Awards and decorations of the United States Army are those
military awards including decorations which are issued to members of the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...
under the authority of the
Secretary of the Army
The secretary of the Army (SA or SECARMY) is a senior civilian official within the United States Department of Defense, with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, insta ...
. Together with
military badges such awards provide an outward display of a service member's accomplishments.
The first recognized medals of the U.S. Army appeared during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
and were generally issued by local commanders on an unofficial basis. The
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...
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.
Furthermore, 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
A gold frame is an attachment to a military decoration which is issued by the militaries of some countries. The gold frame is designed to enclose an award ribbon and is usually a means of distinguishing the ribbon's special quality or denoting some ...
.
History
The
Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (clock ...
was the first widespread award of
campaign medal
A campaign medal is a military decoration which is awarded to a member of an armed force who serves in a designated military operation or performs duty in a geographical theater. Campaign medals are very similar to service medals but carry a h ...
s, 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, two medals for service in Mexico, or on the border, during the period 1911–17, plus the
Civil War Campaign Medal and the
Indian Campaign Medal, both finally authorized in 1907, there were no further Army decorations created until the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
.
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 The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries.
*Distinguished Service Cross (Australia)
*Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
*Distinguished Service Cross (U ...
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 medals of World War I were the
World War I Victory Medal, accompanied by a confusing array of
battle clasps
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It most commonly indicates the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on th ...
to denote combat participation, and the very belated
Army of Occupation of Germany Medal.
In the 1920s and 1930s, 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. As
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
loomed, however, an
American Defense Service Medal
The American Defense Service Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces, established by , by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, on June 28, 1941.
The medal was intended to recognize those military service members who had served ...
was created for those on duty, and a
Good Conduct Medal began to be issued to enlisted personnel. With the outbreak of the war, 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 and decorations. In addition, several
World War II campaign medals were created for various theaters and a
World War II Victory Medal
The World War II Victory Medal is a service medal of the United States military which was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945.
The Wo ...
was established at the end of the conflict as well as an
occupation medal.
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 medal
A service medal is an award to individuals who participated in designated wars, campaigns, or expeditions, or who have fulfilled specific service requirements in a creditable manner. Service medals are sometimes also Campaign medals.
Examples of s ...
s (such as the
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces, which was first created in 1961 by Executive Order of President John Kennedy. The medal is awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who, after ...
and the
National Defense Service Medal
The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four ...
).
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 and decorations,
international decoration
An international decoration is a military award 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 ...
s, and
authorized foreign medals. The Department of the Army also awards a limited number of
civilian awards.
The current active decorations of the United States Army as follows (the
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...
, the highest military award, is not shown as it covers all of the military services):
United States Army decorations
Good Conduct Medals
Unit Awards
The
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
The Joint Meritorious Unit Award (JMUA) is a US military award that was established on June 4, 1981, by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and was implemented by Department of Defense Directive 1348.27 dated July 22, 1982. The Joint Meritor ...
is also a unit award for the US Army
Service Ribbons
Marksmanship Competition Awards
Other awards
''In order of precedence''
;Department of the Army Civilian Service Decorations
*
Department of the Army Distinguished Civilian Service Award
*
Secretary of the Army Award for Valor
*
Superior Civilian Service Award
*
Meritorious Civilian Service Award
*
Department of the Army Civilian Service Commendation Medal
The Department of the Army Civilian Service Commendation Medal (formerly the Commander's Award for Civilian Service) is an honorary award presented by the United States Department of the Army to civilian employees for commendable service or achieve ...
*
Department of the Army Civilian Service Achievement Medal
* Secretary of the Army's Award for Outstanding Achievement in Materiel Acquisition
;Department of the Army Civilian Service Medals
*
Civilian Award for Humanitarian Service
*
Secretary of Defense Medal for the Global War on Terrorism
The Secretary of Defense Medal for the Global War on Terrorism or Global War on Terrorism Civilian Service Medal is a medal awarded by the United States Department of Defense. It was authorized on August 9, 2007, but may be awarded for expedition ...
*
Armed Forces Civilian Service Medal
The Armed Forces Civilian Service Medal (AFCSM) is established to recognize the contributions and accomplishments of the U.S. Department of Defense civilian workforce who directly support the military forces, when those members are engaged in mili ...
;Department of the Army Public Service Decorations
*
Distinguished Public Service Medal
*
Superior Public Service Medal
The Superior Public Service Medal formerly the Secretary of the Army Public Service Award consists of a silver medal, lapel button, and citation certificate. The United States Secretary of the Army awards this decoration to those who provide except ...
*
Meritorious Public Service Medal
The Meritorious Public Service Medal formerly the Outstanding Civilian Service Award is the third highest honor within the public service awards scheme of the Department of the Army that can be awarded to a private citizen.
Eligibility
The Secre ...
*
Public Service Commendation Medal
The Public Service Commendation Medal is the fourth highest public service decoration the United States Department of the Army can bestow upon a civilian, ranking directly below the Meritorious Public Service Medal. The name of the decoration was ...
* Patriotic Public Service Lapel Button
* Certificate of Appreciation for Patriotic Civilian Service
;Awards of unique achievement
* Brigadier General Jeremiah P. Holland Award - awarded to the most outstanding military police unit, company size or smaller, each fiscal year.
* Secretary of the Army Awards for Program/Project Management
* Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher Distinguished Civilian Humanitarian Award
;Regimental association awards
* MG Horatio Gates Award - Adjutant General
*
Saint George Award
The Order of Saint George Medallion is the top award given to members of the Army's mounted force by the United States Armor Association of the United States Army. The award is issued (in increasing levels of prestige) as a black, bronze, silve ...
- Armor
* Order of Saint Michael - Aviation
*
De Fleury Medal - Engineers
*
Order of Saint Barbara
The Order of Saint Barbara is a military honor society of the US for both the US Army and the US Marine Corps Artillery, including Field Artillery and Air Defense Artillery.
The award is named for Saint Barbara, the patron saint of artillerymen. ...
- Field Artillery
*
Order of Saint Maurice - Infantry
*
Order of Military Medical Merit (O2M3)- Medical
*
Knowlton Award - Military Intelligence
* Order of the Marechaussee - Military Police
* Samuel Sharpe Award - Ordnance Corps
* Order of Mercury - Signal Corps
* Order of Saint Christopher - Transportation Corps
* Order of Thor - Cyber Corps
* Order of Saint Dominic - Army Space Cadre
*
The Order of Martin of Tours - Chaplain Corps
See also
*
Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces
*
List of military decorations
This list of military decorations is an index to articles about notable military decorations. It is organized by country in alphabetical order and in order of precedence.
Note that there are many pages which overlap the domain of this page, includi ...
References
U.S. Department of Defense Awards Manual 1348.33, Vol. 3 dated 23 November 2010
U.S. Army Regulation 600-8-22, Military Awards dated 5 March 2019
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