Armed Forces Reserve Medal is 5 Different Medals
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 bronze letter “M” mobilization device […]
RVN Armed Forces Honor Medal – January 7, 1953
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 military men who participate in the capacity of advisors or contribute […]
Korea Defense Service Medal, Do you have the Old version or the New?
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 training in Korea. While only one award of the Korea […]
But Where Were The World War II Veterans’s Medals?
During World War II, generally, only decorations such as the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Purple Heart were manufactured. Brass was restricted to the manufacture of munitions, so campaign medals were mainly issued as ribbon bars, and soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen were not given medals but only ribbon bars to […]
The Beginning of Military Awards
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, parades, and displayed them in their homes after their military service. If […]
How to Determine a Veteran’s Military Medals
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 right to wear or display. Thousands of veterans have been heard to […]
Types of U.S. Marine Awards and Decorations
The United States Marine Corps, being part of the U.S. Naval Service, follows the same awards program as the United States Navy. The Department of the Navy governs the awards program but administered by the Corps. Most of the awards and decorations are the same for both the Navy and Marine Corps, and some are […]
