The eagle has a shield paly of thirteen sections and a chief. Retroactive award of the “C” device is not approved for medals awarded before January 7, 2016. This award was re-designated as the Navy Commendation Medal in September 1960, and renamed the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal in 1994. In contrast to the Army and the Air Force, in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal has historically considered its commendation medal to be a higher level and less frequently awarded decoration. Recipient members of the U.S. Marine Corps have always been issued the Navy's commendation medal and there is not a separate commendation medal intended only for Marines. The Army Commendation Medal is awarded to any member of the Armed Forces other than general officers. Additional awards of the Army and Air Force Commendation Medals are denoted by bronze and silver oak leaf clusters. Military members of foreign countries may also be awarded the Army Commendation Medal. For USAF enlisted personnel, the Air Force Commendation Medal is worth three points under the Air Force enlisted promotion system. The award is given by local commanders, allowing for generous interpretation of the criteria for which the medal is given. In the center are five thin white stripes spaced equally apart. The Operational Distinguishing Device ("O" device) is authorized for wear on the Coast Guard Commendation Medal upon approval of the awarding authority. Prior to this time, USAF recipients received the Army Commendation Medal. It was not until 1996 that the "V" device was authorized on the Air Force Commendation Medal; prior to 1996, there was not a valor distinction in effect for the Air Force Commendation Medal. For more junior personnel, it has occasionally been awarded as an "impact award" for a significant contribution of service, to include those instances of combat service where it has included the Combat "V". Retroactive Awards are not authorized for medals awarded before January 7, 2016), "R" Device (for direct and immediate impact on combat operations from a remote location), This page was last edited on 23 November 2020, at 02:53. It is edged in white and in the center are five thin white stripes spaced equally apart.[3]. Two months later, the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of the Air Force both approved the design of the medal. Authority to award this decoration was later expanded to captains and colonels in the grade of O-6 currently holding operational command as a commodore, carrier air wing commander or commanding officer. The medallion of the Army Commendation Medal is a bronze hexagon, 13⁄8 inches wide. The edges of the ribbon are both white and the ribbon is primarily myrtle green. The Army Commendation Medal is awarded to any member of the Armed Forces other than general officers. Unofficially called the Combat Commendation. As such, it is worn above the service Commendation Medals on a military uniform. Rod Powers was the U.S. Military expert for The Balance Careers and was a retired Air Force First Sergeant with 22 years of active duty service. Outside of those instances where it has been awarded for combat action with a Combat "V", it has typically been reserved for Department Head level officers at the O-4 level, senior Navy Chief Petty Officers (CPO) and Marine Corps Staff Non-Commissioned Officers (SNCO) at the E-8 and E-9 level as an "end of tour" award in a given command/organization/unit, and, following a full career, as a retirement award for enlisted personnel between pay grades E-6 and E-9. Criteria for its award has paralleled that of the Navy and Marine Corps. The Army Commendation Medal's ribbon is 1 3/8 inches wide. The Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and Coast Guard Commendation Medal are authorized gold and silver 5/16 inch stars to denote additional awards. In April 1948, a medal pendant was approved for the Commendation Ribbon by the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of the Air Force. The design on the shield is derived from the Seal of the Department of the Air Force. The Army Commendation Medal is a bronze hexagon, measuring 1 3/8 inches wide. [5], The U.S. Coast Guard awards a separate Coast Guard Commendation Medal, with a ribbon similar in design to that of its Navy and Marine Corps counterpart. On the face of the medal, an American bald eagle — with wings outstretched horizontally — clutches three crossed arrows in its talons. The 3⁄16 inch silver star was identical to the Army Citation Star, but not comparable, as the later recognized "gallantry in action", while the Navy Commendation Star denoted those who had been cited and commended for performance of duty by the Secretary of the Navy. In the center are three bands of blue, the outer stripes are thin with the center stripe being wider. The ribbon is 13⁄8 inches wide primarily of myrtle green. The Secretary of War approved the suggestion and War Department Circular 377 officially recognized the ribbon on Dec. 18, 1945. On the shield bears a pair of flyer's wings and a vertical baton with an eagle's claw at either end; behind the shield are eight lightning bolts. The Commendation Medal was originally only a service ribbon and was first awarded by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard in 1943. Commendation Medals by service and branch, Awards and decorations of the United States government, Awards and decorations of the United States military, Awards and decorations of the United States Coast Guard, "Factsheets : Air Force Commendation Medal", US Army Institute of Heraldry: Army Commendation Medal, Department of the Army, DoD Army Commendation Medal 578.20, US Army Institute of Heraldry: Joint Service Commendation Medal, Inter-service awards and decorations of the United States military, Awards and decorations of the United States Department of the Air Force, Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal, Awards and decorations of the United States Army, Awards and decorations of the United States Department of the Navy, Navy Basic Military Training Honor Graduate, Commandant's Letter of Commendation Ribbon, Silver Excellence-in-Competition Rifle Medal, Silver Pistol Excellence-in-Competition Medal, Bronze Excellence-in-Competition Rifle Medal, Bronze Pistol Excellence-in-Competition Medal, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Commendation_Medal&oldid=990154134, Military awards and decorations of the United States, Awards and decorations of the United States Air Force, Awards and decorations of the United States Navy, Awards and decorations of the United States Marine Corps, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Heroism, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service, "C" Device (for meritorious service or achievement under combat conditions. [8], The Air Force Commendation Medal is a bronze hexagonal medallion. This may include meritorious achievement, service or … In November 1945, an idea was floated around by the personnel division of the WDGAP to create a commendation ribbon to distinguish meritorious service in an area at an occasion for which the Bronze Star Medal may not be awarded. Five Commendation ribbons are awarded by branch or service. The Medal for Armed Forces Non-Combat Meritorious Achievement, Bronze Star Medal in the United States Military, How to Win the Air Medal in the Armed Forces of the United States, Learn About the Soldier's Medal for Acts of Valor, About the Humanitarian Service Medal—Who Receives It and Why, Medal of Honor Award Descriptions and History, The Armed Forces Medal You Can Receive Without Going to War, A U.S. Military Award That Is Available to Citizens of Foreign Nations, What to Know About the Armed Forces' National Defense Service Medal, How the Army Meritorious Unit Commendation Is Earned. This decoration was previously awarded only by flag rank operational commanders, requiring the signature of an admiral or general officer in the grade of O-7, allowing interpretation of the criteria for which the medal may be awarded. [8], Mid-level United States military decoration. The medal may be awarded to a member of another branch of the U.S. Armed Forces or of a friendly foreign nation who, after June 1, 1962, distinguishes themselves by an act of heroism, extraordinary achievement, or significant meritorious service which has been of mutual benefit to the friendly nation and the United States.[3]. Order of Precedence is following the Air Medal but before the Prisoner of War Medal and all campaign medals. Qualifying service for the award of the medal can be for distinctive meritorious achievement and service, acts of courage involving no voluntary risk of life, or sustained meritorious performance of duty. Approval of the award must be made by an officer in the grade of Colonel (O-6) or higher. It has a total of 12 stripes. The reverse bears a panel for naming between the words FOR MILITARY above and MERIT below, all placed above a laurel sprig. On the medallion is an American bald eagle with wings spread horizontally, grasping in its talons three crossed arrows. There are many different honors for those who serve in the military.