Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces facts for kids

Service ribbons, ribbon devices, and badge awards displayed on a Command Master Chief Petty Officer's service uniform.

The awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces include various medals, service ribbons, ribbon devices, and specific badges which recognize military service and personal accomplishments of members of the U.S. Armed Forces. Such awards are a means to outwardly display the highlights of a service member's career.

U.S. military awards currently issued to service members
- General order of precedence
- Military departments
Inactive and obsolete awards
Foreign and international awards
See also

U.S. military awards currently issued to service members

General order of precedence

The precedence of particular awards will vary slightly among the different branches of service. All awards and decorations may be awarded to any service member unless otherwise designated by name or notation.

Ribbon/award name
Personal decorations
Awarded for "Conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty" Medal of Honor
Service cross medals – Awarded for "extraordinary heroism in combat" Distinguished Service Cross (Army) Navy Cross Air Force Cross Coast Guard Cross
Distinguished service medals – Awarded for "exceptionally meritorious service in a duty of great responsibility" Defense Distinguished Service Medal Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (Army) Navy Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (Air and Space Forces) Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal
Awarded for "gallantry in action" Silver Star Medal
Awarded for "superior or exceptionally meritorious service" Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit
Awarded for "heroism or extraordinary achievement in aerial flight" Distinguished Flying Cross
Medals for non-combat heroism Soldier's Medal Navy and Marine Corps Medal Airman's Medal Coast Guard Medal
Awarded for heroism in combat zone or meritorious service in a war zone Bronze Star Medal
Awarded for wounds suffered in combat Purple Heart
Meritorious service and aviation medals Defense Meritorious Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal (Air and Space Forces)
Commendation medals Joint Service Commendation Medal Army Commendation Medal Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal Air and Space Commendation Medal Coast Guard Commendation Medal
Achievement medals Joint Service Achievement Medal Army Achievement Medal Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal Air and Space Achievement Medal Coast Guard Achievement Medal
Commandant's Letter of Commendation (Coast Guard)
Combat action awards Navy Combat Action Ribbon Combat Action Medal (Air and Space Forces) Coast Guard Combat Action Ribbon Also see: Army combat badges
Unit awards
Presidential Unit Citations Presidential Unit Citation (Army) Presidential Unit Citation (Navy and Marine Corps) Presidential Unit Citation (Air and Space Forces) Presidential Unit Citation (Coast Guard)
Joint Meritorious Unit Award DHS Outstanding Unit Award Valorous Unit Award (Army) Navy Unit Commendation Gallant Unit Citation (Air and Space Forces) Coast Guard Unit Commendation
Meritorious Unit Commendations Army Meritorious Unit Commendation Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation Meritorious Unit Award (Air and Space Forces) Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation Coast Guard Meritorious Team Commendation
Army Superior Unit Award Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award
Efficiency Awards Navy "E" Ribbon Air and Space Organizational Excellence Award Coast Guard "E" Ribbon
Service awards
Prisoner of War Medal
Good conduct medals Army Good Conduct Medal Navy Good Conduct Medal Air Force Good Conduct Medal Space Force Good Conduct Medal Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal
Combat Readiness Medal (Air and Space Forces)
Outstanding Airman of the Year Ribbon Outstanding Guardian of the Year Ribbon Coast Guard Enlisted Person of the Year Ribbon
Air and Space Recognition Ribbon
Continued on right column

Ribbon/award name
Campaign and service medals (cont.)
Reserve service medals Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medal Selected Marine Corps Reserve Medal Coast Guard Reserve Good Conduct Medal Armed Forces Reserve Medal
Expeditionary medals Navy Expeditionary Medal Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal
General service medals
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korea Defense Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal
Special service medals
Antarctica Service Medal
Coast Guard Arctic Service Medal
Air and Space Campaign Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
Remote Combat Effects Campaign Medal
Campaign and Expeditionary / Conflict Service Medals
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Service and training awards
Army Sea Duty Ribbon Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon Coast Guard Sea Service Ribbon Naval Reserve Sea Service Ribbon Air and Space Expeditionary Service Ribbon Navy Arctic Service Ribbon
Overseas service ribbons Army Overseas Service Ribbon Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon Coast Guard Overseas Service Ribbon Air and Space Overseas Short Tour Service Ribbon Air and Space Overseas Long Tour Service Ribbon Army Reserve Overseas Training Ribbon
Coast Guard Restricted Duty Ribbon Coast Guard Special Operations Service Ribbon
Longevity ribbon Air and Space Longevity Service Award
Recruiting service and training service ribbons Navy Recruiting Service Ribbon Marine Corps Recruiting Ribbon Coast Guard Recruiting Service Ribbon Navy Accession Training Service Ribbon Marine Corps Drill Instructor Ribbon Marine Corps Combat Instructor Ribbon Developmental Special Duty Ribbon (Air and Space Forces) Army Recruiting Ribbon
Guard ribbons Navy Ceremonial Guard Ribbon Marine Corps Security Guard Ribbon
Professional development Ribbons Army NCO Professional Development Ribbon Air Force NCO PME Graduate Ribbon
Basic training honor graduate ribbons Navy Basic Military Training Honor Graduate Ribbon Air Force Basic Military Training Honor Graduate Ribbon Coast Guard Basic Training Honor Graduate Ribbon
Training ribbons Army Service Ribbon Air and Space Training Ribbon
Marksmanship awards
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (Air and Space Forces) Navy Rifle Marksmanship Ribbon Coast Guard Rifle Marksmanship Ribbon Navy Pistol Marksmanship Ribbon Coast Guard Pistol Marksmanship Ribbon

Note: The precedence of the Purple Heart was immediately before the Good Conduct Medals until changed to its current precedence in 1985.

Military departments

Inter-service
Army
Navy and Marine Corps
Air Force and Space Force
Coast Guard

To denote additional achievements or multiple awards of the same decoration, the United States military maintains a number of award devices which are pinned to service ribbons and medals.

Inactive and obsolete awards

U.S. military personnel having received these awards have participated within these areas of combat/conflict during the time these awards were given to U.S. service members. Such awards have since been discontinued or are no longer applicable in terms of receiving these commendations. Certain decorations remain inactive at this time (e.g. National Defense Service Medal) but may be reactivated at a later date in the future.

Ribbon/award name
Personal decorations
Certificate of Merit Medal
Marine Corps Brevet Medal
Specially Meritorious Service Medal
Reserve Special Commendation Ribbon
Army Wound Ribbon
Department of Transportation military awards
Transportation Distinguished Service Medal
Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Unit Award
Coast Guard Bicentennial Unit Commendation
19th and early 20th century Commemorative Medals
West Indies Naval Campaign Medal (Sampson Medal)
Battle of Manila Bay Medal (Dewey Medal)
United States Antarctic Expedition Medal
19th and early 20th century Campaign Medals
Civil War Campaign Medal
Indian Campaign Medal
China Campaign Medal (Army) China Relief Expedition Medal (Navy)
Spanish–American War campaign and occupation medals
Spanish Campaign Medal
West Indies Campaign Medal
Spanish War Service Medal
Army of Cuban Occupation Medal
Cuban Pacification Medal (Army) Cuban Pacification Medal (Navy)
Army of Puerto Rican Occupation Medal
Philippine–American War campaign medals
Philippine Campaign Medal
Philippine Congressional Medal
Navy & Marine Corps expedition medals
Nicaraguan Campaign Medal (1912)
Haitian Campaign Medal (1915 & 1920–1921)
Dominican Campaign Medal (1916)
Nicaraguan Campaign Medal (1926–1930)
Yangtze Service Medal

Ribbon/award name


World War I and Pre-World War I service medals
Mexican Service Medal
Mexican Border Service Medal
World War I Victory Medal
Army of Occupation of Germany Medal
World War II and Pre-World War II service medals
China Service Medal
American Defense Service Medal
Women's Army Corps Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
Post World War II, Cold War Service, Occupation Medals
Medal for Humane Action
Army of Occupation Medal Navy Occupation Service Medal
Korean Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Post Cold War Campaign Medals
Southwest Asia Service Medal
Kosovo Campaign Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal

Service and training decorations
National Defense Service Medal
Naval Reserve Medal
Marine Corps Reserve Ribbon
Fleet Marine Force Ribbon
Naval Reserve Meritorious Service Medal
Air Force Military Training Instructor Ribbon
Air Force Recruiter Ribbon
Marksmanship
Navy Distinguished Marksman and Pistol Shot Ribbon
Navy Distinguished Marksman Ribbon
Navy Distinguished Pistol Shot Ribbon

Discontinued or proposed

The following decorations were designed for issuance with an approved medal, but were either never officially approved for presentation or were discontinued before a first award could be made.

Ribbon/award name
Personal decorations
Distinguished Warfare Medal
Combat service decorations
Combat Recognition Ribbon

Ribbon/award name
General service award
Cold War Victory Medal

Single service awards

Single service awards were official military decorations created as one time awards to recognize a single event. The first such single service award was issued during the Spanish–American War by the Revenue Cutter Service to honor the actions of the vessel USRC Hudson during the Battle of Cárdenas. The last single service award was issued in 1960 when Congress authorized the awarding of the Four Chaplains' Medal recognizing the Four Chaplains who died together during World War II. There have been no single service awards issued since by the U.S. military, mainly due to the decline and complications of awarding commemorative service medals.

Ribbon/award name
Personal valor decorations
Four Chaplains' Medal
Personal commemorative decorations
Cardenas Medal of Honor
NC-4 Medal

Ribbon/award name
Exploratory commemorative decorations
Peary Polar Expedition Medal
Byrd Antarctic Expedition Medal
Second Byrd Antarctic Expedition Medal

Unofficial decorations

Unofficial decorations are those military awards created and issued by local commanders. In most cases, unofficial awards were designed to commemorate a specific battle or engagement of a commander's unit. The most well known unofficial awards were issued during the American Civil War.

Ribbon/award name
Civil War decorations
	Kearny Cross
	Kearny Medal
	Butler Medal
No ribbon	Gillmore Medal

Ribbon/award name
Research decorations
Walter Reed Medal

After the Civil War, stricter military regulations prohibited local commanders from issuing awards and the practice had fallen into disuse by the 20th century. Even so, the Department of Defense has stated that large numbers of unofficial medals were privately issued to members of the Armed Forces of the United States for many years after the Civil War, mostly to commemorate specific battles, events, or as private veteran memorabilia. One of the more well known is the Walter Reed Medal (recognized today as a Congressional Gold Medal), awarded for exploratory scientific achievement in the field of malaria treatment. While presented as a gold medallion, members of the military were reported to wear a red ribbon on their uniforms to denote the decoration.

Foreign and international awards

Foreign and international decorations are authorized for wear on United States military uniforms by the Department of Defense in accordance with established regulations for the receipt of such awards as outlined by the State Department. In the case of foreign decorations, the awards may be divided into senior service decorations (awarded only to high ranking U.S. officers), heroic decorations for valor, and foreign service decorations.

There are hundreds of foreign and international awards which have been approved for issuance to United States military personnel since World War I, the following being among the more common.

Ribbon/award name
World War I
French Legion of Honor
British Order of the Bath
French Military Medal
French Croix de guerre
Belgian Croix de guerre
Czechoslovak War Cross (1918)
Caribbean & Central America (1920s & 1930s)
Order of Abdon Calderón (Ecuador)
Military Merit Medal (Haiti)
Medal of Merit (Nicaragua)
World War II (Europe)
French Croix de guerre
Belgian Croix de guerre
Luxembourg War Cross
Czechoslovak War Cross (1945)
Luxembourg War Cross (Unit Citation)
World War II (Pacific)
Philippine Defense Medal
Philippine Liberation Medal
Philippine Independence Medal
Philippine Presidential Unit Citation
World War II (Senior Orders)
Order of Adolphe of Nassau (Luxembourg)
Order of the Aztec Eagle (Mexico)
Order of the British Empire (United Kingdom)
Order of the Crown (Belgium)
Order of Leopold (Belgium)
Order of Orange-Nassau (Netherlands)
Order of Ouissam Alaouite (Morocco)
Order of Pao Ting (China)
Order of Virtuti Militari (Poland)
Order of the White Eagle (Poland)
Order of the White Eagle (Yugoslavia)
Order of William (Netherlands)
Korean War - South Korea and the United Nations
United Nations Service Medal
Republic of Korea War Service Medal
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation

Ribbon/award name
Vietnam War - Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam)
RVN Army Distinguished Service Order
RVN Navy Distinguished Service Order
RVN Air Force Distinguished Service Order
RVN Military Merit Medal
RVN Gallantry Cross (with Palm)
RVN Air Gallantry Cross
RVN Navy Gallantry Cross
RVN Armed Forces Honor Medal
RVN Civil Actions Medal (1st class)
RVN Staff Service Medal
RVN Special Service Medal
RVN Training Service Medal
RVN Presidential Unit Citation
RVN Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with palm and frame
RVN Civil Actions Medal Unit Citation with palm and frame (1st class)
RVN Campaign Medal with 1960- device
Persian Gulf War
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)
International Awards (20th Century)
United Nations Medal
Multinational Force and Observers Medal
Inter-American Defense Board Medal
NATO Medal (Yugoslavia)
NATO Medal (Kosovo)
NATO Medal (Non-Article 5)
Senior Military Awards (21st Century)
Aeronautical Merit Cross (Peru)
Cross of Honor (Germany)
Khalifiyyeh Order of Bahrain
Military Merit Order (United Arab Emirates)
Order of the Crown of Thailand
Order of the Date Palm (Iraq)
Order of May (Argentina)
Order of the Sword (Sweden)
Order of Merit (Germany)
Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Order of National Security Merit (Korea)
Order of the Rising Sun (Japan)
Order of the Southern Cross (Brazil)

During the First and Second World Wars, the Croix de Guerre medals of France and Belgium, as well as the French Military Medal and Luxembourg War Cross, were further issued as unit citation cords, known as Fourragère. Service members could receive both the individual award and the unit cord; in the case of the later, the unit citation could either be worn temporarily while a member of the unit or permanently if the service member was present during the actual battle which warranted the unit citation. A further unit citation cord of the Order of William of the Netherlands was also issued during World War II, and was far more commonly known as the "Orange Lanyard".

As of 2002, South Korea has again issued the Korean Presidential Unit Citation to certain units of the United States Marine Corps, thus placing this previously obsolete foreign award back on the active order of precedence for U.S. decorations. Apart from this one decoration, most 21st century foreign military awards are reserved for only the most senior flag and general officers and then only presented as "end of tour" decorations upon transfer from a major command.