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17-802: The Department of the Air Force first began issuing awards and decorations in 1947. At that time, airmen were eligible to receive most U.S. Army decorations . In 1962, following the Cuban Missile Crisis , the Department of the Air Force began a concentrated effort to create its own distinctive awards, separate from the Army. Airmen and guardians are also eligible to receive approved foreign awards and approved international decorations . More information about civilian recognition can be found in DAFI 36-1004 Department of

34-715: A joint command or under the authority of the Secretary of Defense . The last such medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal decoration, was created in 1983. The only inter-service unit award, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award was created in 1981. On April 5, 2011, President Barack Obama amended Executive Order 12824 modifying the award eligibility of the Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal to "any member of

51-500: The American Civil War and were generally issued by local commanders on an unofficial basis. The Medal of Honor 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

68-517: The Air Force Civilian Recognition Program (10 Dec 2023) and SPFGM 2024-36-01 United States Space Force (USSF) Civilian Recognition Program (4 Jan 2024) . In 2018, as part of the Air Force's initiative to reduced directive publications, the eight-page AFI 36-2805 was released, superseding 30 previous AFIs. Guidance for special awards was moved to a website at https://access.afpc.af.mil/ . Awards and decorations of

85-602: The Armed Forces of the United States" making it an inter-service award of the U.S. military. Recently, this decoration has been given to Gen Craig R. McKinley (USAF) for his service as Chief of the National Guard Bureau . The Medal of Honor , originally a Navy award, is now technically an inter-service award, is issued in different versions for each branch of military service. There are presently three versions of

102-714: 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 highest military award, is not shown as it covers all of the military services): The Joint Meritorious Unit Award is also a unit award for the US Army In order of precedence Inter-service awards and decorations of the United States military The United States military inter-service awards and decorations are those medals and ribbons which may be awarded to all members of

119-491: The Army and Navy, but in different versions for each service. The World War I Victory Medal, Purple Heart, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Air Medal were thus the first medals which appeared identical, regardless of which service was bestowing the award. By the end of World War II , several World War II service medals had also been established for issuance to both Army and Navy personnel. The United States Coast Guard also received such awards under

136-690: 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 medals (such as the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the National Defense Service Medal ). 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 decorations , and authorized foreign medals . The Department of

153-530: The Coast Guard. In the 1960s and 1970s, the U.S. Armed Forces created the Meritorious Service Medal , and several campaign medals and service awards , all of which may be awarded by any service branch. The United States Department of Defense in the 1960s and 1970s, also began creating a series of peacetime meritorious awards which were eligible for presentation to any military member working in

170-501: The Medal of Honor returned awarded for bravery in battle against an enemy force. The Distinguished Service Cross 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 to denote combat participation, and

187-659: 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 saw the first widespread distribution of medals for combat, as

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204-535: The United States Army Awards and decorations of the United States Army are those military awards including decorations which are issued to members of the United States Army under the authority of the Secretary of the Army . 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

221-633: The authority of the Department of the Navy . After World War II, The Korean Service Medal was the first inter-service non-decoration award which was awarded by all five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces; in 1947, the United States Air Force had been established as a separate branch of service. Since 1956, and 2010, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and Silver Star Medal may also be awarded by

238-499: 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 . The Spanish–American War was the first widespread award of campaign medals , both for service in the actual conflict and for participation in subsequent garrison and occupation duty. After the Spanish–American War, however, medals in

255-410: 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 was established at the end of the conflict as well as an occupation medal . In the 1950s and 1960s,

272-473: The six military branches of the U.S. Armed Forces . Each military department awards inter-service awards under the same criteria. The World War I Victory Medal was the first inter-service award. This was followed by the Purple Heart , Silver Star Medal , Legion of Merit , Distinguished Flying Cross , and Air Medal decorations. Prior to this time, several older service medals had been issued both to

289-404: 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 loomed, however, an American Defense Service Medal was created for those on duty, and a Good Conduct Medal began to be issued to enlisted personnel. With

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