The Vermont Veterans Medal is awarded to U.S. veterans from

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

. If the service was only in the

Vermont National Guard The Vermont National Guard is composed of the Vermont Army National Guard and the Vermont Air National Guard. Together, they are collectively known as the Green Mountain Boys. Both units use the original Revolutionary War-era Flag of the Green ...

, they must have been activated during a conflict or be retired. The medal was established in 1999, but is retroactively available to veterans of prior military service. The ''Vermont Veterans Medal'' is a state award, presented by the Vermont Department of Veterans Affairs. U.S. military active duty regulations allow their members to accept but not wear state awards. In addition, activated National Guard members may not wear their state awards while serving in Title 10 (federal) status.

Eligibility

# Must have been a Vermont resident when entered military; or be a current Vermont resident; or be a member of a reserve or guard unit stationed in Vermont. # Received an honorable discharge, unless died prior to separation. # If national guard/reserve service only, must have been brought on active duty during a period of conflict or must have retired.

Description

Following is the

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vi ...

narrative describing the Vermont Veterans Medal: The ribbons of the Vermont medals for veterans contain the four primary colors of the

Coat of arms of Vermont The coat of arms of Vermont is the official armorial bearings of the U.S. state of Vermont. Most of the elements found in the coat of arms originate in the Great Seal of Vermont designed by Ira Allen. Whereas the Great Seal of Vermont is rep ...

: red, yellow, blue and green. The alternating red and yellow at the center of the ribbon loosely parallels the design and colors of the National Defense Service Medal, which is presented to military members with service during a time of conflict. Field of azure blue encompasses the red and yellow, symbolizing the honor of military service. Next, fields of green represent Vermont, the Green Mountain State, which reminds us that service to our nation is also service to the citizens of our state. The edges of this ribbon are bordered in yellow. In the Vermont Coat of Arms, bundles of wheat are shown in yellow. In this ribbon, they represent the protection offered our state by nature’s bounty. The medal is cast in bronze, with the coat of arms of Vermont on the obverse and the

Great Seal of Vermont The Great Seal of the State of Vermont is the official seal of the U.S. state of Vermont, used to emboss and authenticate official documents. It was designed by Ira Allen, brother of Ethan Allen and one of the state's founders. Great Seal The ...

on the reverse. Across the top is inscribed “Vermont National Defense,” uniting the interests of our state with our nation. The year “1777” is inscribed at the bottom, indicating the year of the

Battle of Bennington The Battle of Bennington was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, part of the Saratoga campaign, that took place on August 16, 1777, on a farm owned by John Green in Walloomsac, New York, about from its namesake, Bennington, Vermont. A r ...

where Vermonters first took arms to defend their state in war, and the year of the founding of the Vermont Republic.

Sources

* * * * {{cite web , url=http://law.justia.com/vermont/codes/2005/title20/section01545.html , title=2005 Vermont Code - § 1545. Vermont distinguished service medals , publisher=Justia.com Military in Vermont Awards and decorations of the National Guard (United States) 1999 establishments in Vermont Awards established in 1999