Military decorations and medals

Military decorations, military awards, and medals are frequently misunderstood. The decoration is a term used to describe awards that require specific acts of heroism or achievement (such as the British Victoria Cross or the American Silver Star), whereas a service award or campaign medal is given for serving in a specific capacity in a specific geographical area and time frame (such as the Iraq Campaign Medal). An award or decoration may be presented as a medal in either case.

The Roman Republic instituted a complex system of military rewards, including medals known as phalerae, which were given to soldiers and units for a range of accomplishments. In the early modern period, the practice was restored, and medals were worn on the chest as part of the regular military uniform. The Fidelity Medallion was bestowed as a one-time medal by the United States Continental Congress in 1780 to three specific individuals for a specific incident, as was typical of early military decorations. The Badge of Military Merit was founded in 1782 and is usually awarded to non-officers. The Légion d'honneur, established by Napoleon I in 1802, resembled the old military orders but was meant to be significantly more inclusive, and was granted to rank-and-file troops for courage or extraordinary service.

Other nations followed suit, awarding the British Army Gold Medal in 1810, though only to senior officers, and the Prussian Iron Cross in 1813. Medals were not awarded to all combatants in a war or battle until the nineteenth century when the Waterloo Medal was the first British medal awarded to all present at the Battle of Waterloo and all related actions in 1815. By the middle of the nineteenth century, most countries' use of awards had grown to near-modern proportions.

The United States Medals of Honor (l to r: Army, Navy, Air Force) for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty".

An order is the most opulent of military decorations, usually bestowed for remarkable services to a nation or the greater welfare of humanity. Orders differ from other forms of decoration in that they frequently imply participation in a group or organization of individuals who have received the same honor. The Légion d'honneur de France (military and civil) and the Civil Order of the British Empire are two of the most well-known and frequently conferred orders. The tradition of granting orders dates back to medieval knight organizations, some of which still exist and are bestowed. Even though the majority of current orders have no historical connection to knighthood, these terms—such as knight, commander, officer, member, and so forth—remain often used in the ranks of these organizations today. A military order may utilize a medal as its insignia, although the majority usually have a distinctive badge or a special kind of plaque made for an emblem. Click here for Metal Awards Medals.

The Legion of Merit serves this purpose and, unlike any other U.S. military decoration, has classes. The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration bestowed by the U.S. government and is an example of a decoration that is modeled after a military order, despite not explicitly defining itself as such. It is given to a member of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished himself "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States." Each of the three branches of the American armed services has its image on a medal, which is then presented on a star-shaped heraldic symbol. The US Army medal portrays Minerva's head, the US Navy medal depicts Minerva fighting Discord, and the US Air Force medal depicts the Statue of Liberty.

Military decorations, such as medals and orders, are typically bestowed on the recipient during a ceremonial ceremony. Medals are typically worn on more formal occasions and are suspended from a ribbon of the medal's colors on the left breast, whereas a comparable ribbon bar is to be worn in frequent situations where medals would be improper or impracticable to wear.