations, and not for specific acts of...
Authorized foreign decorations of the United States military are those military decorations which have been approved for wear by members of the United States armed forces but whose awarding authority is the government of a country other than the United States. ...
The following are the Department of the Army Public Service Awards for Private Citizens, listed in order of importance and precedence. ...
The current active decorations of the United States Army as follows:
United States Army medals The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is the second highest military decoration of the United States Army which is awarded for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. ...
This article concerns the United States Army Distinguished Service Medal. ...
The Soldiers Medal is a military award of the United States Army. ...
The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military award which is presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. ...
The Achievement Medal is the lowest of the United States military’s non-combat meritorious service medals. ...
Army DSC Medal File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Distinguished Service Medal (USA) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Soldiers Medal File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Image File history File links ArmyCommMed. ...
Image File history File links ArmyAchiveMed. ...
DSC Ribbon This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ...
Army DSM Ribbon This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ...
SM Ribbon This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ...
Army Com Ribbon This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ...
AAM Ribbon This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ...
Good conduct awards The Good Conduct Medal is one of the oldest military decorations of the United States military. ...
A Reserve Good Conduct Medal refers to any one of the five military conduct decorations which are issued by the United States Armed Forces to members of the Reserve and National Guard. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (414x863, 16 KB)U.S. Army Good Conduct Medal File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Image File history File links USARGCM.gif U.S. Army Reserve Componments Achievement Medal File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Army Good Conduct Ribbon This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ...
USAR Good Conduct Ribbon This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ...
Unit awards The U.S. Army mandates that all unit awards will be worn separate from individual awards on the opposite side of a military uniform. The Army is the only service to require this separation between unit and individual decorations. All Army unit awards are worn enclosed in a gold frame. USA and USAF Presidential Unit Citation Please see Presidential Unit Citation for other versions of this award The Presidential Unit Citation is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and allies for extraordinary heroism in action on or after 7 December 1941 against an armed enemy. ...
The Valorous Unit Award is a decoration which is awarded to units of the United States Army which display extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy of the United States of America. ...
The Meritorious Unit Commendation is a mid-level unit award of the United States military which is awarded to any military command which displays exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service, heroic deeds, or valorous actions. ...
The Superior Unit Award is a decoration of the United States Army which is awarded in peacetime to any unit of the Army which displays outstanding meritorious performance of a difficult and challenging mission carried out under extraordinary circumstances. ...
Presidential Unit Ribbon File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Valorous Unit Ribbon File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Army MUC Ribbon File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Superior Unit Ribbon File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Examples of gold frames for U.S. and foreign issued awards A Gold frame is a military decoration which is issued by most of the world’s militaries as an attachment to certain awards and decorations. ...
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