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Air Force Meritorious Service Medal
__NOTOC__ The Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States subsequent to January 16, 1969. The MSM was previously awarded as a decoration for achievement during peacetime, but effective September 11, 2001 this decoration may also be bestowed in lieu of the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious achievement in a designated combat theater. Normally, the acts or services rendered must be comparable to that required for the Legion of Merit but in a duty of lesser, though considerable, responsibility. Within the U.S. Army, according to AR 600-8-22, Paragraph 3-16, the MSM may not be upgraded to or downgraded from a recommended Bronze Star Medal. In the Army, an MSM recommendation that is downgraded will be approved as an Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal (ARCOM). A ...
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United States Department Of The Army
The United States Department of the Army (DA) is one of the three military departments within the United States Department of Defense, Department of Defense of the U.S. The Department of the Army is the Federal government of the United States, federal government agency within which the United States Army (U.S.) is organized, and it is led by the United States Secretary of the Army, secretary of the Army, who has statutory authority under 10 United States Code § 7013 to conduct its affairs and to prescribe regulations for its government, subject to the limits of the law, and the directions of the United States Secretary of Defense, secretary of defense and the President of the United States, president. The secretary of the army is a civilian official appointed by the president and confirmed by the United States Senate, Senate. The highest-ranking military officer in the department is the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, chief of staff of the Army, who is also a member ...
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Avenger-class Mine Countermeasures Ship
''Avenger''-class mine countermeasures ships are a class of 14 ships constructed for the United States Navy from 1987 to 1994, designed to clear mines from vital waterways. The ships have the hull designator MCM. The ''Avenger''-class ships are being replaced by the ''Freedom'' and s, as well as other MCM platforms, which use various unmanned air, surface, and undersea vehicles to detect and destroy naval mines at a standoff distance. History Background In the early 1980s, the U.S. Navy began development of a new mine countermeasures (MCM) force, which included two new classes of ships and minesweeping helicopters. The vital importance of a state-of-the-art mine countermeasures force was strongly underscored in the Persian Gulf during the eight years of the Iran–Iraq War, and in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990 and 1991 when ''Avenger'' and ''Guardian'' conducted MCM operations. ''Avenger''-class ships are designed as mine hunter-killers capable of f ...
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President Of The United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces. The power of the presidency has grown substantially since the first president, George Washington, took office in 1789. While presidential power has ebbed and flowed over time, the presidency has played an increasingly strong role in American political life since the beginning of the 20th century, with a notable expansion during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. In contemporary times, the president is also looked upon as one of the world's most powerful political figures as the leader of the only remaining global superpower. As the leader of the nation with the largest economy by nominal GDP, the president possesses significant domestic and international hard and soft power. Article II of the Constitution establ ...
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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 secretary of defense's position of command and authority over the military is second only to that of the president of the United States, who is the commander-in-chief. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a defense minister in many other countries. The secretary of defense is appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate, and is by custom a member of the Cabinet and by law a member of the National Security Council. The secretary of defense is a statutory office, and the general provision in provides that "subject to the direction of the President", its occupant has "authority, direction, and control over the Department of Defense". The same statute further designates the secretary as "the princip ...
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Operational Distinguishing Device
The Operational Distinguishing Device ("O" device) is a miniature silver inch letter "O" that is authorized by the United States Coast Guard as a ribbon device which may be authorized for wear on certain awards and decorations of the United States Coast Guard. The "O" device is either centered on the suspension and service ribbon of the medal or unit award ribbon, or to the middle-right if there are an even number of letter devices on the ribbon. Any authorized gold Inch Stars alternate around the "O" device. The first star is placed to the wearer’s right of the "O" device and the second star is placed to wearer's left of the "O" device. Only one "O" device may be worn per ribbon. Eligibility criteria are based on a member's or unit's direct participation in missions of an operational "hands on" nature. To qualify for this device on a decoration, both the person's work and unit must be operational in nature. Such examples include search and rescue, fire fighting, maritime l ...
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Service Ribbon
A medal ribbon, service ribbon or ribbon bar is a small ribbon, mounted on a small metal bar equipped with an attaching device, which is generally issued for wear in place of a medal when it is not appropriate to wear the actual medal. Each country's government has its own rules on what ribbons can be worn in what circumstances and in which order. This is usually defined in an official document and is called "the order of precedence" or "the order of wearing." In some countries (particularly in North America and in Israel), some awards are "ribbon only," having no associated medal. Design According to the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), the U.S. military's standard size for a ribbon bar is wide, tall, with a thickness of 0.8 mm. The service ribbon for a specific medal is usually identical to the suspension ribbon on the medal. For example, the suspension and service ribbon for the U.S. government's Purple Heart medal is purple with a white vertical stripe at eac ...
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5/16 Inch Star
A inch star (9.7mm) is a miniature gold or silver five-pointed star that is authorized by the United States Armed Forces as a ribbon device to denote subsequent awards for specific decorations of the Department of the Navy, Coast Guard, Public Health Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A gold star indicates a second or subsequent decoration, while a silver star is worn in lieu of five gold stars. A ( inch) silver star is not to be confused with representing a Silver Star Medal (Silver Star). inch star usage inch stars are worn on a medal suspension and service ribbon with one point of the star pointing up. Up to five stars can be worn on a ribbon. There are no higher degrees of stars authorized after five silver stars. On miniature medals, a special star is worn on the medal's suspension ribbon in lieu of a star. If the number of authorized stars exceeds five, a second service ribbon is worn after the first service ribbon. The second service ribbon ...
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Oak Leaf Cluster
An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem. It is authorized by the United States Armed Forces for a specific set of decorations and awards of the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, and Department of the Air Force. The bronze oak leaf cluster represents one additional award, while the silver oak leaf cluster is worn in lieu of five bronze oak leaf clusters. Criteria and wear Oak leaf clusters are worn with the stems of the leaves pointing to the wearer’s right. For medals, oak leaf clusters are worn on the medal's suspension ribbon. For service ribbons, oak leaf clusters are worn, with no more than four oak leaf clusters being worn side by side. If the number of authorized oak leaf clusters exceeds four, a second ribbon is authorized for wear and is worn after the first ribbon. The second ribbon counts as one additional ...
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Bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such as arsenic or silicon. These additions produce a range of alloys that may be harder than copper alone, or have other useful properties, such as ultimate tensile strength, strength, ductility, or machinability. The three-age system, archaeological period in which bronze was the hardest metal in widespread use is known as the Bronze Age. The beginning of the Bronze Age in western Eurasia and India is conventionally dated to the mid-4th millennium BCE (~3500 BCE), and to the early 2nd millennium BCE in China; elsewhere it gradually spread across regions. The Bronze Age was followed by the Iron Age starting from about 1300 BCE and reaching most of Eurasia by about 500 BCE, although bronze continued to be much more widely used than it is in mod ...
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Sergeant Major (United States)
Sergeant major is a senior Non-commissioned officer, non-commissioned Military rank, rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in the army's command structure; he also acted as a sort of Chief of staff (military), chief of staff to the army's commander. In the 17th century, sergeant majors appeared in individual regiments. These were field officers, third in command of their regiments (after their colonels and lieutenant colonels), with a role similar to the older, army-level sergeant majors (although obviously on a smaller scale). The older position became known as "sergeant major general" to distinguish it. Over time, the term ''sergeant'' was dropped from both titles, giving rise to the modern ranks of major and major general. The full title of sergeant major fell out of use until the latter part of the 18th century, when it b ...
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