Awards and decorations of the United States military

U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace wearing medals, ribbons, and other insignia.

Awards and decorations of the United States Military are military decorations which recognize service and personal accomplishments while a member of the United States armed forces. Together with military badges, such awards are a means to outwardly display the highlights of a service member's career.

Order of precedence

While each service has its own order of precedence, the following general rules apply to all services:

1. U.S. military personal decorations
2. U.S. military unit awards
3. U.S. non-military personal decorations (After unit awards in order of receipt; if from the same agency, the applicable agency precedence listing should be consulted)
4. U.S. non-military unit awards
5. U.S. military campaign awards
6. U.S. military service and training awards
7. U.S. Merchant Marine awards and non-military service awards
8. Foreign military personal decorations
9. Foreign military unit awards
10. Non-U.S. service awards (e.g., United Nations, NATO)
11. Foreign military service awards
12. Marksmanship awards (Navy and Coast Guard)
13. State awards of the National Guard (Army & Air Force)

Unit awards are worn on the right side in the U.S. Army.

Active United States medals and ribbons

By Order of Precedence

Note: Precedence of particular awards will vary slightly among the different branches of service.

Ribbon/Award Name Personal decorations   Medal of Honor Awarded for "Gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty" Service Cross medals. Awarded for "Extraordinary heroism"   Distinguished Service Cross (Army)   Navy Cross   Air Force Cross Distinguished Service medals   Defense Distinguished Service Medal   Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal   Distinguished Service Medal (Army)   Navy Distinguished Service Medal   Air Force Distinguished Service Medal   Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal   Silver Star Awarded for "Gallantry in action"   Defense Superior Service Medal   Legion of Merit   Distinguished Flying Cross Medals for non-combat heroism   Soldier's Medal   Navy and Marine Corps Medal   Airman's Medal   Coast Guard Medal   Gold Lifesaving Medal   Bronze Star Medal   Purple Heart   Defense Meritorious Service Medal   Meritorious Service Medal   Air Medal   Silver Lifesaving Medal   Aerial Achievement Medal Commendation medals   Joint Service Commendation Medal   Army Commendation Medal   Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medal   Air Force Commendation Medal   Coast Guard Commendation Medal Achievement medals   Joint Service Achievement Medal   Army Achievement Medal   Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medal   Air Force Achievement Medal   Coast Guard Achievement Medal   Commandant's Letter of Commendation   Navy & Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon   Coast Guard Combat Action Ribbon   Air Force Combat Action Medal Unit Awards Presidential Unit Citation   Army & Air Force Presidential Unit Citation   Navy & Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation   Coast Guard Presidential Unit Citation   Joint Meritorious Unit Award   Army Valorous Unit Award   Navy Unit Commendation   Air Force Gallant Unit Citation   Coast Guard Unit Commendation Meritorious Unit Commendation   Army Meritorious Unit Commendation   Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation   Air Force Meritorious Unit Award   Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation   Army Superior Unit Award   Air Force Outstanding Unit Award   Coast Guard Meritorious Team Commendation Efficiency Award   Navy "E" Ribbon   Air Force Organizational Excellence Award   Coast Guard "E" Ribbon Service awards   Prisoner of War Medal   Combat Readiness Medal Good Conduct medals   Army Good Conduct Medal   Navy Good Conduct Medal   Air Force Good Conduct Medal   Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal   Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal Reserve good conduct medals   Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal   Naval Reserve Meritorious Service Medal   Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medal   Selected Marine Corps Reserve Medal   Coast Guard Reserve Good Conduct Medal Expeditionary medals   Navy Expeditionary Medal   Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal   Outstanding Airman of the Year Ribbon   Air Force Recognition Ribbon

Ribbon/Award Name Campaign and service medals   Army of Occupation Medal   Navy Occupation Service Medal   National Defense Service Medal   Korean Service Medal   Antarctica Service Medal   Coast Guard Arctic Service Medal   Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal   Vietnam Service Medal   Southwest Asia Service Medal   Kosovo Campaign Medal   Afghanistan Campaign Medal   Iraq Campaign Medal   Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal   Global War on Terrorism Service Medal   Korea Defense Service Medal   Armed Forces Service Medal   Humanitarian Service Medal   Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal   Air and Space Campaign Medal Service and training awards   Army Sea Duty Ribbon   Army Overseas Service Ribbon   Army Reserve Overseas Training Ribbon   Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon   Air Force Overseas Short Tour Service Ribbon   Coast Guard Special Operations Service Ribbon   Navy Arctic Service Ribbon   Coast Guard Sea Service Ribbon   Naval Reserve Sea Service Ribbon   Air Force Overseas Long Tour Service Ribbon   Coast Guard Restricted Duty Ribbon   Navy & Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon   Coast Guard Overseas Service Ribbon   Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon   Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon (with gold border)   Air Force Longevity Service Award Recruiting service ribbon   Navy Recruiting Service Ribbon   Air Force Recruiter Ribbon   Marine Corps Recruiting Ribbon   Coast Guard Recruiting Service Ribbon Training service ribbon   Air Force Military Training Instructor Ribbon   Navy Recruit Training Service Ribbon   Marine Corps Drill Instructor Ribbon Guard ribbon   Navy Ceremonial Guard Ribbon   Marine Corps Security Guard Ribbon   Armed Forces Reserve Medal Professional Development Ribbon   Army NCO Professional Development Ribbon   Air Force NCO PME Graduate Ribbon   Army Service Ribbon   Air Force Honor Graduate Ribbon   Coast Guard Honor Graduate Ribbon   Air Force Training Ribbon Marksmanship awards   Air Force Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon Rifle   Coast Guard Distinguished Marksman   Coast Guard Silver Rifle Excellence in Competition   Coast Guard Bronze Rifle Excellence in Competition   Navy Expert Rifleman Medal   Coast Guard Expert Rifle Medal   Navy Sharpshooter Rifle Ribbon   Coast Guard Sharpshooter Rifle Ribbon   Navy Rifle Marksmanship Ribbon   Coast Guard Rifle Marksmanship Ribbon Pistol   Coast Guard Distinguished Pistol Shot   Coast Guard Silver Pistol Excellence in Competition   Coast Guard Bronze Pistol Excellence in Competition   Navy Expert Pistol Medal   Coast Guard Expert Pistol Medal   Navy Sharpshooter Pistol Ribbon   Coast Guard Sharpshooter Pistol Ribbon   Navy Pistol Marksmanship Ribbon   Coast Guard Pistol Marksmanship Ribbon

By military department

• Inter-service
• Air Force
• Army
• Coast Guard
• Navy and Marine Corps
• Merchant Marine

To denote additional achievements or multiple awards of the same decoration, the United States military maintains a number of award devices which are pinned to service ribbons and medals.

National Guard and State Defense Forces decorations

• Awards and decorations of the National Guard
• Awards and decorations of the State Defense Forces

Unofficial and obsolete decorations

Obsolete Decorations and Service Medals

Main articles: Obsolete military awards of the United States and United States service medals of the World Wars

Ribbon/Award Name Personal decorations   Certificate of Merit Medal   Marine Corps Brevet Medal   Army Wound Ribbon   Specially Meritorious Service Medal Unit awards   Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Unit Award   Coast Guard Bicentennial Unit Commendation 19th and early 20th century Campaign Medals   Civil War Campaign Medal   Indian Campaign Medal   China Campaign Medal (Army)   China Relief Expedition Medal (Navy) Spanish-American War campaign and occupation medals   Spanish Campaign Medal   West Indies Campaign Medal   West Indies Naval Campaign Medal (Sampson Medal)   Battle of Manila Bay Medal (Dewey Medal)   Spanish War Service Medal   Army of Cuban Occupation Medal   Army of Cuban Pacification Medal   Army of Puerto Rican Occupation Medal Philippine-American War campaign medals   Philippine Campaign Medal   Philippine Congressional Medal Navy & Marine Corps expedition medals (1920s and 1930s)   Nicaraguan Campaign Medal (1912)   Dominican Campaign Medal   Haitian Campaign Medal (1917)   Nicaraguan Campaign Medal (1933)   Haitian Campaign Medal (1921)   Yangtze Service Medal

Ribbon/Award Name World War I and Pre-WWI service medals   Mexican Service Medal   Mexican Border Service Medal   World War I Victory Medal   Army of Occupation of Germany Medal World War II and Pre-WWII service medals   China Service Medal   American Defense Service Medal   Women's Army Corps Service Medal   American Campaign Medal   European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal   Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal   World War II Victory Medal Post World War II occupation and Service medals   Medal for Humane Action Service and Training awards   Naval Reserve Medal   Fleet Marine Force Ribbon   Marine Corps Reserve Ribbon   Reserve Special Commendation Ribbon Marksmanship   Navy Distinguished Marksman and Pistol Shot Ribbon   Navy Distinguished Marksman Ribbon   Navy Distinguished Pistol Shot Ribbon

Unofficial decorations

• Unofficial decorations of the United States military

Foreign and international decorations

• Authorized foreign decorations of the United States military
• International military decoration authorized by the US military

Devices

• United States military award devices

To display devices on Wikipedia pages, use Template:Ribbon devices.

See also

• Awards and decorations of the United States government
  • Civilian decorations of the United States
  • Awards and decorations of the National Guard
  • Awards and decorations of the State Defense Forces
  • Military decorations of the Cold War
    • Awards and decorations of the Vietnam War
• Military badges of the United States
  • Badges of the United States Air Force
  • Badges of the United States Army
  • Badges of the United States Coast Guard
  • Badges of the United States Marine Corps
  • Badges of the United States Navy
  • Obsolete badges of the United States military
  • Identification badges of the United States military
• Unofficial combat badges of the United States Army
• List of military decorations
• State decoration
• Army-Navy ‘E’ Award

External links

• U.S. Army Symbols and Insignia
• The Institute of Heraldry, U.S. Army
• U.S. Navy Service and Campaign Medals
• Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia (in PDF format)
• Military Awards (U.S. Army) (in PDF format)
• Americal Division Veterans Association