Vietnam_Fourragere_Color_of_the_Gallantry_Cross

The Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross also known as the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross or Vietnam Cross of Gallantry ( vi, Anh-Dũng Bội-Tinh) is a

military decoration Military awards and decorations are distinctions given as a mark of honor for military heroism, meritorious or outstanding service or achievement. DoD Manual 1348.33, 2010, Vol. 3 A decoration is often a medal consisting of a ribbon and a meda ...

of the former Government of

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

(Republic of Vietnam). The medal was created on August 15, 1950 and was awarded to military personnel, civilians, and Armed Forces units and organizations in recognition of deeds of valor or heroic conduct while in combat with the enemy. Individuals who received the medal, ribbon, and a citation were personally cited at the Armed Forces, Corps, Division, Brigade or Regiment level. The Republic of Vietnam authorized members of units and organizations that were cited, to wear the Gallantry Cross Unit Citation Emblem with Palm and Frame (no medal is authorized).

Medal

The medal is gold in color, and 35 mm wide. It consists of a

Celtic cross The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages. A type of ringed cross, it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses e ...

with two crossed swords between the arms. The cross is superimposed over a wreath. The center of the cross contains a disc with the outline of the country of Vietnam between two palm branches joined at the bottom. A scroll is on top of the map and is inscribed "QUOC-GIA LAO-TUONG" (Reward of the State). The suspension ribbon of the medal is 35 mm wide and is made up of the following stripes: 9 mm of Old Glory Red; 17 mm center stripe in Golden Yellow. The center stripe has sixteen strands of Old Glory Red; and 9 mm of Old Glory Red.

Degrees

The Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross was awarded in four degrees, with a basic medal followed by higher degrees which were the equivalent of personal citations on an organizational level (also known as having been "

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

"). The degrees of the Gallantry Cross are as follows: * Gallantry Cross with Palm: cited at the Armed Forces level * Gallantry Cross with Gold Star: cited at the

Corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

level * Gallantry Cross with Silver Star: cited at the Division level * Gallantry Cross with Bronze Star: cited at the

Regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. ...

level

Ribbon devices

The devices to the Gallantry Cross are not worn simultaneously but instead are upgraded to the next higher device which would replace the previous device for wear on the decoration. U.S. Marine Corps uniform regulations in 2003 state the recipient should wear only one Gallantry Cross award (medal or ribbon bar) regardless of the number received. For multiple awards, wear as many authorized devices as will fit on one medal suspension ribbon or ribbon bar. Wear the devices for subsequent awards in order of seniority from the wearer's right. The first palm is inches on the suspension ribbon or inch on the service ribbon. Subsequent palms are inch on the suspension ribbon or inch on the service ribbon. Stars are inch.

Service versions

The Gallantry Cross was awarded to members of all military branches, as well as service members of foreign and allied militaries. The similarly named decorations were the

Air Gallantry Cross The Vietnam Air Gallantry Cross ( vi, Phi-Dũng Bội-Tinh) was a military decoration of South Vietnam which was issued during the years of the Vietnam War. The Air Gallantry Cross was awarded for meritorious or heroic conduct while engaged in ...

and Navy Gallantry Cross. These decorations were awarded under a different authority, with different criteria, and were considered separate decorations.

Unit award

The Unit Citation Emblem of the colors of the Gallantry Cross is awarded to personnel in the South Vietnamese military and Allied military units that have been cited and presented a decoration which is prescribed to be awarded on a collective basis. Known as the Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm (Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm and Frame Unit Citation), the Unit Citation Emblem in the colors of the Gallantry Cross with Palm, was created on January 20, 1968 and was issued with the Gallantry Cross ribbon bar with a by inch bronze palm and 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 ...

. The former South Vietnamese military awarded the Gallantry Cross to specific military units that distinguished themselves to the same level as would be required for the individual award. Regulations for the issuance of the Vietnam Gallantry Cross permit the wearing of both the individual and unit award simultaneously since both are considered separate awards. The Gallantry Cross was awarded to every Allied nation which provided support to South Vietnam. The Gallantry Cross became the most commonly awarded Vietnamese decoration to foreigners, second only to the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.

Fourragere

The South Vietnamese military Fourragere in the colors of the Gallantry Cross represented a military unit cited two times. It was a brilliant golden-yellow, with red intermixed. Department of the Army message 111030Z from April 1974, established the policy that only one emblem for a unit award was authorized to be worn at a time. This change resulted in the fourragere being no longer authorized for wear, as it was representative of multiple awards.

U.S. authorization

''Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation'': U.S. Department of Defense:
U.S.

Military Assistance Command Vietnam U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) was a joint-service command of the United States Department of Defense. MACV was created on 8 February 1962, in response to the increase in United States military assistance to South Vietnam. MACV ...

(MACV) and its subordinate units, 8 Feb 1962 to 28 Mar 1973
U.S. Army and its subordinate units, 20 July 1965 to 28 Mar 1973
This permits all personnel who served in Vietnam to wear the RVN Gallantry Cross unit citation. ''Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation (Gallantry Cross color with Palm and Frame); RVN Meritorious Unit Citation (Gallantry Cross)'' U.S. Navy and Marine Corps: In addition to specific ships/units, all personnel who served "in country" Vietnam, 8 February 1962 to 28 March 1973.

United States acceptance

The

United States military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is ...

began authorizing the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross in March 1968 with retroactive presentation of the decoration to 1961. In 1974, Army General Order Number 8 confirmed eligibility for the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm and Frame Unit Citation to every military unit of the United States Army which had served under the Military Assistance Command from 1961 to 1974, however, orders, specific as to dates and units, do exist for specific Army commands as well as for members of other services not affected by the Army General Order.

Award requests

The National Personnel Records Center-NPRC (or veteran's service branch), is the U.S. federal agency that generally takes and responds to retroactive award requests from U.S. Army veterans (and other Vietnam veterans) and or updating their personal military records to show the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross (RVN) and or unit award credit, either per Army General Order 8 or per unit specific awards. The full medal and or unit citation award are both considered foreign military awards and are not issued to Vietnam veterans (or their

next of kin A person's next of kin (NOK) are that person's closest living blood relatives. Some countries, such as the United States, have a legal definition of "next of kin". In other countries, such as the United Kingdom, "next of kin" may have no legal d ...

) by the NPRC (or any of the United States military services). Once requested (USN-USMC name of the unit award must be used by those veterans) and authorized, the veteran (or next of kin) will be notified by mail to purchase the award(s) at most U.S. military installations, military clothing sales or private military insignia and

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, p ...

dealers.

Notable recipients

* Peter Badcoe, Australian recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previousl ...

, awarded the Gallantry Cross with Palm *

Nathan D. Baxter Nathan Dwight Baxter (born November 16, 1948) is the 10th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania and the 1,010 in succession in the Episcopal Church. He was elected as bishop coadjutor on July 22, 2006, and consecrated on Octobe ...

, the 10th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania * John Beal (then USMC sergeant), film and television composer, awarded the RVN Gallantry Cross with palm *

Frank J. Breth Frank J. Breth (October 12, 1937 – December 6, 2003) was a United States Marine Corps brigadier general who was the commanding general, Marine Corps Recruit Depot and the Western Recruiting Region, San Diego, California. Early years Frank Bre ...

, USMC Brigadier General, former Director of Marine Intel awarded the RVN Gallantry Cross with silver star * Frederic J. Brown III, two awards (one with silver star, one with bronze star) * David Christian, Vietnam, two awards *

George R. Christmas George Ronald Christmas (born March 11, 1940) is a retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant general. Christmas was awarded the Navy Cross and Purple Heart for valor in 1968, during the Vietnam War. He served on active duty in the Marine ...

, USMC Lieutenant General, awarded the RVN Gallantry Cross with palm *

R. Lee Ermey Ronald Lee Ermey (March 24, 1944 – April 15, 2018) was an American actor and U.S. Marine drill instructor. He achieved fame for his role as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in the 1987 film ''Full Metal Jacket'', which earned him a Golden Globe ...

(former USMC gunnery sergeant), actor, awarded the RVN Gallantry Cross with palm *

David Hackworth David Haskell Hackworth (November 11, 1930 – May 4, 2005), also known as Hack, was a prominent military journalist and a famous former United States Army colonel who was decorated in both the Korean War and Vietnam War. Hackworth is known f ...

, Vietnam, seven awards *

Chuck Hagel Charles Timothy Hagel ( born October 4, 1946)United States Secretary of Defense The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high ranking member of the federal cabinet. DoDD 5100.1: Enclosure 2: a The se ...

, awarded the RVN Gallantry Cross * Richard Marcinko retired USN Commander, the first commanding officer of SEAL Team Six and Red Cell, awarded the RVN Gallantry Cross with Silver Star *

Robert L. Howard Robert Lewis Howard (July 11, 1939 – December 23, 2009) was the most highly decorated officer of Vietnam United States Army Special Forces and Medal of Honor recipient of the Vietnam War. He was wounded 14 times over 54 months of combat ...

, U.S. Army Special Forces * Phil Johnson, Texas Supreme Court Associate Justice * Robert Jordan, author of the epic fantasy series ''

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'' * Luis J. Landin (former U.S. Army Command sergeant major), awarded three RVN Gallantry Crosses *

Robert Mueller Robert Swan Mueller III (; born August 7, 1944) is an American lawyer and government official who served as the sixth director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2001 to 2013. A graduate of Princeton University and New York ...

Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a United States' federal law enforcement agency, and is responsible for its day-to-day operations. The FBI Director is appointed for a single ...

, awarded the RVN Gallantry Cross * John P. Murtha, former U.S. Congressman 1974–2010 (18 terms) * John Musgrave, Marine corporal, author *

Oliver North Oliver Laurence North (born October 7, 1943) is an American political commentator, television host, military historian, author, and retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant colonel. A veteran of the Vietnam War, North was a National Secu ...

, awarded the RVN Gallantry Cross with silver star *

Bob Parsons Robert Ralph Parsons (born November 27, 1950) is an American entrepreneur, billionaire, and philanthropist. In 1997, he founded the GoDaddy group of companies, including domain name registrar GoDaddy.com, reseller registrar Wild West Domains, ...

, founder and Executive Chairman of

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* Riley L. Pitts, was awarded RVN Gallantry Cross with palm and The Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions on October 31, 1967 *

Rick Rescorla Cyril Richard Rescorla (May 27, 1939 – September 11, 2001) was a British-American soldier, police officer, educator and private security specialist. He served as a British Army paratrooper during the Cyprus Emergency and a commissioned officer ...

, a hero of 9/11 *

Tom Ridge Thomas Joseph Ridge (born August 26, 1945) is an American politician and author who served as the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security from 2001 to 2003, and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security from 2003 to 2005. ...

, former

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Governor and former

Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-ter ...

Secretary * Dennis Richardson, 26th Secretary of State of Oregon *

Gregory J. Slavonic Gregory Joseph Slavonic is an American government official and retired U.S. Navy officer. He has served as Acting Under Secretary of the Navy from April 24, 2020 to January 20, 2021. He served as the 18th United States Assistant Secretary of th ...

, Rear Admiral (Ret) and Assistant Secretary of the Navy, awarded RVN Gallantry Cross w/ palm *

Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Stone won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay as writer of '' Midnight Express'' (1978), and wrote the gangster film remake '' Sc ...

, Unit Citation * Harvey D. Williams, US Army major general * James G. Zimmerly, former chief of legal medicine at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology

References

External links

{{commons category, Vietnam Gallantry Cross (Vietnam), Vietnam Gallantry Cross
Military Orders, Decorations, and Medals of the Republic of Vietnam
Military awards and decorations of Vietnam Military of South Vietnam * Courage awards Awards established in 1950