Updated: 12 September, 2004
Table of Contents
Individual Medals (Listed Alphabetically)
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The Air Force Awards and Decoration Program (Air Force Regulations, Policies, and Directives - Air Force Instruction 36-2803) (In PDF format)
Air Force Decorations (Foxfall)
A Short History of Medals Focus on US Air Forces medals, past and current operations. Air Force Association Dec 03
USAF Participation in recent Operations (From Gulf War to present - List medals entitled by Operation)
Humanitarian Service Medal (List of USAF Approved Areas) (USAF Website)
Joint Meritorious Unit Award (List of USAF Approved Areas) (USAF Website)
Armed Forces Expedionary Medal (List of USAF Approved Areas) (USAF Website)
Armed Forces Service Medal (List of USAF Approved Areas) (USAF Website)
Air Force Service Ribbons (Defence Links)
United States Air
Force Ribbons
(US
Armed Forces Uniform Reference)
Air Force Ribbons (Grunt)
US Air Force Ribbons (Steve Cheeseman)
USAF Military Training Instructor Ribbon (Vanguard)
US Air Force - Criteria for wear of UN Medal for Haiti (Feb 06)
Airman's Medal
Airman’s Medal Awarded to Major Jeffrey Stephenson (Photo) (Aug 1999)
Airman's Medal Awarded to Major Steven Goff (Photo) (Jul 96)
Medal of Honor (Air Force)
Air Force Link Biographies (Air Force Link)
Have you earned one of the new medals? A breakdown of new medals available to US Air Force Personnel. dcmilitary.com 2 Jul 04
Airmen deserve recognition for national security operations Air Force leaders want to ensure Airmen get the recognition they deserve for fighting the war on terrorism at home and abroad, and for many more operations critical to national security. That is why Air Force personnel officials are looking at better ways to apply modern air and space mission criteria to existing awards and decorations to give appropriate credit to outstanding Airmen. This new thinking is being applied to the recently created Department of Defense Global War on Terrorism medals. There are two versions, expeditionary for people deployed abroad, and service for those in the continental United States. Two new Air Force awards established in June 2002, the Gallant Unit Citation and Meritorious Unit Award, were designed to appropriately recognize outstanding unit actions in support of wartime efforts. The first Meritorious Unit Award was recently presented to the 9th Expeditionary Task Force at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, and Al Udeid AB, Qatar, for June 1, 2002, to May 31, 2003, for the success of the Combined Air Operations Centers supporting operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. For OIF alone, the 2,000 people in the CAOC planned and executed more than 40,000 sorties flown by 1,800 aircraft from every service and coalition partners. The Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon, approved in September 2003, gives people credit for completing contingency deployments after October 1999. The ribbon recognizes service in operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom to Airmen deployed for 45 consecutive, or 90 nonconsecutive days. af.mil 25 Aug 04
Air Force Radio News (Hear the latest News Highlights)
USAF Sites (The Ultimate List of Official USAF Unit Websites)
Colonel Reflects on 182nd Fighter Squadron's Role During Korean War (Links to related Sites also)
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Military Awards (Army Regulation 600-8-22) ( PDF File Format)
U.S. Army Medals – Order of Precedence (US Army – as of 10 Apr 98)
US Army Awards (AMERICAL DIV)
Wearing Decorations, Service Medals, Badges, Unit Awards , and Appurtenances (AR 670-1)
Army Decorations (Foxfall)
United States
Army Ribbons (US Armed Forces Uniform Reference)
Army Service Ribbons (Defence Links)
Army Ribbons (Grunt)
US Army Ribbons (Steve Cheeseman)
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Coast Guard Commandant Publication (COMDTPUB) P1650.37 (Coast Guard Rewards and recognition Handbook)
Coast Guard Medal (List of recipients with citations) (USCG Website) (Apr 02)
Life-Saving Service, Lighthouse Service, Revenue Cutter Service Personnel who were awarded the Gold Life-Saving Medal (USCG Website) (Apr 02)
Coast Guard Decorations (Foxfall)
Coast Guard Service Ribbons (Defence Links)
Coast Guard Auxiliary Ribbons (Deepwell)
Oak Leaf Cluster Device - The US Coast Guard will now use the oak leaf cluster device to denote additional awards on all Department of Defense medals. (Ref: OMRS Jigsaw, Issue 66, 3/98)
Douglas Munro -the only Coast Guardsmen awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor
Injured Coast Guardsman dedicates medal to fallen friend Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Joseph T. Ruggiero received the first Purple Heart to be awarded to a Coast Guard member since the Vietnam War. Ruggiero, a member of the Tactical Law Enforcement Team South from the Coast Guard's Opa-locka station, was injured while defending the Khawr Al Amaya Oil Terminal on April 24. The suicide attack claimed the life of Petty Officer Nathan B. Bruckenthal of Dania Beach, the first Coast Guard member killed in action since Vietnam. In addition, two naval servicemen were killed and three others wounded. miami.com 6 May 04 |
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Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual - SECNAVINST 1650.1G of 1/7/02 (Jan 02)
USMC Medals and Decorations ("Semper Fidelis" 7th Marines & Dog Seven Association)
Marine Corps Service Ribbons (Defence Links)
USMC Ribbons (Grunt)
US Marine Ribbons (Steve Cheeseman)
United
States Marine Corps Ribbons
(US Armed Forces Uniform Reference)
Newly Authorized Marine Corps Ribbons (Drill Instruction and Security Guard) (Vanguard)
Navy
and Marine Corps Medal Awarded
(PO 3rd Cl Shawn
Palyo) (Mar
01)
Combat Action Ribbon - I'm basing this from an article in the 15 June 98 Navy Times: The criteria for the Navy and Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon will be slightly modified, due to lobbying from a senior Navy mine warfare non-commissioned officer. Master Chief Quarter Master (SW) Michael Harrison, a veteran of minesweeping operations in the Persian Gulf in 1987-1989, felt that the criteria of the ribbon did not allow it to be awarded for minesweeping action in a combat theater. The old criteria read, in part, that it would be awarded for situations "when the safety of the ship and crew were endangered by enemy attack, such as a ship hit by a mine." The new criteria will change this to "a ship hit by a mine or in an enemy minefield." A final decision is expected by the end of June. (Ref: Chris Weeks)
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U.S. Merchant Marine Medal (USMM Org)
Medals presented to mariners for role in Afghan campaign US Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta gave Merchant Marine Expeditionary Medals to the crew of the SS Cornhusker State, which transported bombs (Nov 02)
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Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual - SECNAVINST 1650.1G of 1/7/02 (Jan 02)
Navy Ribbons (Grunt)
US Navy Ribbons (Steve Cheeseman)
Recruit Training Service Ribbon (Vanguard)
Navy
and Marine Corps Medal Awarded
(PO 3rd Cl Shawn
Palyo) (Mar
01)
Sea Service Awards (Naval Helicopter Association)
Pearl Harbor Survivors Medal (Actually a medallion)
Combat Action Ribbon - I'm basing this from an article in the 15 June 98 Navy Times: The criteria for the Navy and Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon will be slightly modified, due to lobbying from a senior Navy mine warfare non-commissioned officer. Master Chief Quarter Master (SW) Michael Harrison, a veteran of minesweeping operations in the Persian Gulf in 1987-1989, felt that the criteria of the ribbon did not allow it to be awarded for minesweeping action in a combat theater. The old criteria read, in part, that it would be awarded for situations "when the safety of the ship and crew were endangered by enemy attack, such as a ship hit by a mine." The new criteria will change this to "a ship hit by a mine or in an enemy minefield." A final decision is expected by the end of June. (Ref: Chris Weeks)
Navy Recruit Service Ribbon - The US Navy has authorized this new award. (Ref: OMRS Jigsaw, Issue 66, 3/98)
US Navy Sites (The Ultimate List of Official USN Unit Websites)
US Naval Reserve Website (Official Government Website)
Civil War Sailors Database (National Park Service)
US Navy Flag Officer Biographies (Includes medals awarded)
Obtaining Navy Awards (USN Website)
USN Medal of Honor Winners (Submariners)
Civil War Sailor's Database (National Park Service)
Navy Junior ROTC Ribbons (Navy JROTC Website)
Navy Sea Cadet Corps Ribbons (Deepwell)
Navy League (Official Website)
7,000 Navy Ships Logged on Museum's Database The U.S. Navy 20th Century Ships History Database is now online at the Naval War College Museum. The database, which include all Navy vessels from 1920 to the present, is accessible through the Internet at www.nwc.navy.mil/usnhdb The bulk of the information came from The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships online, organized by Andrew Toppan. Other resources included Conway's Fighting Ships, Proceedings, Navy Times and navsource.org. NavNews 24 May 03
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Magazine of the U.S. Navy - We believe it's important to make the Navy's history, as documented in All Hands, accessible to everyone. In January 2003, we completed a two-year project to archive every back issue (more than80 years worth) in Adobe Acrobat® format. (Jan 03) |
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Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
City native Seroskie earns CIA medal Kathleen Firlie Seroskie has been awarded the Career Intelligence Medal for her 23 years of exceptional service to the Central Intelligence Agency. Cumberland Times News, MD - 7 May 2003
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Award of CAP Medals, Ribbons and Certificates (CAPR 39-3) (PDF format)
Awards and Decorations of the Civil Air Patrol (Marksmedals)
CAP Cadet Ribbons (Ohio Wing CAP)
CAP Ribbons (Current) CAP Ribbons (Obsolete) Order of use by Date (Eric Bush)
Civil Air Patrol (Official Website)
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Civil War Sailors Database (National Park Service)
Civil War: Union (National Archives and Records Administration)
Civil War: Confederate (National Archives and Records
Administration)
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Federal Military Commemorative Medals (Foxfall)
Pearl Harbor Survivors Medal (Actually a medallion)
US Army Service Commemorative Medal – To commemorate honorable service in the US Army between 1784 and 2000.
US Air Force
Service Commemorative Medal – To commemorate honorable service in the US
Air Force between 19474 and 2000.
Korean War 50th Anniversary Commemorative Medal - This is the official 50th Anniversary commemorative medal, bearing the Official Seal of the Department of Defense Korean War Commemoration Committee. View the Reverse side of the Medal.
The Alaska Service Commemorative Medal - This un-official commemorative medal is available to Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Army Air Corps or Merchant Marines who participated in military operations in Alaska or Western Canada during World War II. Canadian soldiers, sailors or airmen who helped build or guard military installations in Northern Canada or Alaska, or who took part in Northern Pacific operations at this time are also eligible, as those persons who took part in the operations at Attu and Kiska. The ribbon is equal parts of light blue, white, and light blue. (Ref: e-mail Bruce in New Zealand)
Commemorative Medals (Images Mike
Smith) (Oct 02) |
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September 11th Commemorative Medals for:
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