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This medal was authorized in 1950 for ten years of honorable and satisfactory service within a 12 year period as a member of one or more of the Reserve Components of the Armed Forces of the United States. An executive order on Aug. 8, 1996, authorized the award of a...

This medal without ribbon devices was widely presented to U.S. officers and men after six months of staff service in combat or non-combat units. The award was originally entitled in French as La Medaille du Merite Vietnamien and was intended for “French or foreign...

The Korea Defense Service Medal was authorized in 2003 for Armed Forces members who served in the Korean theater for at least 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days after July 28, 1954. The medal is also awarded for service to include reservists on annual...

The Beginning of Military Awards can be traced to the ancient Egyptians and the Greeks, but the Roman Legions were the first to organize an award system honoring their soldiers for bravery and service. Once recognized, Roman soldiers wore these decorations in battle,...

Many veterans and their families are unsure of which military medals they were awarded and often for good reasons. Twenty-five, thirty, even fifty years after military service, it is often difficult to remember or identify the awards a veteran may have earned the...