The Secretary’s Award is an award of the
United States Department of State. It is presented to employees of State,
USAID and
Marine guards assigned to diplomatic and consular facilities in recognition of sacrifice of health or life, in the performance of official duties. It is somewhat similar in function to the U.S. military’s
Purple Heart medal, though it tends to only be issued for serious injuries that are directly related to official duties.
The award consists of a gold medal set and a certificate signed by the
Secretary of State. For injuries resulting in death, the
Thomas Jefferson Star for Foreign Service
The Thomas Jefferson Star for Foreign Service is an award of the United States Department of State. It is presented to employees of State, USAID, and civilian contractors assigned to diplomatic and consular facilities for events that lead to death ...
is typically awarded to next of kin. The criteria for the issuance of the Secretary’s Award is up to the Secretary of State.
Nomination and approval
Nominations for State and USAID employees are submitted on Form JF-66, Nomination for Award, through supervisory channels to the Joint Country Awards Committee for review and recommendation to the Chief of Mission for final action.
Nominations initiated in Washington are submitted to the appropriate area awards committee for final action. For USAID, nominations initiated in Washington are reviewed by the USAID bureau/office with final approval by the appropriate assistant administrator or office head.
Military use
Upon authorization, members of the U.S. military may wear the medal and ribbon in the appropriate
order of precedence as a
U.S. non-military personal decoration.
Recipients
* José Rivera Hernández, Major, USAF, in
West Rashid,
Iraq, July 2007, for injuries sustained during a terrorist attack while serving on a Department of State
Provincial Reconstruction Team
* Worley (Lee) Reed, Special Agent / Security Engineering Officer,
U.S. Diplomatic Security Service
The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS or DS) is a security and law enforcement agency that acts as the operational division of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, which is a branch of the United States Department of State. Its primary mission is ...
, Nairobi, Kenya, August 7, 1998, for disabling injuries sustained during the
terrorist bombing of the U.S. Embassy, Nairobi, Kenya, while leading the internal Embassy Search and Rescue Team immediately after the bombing.
United States Department of State
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References
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See also
* Awards of the United States Department of State
*Awards and decorations of the United States government
Awards and decorations of the United States government are civilian awards of the U.S. federal government which are typically issued for sustained meritorious service, in a civilian capacity, while serving in the U.S. federal government. Certain ...
* United States Department of State
*U.S. Foreign Service
The United States Foreign Service is the primary personnel system used by the diplomatic service of the United States federal government, under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of over 13,000 professionals carryi ...
Awards and decorations of the United States Department of State
United States Department of State