Military medals can recognize bravery or gallantry, heroism, or meritorious service. They may be awarded for actions during peacetime or war, in defense of civilians or fellow service members, and they can be earned for actions taken during the course of combat or outside of direct military conflict.

The awarding of medals remains one of the most time-honored, cherished, and sacred traditions in the culture and history of the United States Armed Forces. All five branches—the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard—award medals to standout troops and theunits in which they serve. In many cases, the honor is extended to members of the Reserves and National Guard. Military medals can recognize bravery or gallantry, heroism, or meritorious service. They may be awarded for actions during peacetime or war, in defense of civilians or fellow service members, and they can be earned for actions taken during the course of combat or outside of direct military conflict.

Some medals denote extraordinary service in aerial flight, some are specific to ground operations, and others are reserved only for those in the Sea Services. There are medals specific to the issuing branch, while others can be bestowed on any member of any branch of service. Medals can indicate service in a specific conflict, like Afghanistan or the Global War on Terror, or honor individual service. There are even medals issued to entire units.

The Differences Between a Military Decoration and a Military Medal,if you’ve ever looked at the left side of a soldier’s uniform, you’ll see colorful medals, medal with ribbons, badges and insignias. Have you ever wondered what the meaning is behind each of these colorful and ornate items? All military medals, ribbons and badges are collectively known as military decorations, but each type has its own special importance and symbolism. Let’s take a look at the differences between each one to help you get a better understanding of how members of the armed forces show their character, experiences and contributions, and their specific standing and rank, displayed proudly on their uniforms.military medals are actual medallions suspended from ribbons, used to recognize acts of heroism, bravery, achievements or participation in specific military conflicts. The terms “decoration” and “medal” are used almost interchangeably today, but there are recognizable distinctions between them. Medals are awarded for good conduct, participation in a particular campaign or expedition or a noncombatant service and normally come in a round shape. Decorations, are awarded for acts of gallantry and meritorious service and usually have distinctive (and often unique) shapes such as crosses or stars.Campaign or service medals are issued to individuals who participate in particular campaigns or periods of service for which a medal is authorized. The fact that some very prestigious awards have the word “medal” in their titles (e.g.: Medal of Honor), can cause some confusion.

Ribbons—All military medals have a corresponding ribbon and are displayed according to specific protocols and regulations and are service-specific. You might choose to wear your medals on your uniform as part of a mounted medal set or wear your ribbons as part of a ribbon rack. In other words, one can wear the Service Cross as a medal or a ribbon depending on the type of uniform and occasion. To highlight, the Combat Action Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon do not have a corresponding medal and is only displayed with other ribbons. On the other hand, unit citations like the Presidential Unit Citation do have not an associated medal, but are worn over the right breast pocket when medals are worn on the left.

Badges—Though still considered decorations, military badges differ from medals and ribbons because they characterize a military member’s rating, qualifications and specific skills or accomplishments in their service or career field. Badges are usually displayed as metal devices and, like insignia, indicate an individual’s job specialty or proficiency within its service.