United States Navy awards and decorations
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| United States Navy awards and decorations | |
|---|---|
| Name | United States Navy awards and decorations |
| Presented by | United States Department of the Navy |
| Type | Military decorations |
| Eligibility | United States Navy and United States Marine Corps personnel |
| Status | Currently awarded |
United States Navy awards and decorations are military awards authorized by the United States Department of the Navy to recognize the service, achievements, and valor of its personnel. These honors form a comprehensive system that includes personal decorations for heroism or meritorious service, unit awards for collective action, and service medals for participation in specific campaigns or duties. The system is shared with the United States Marine Corps and is an integral part of the broader United States Armed Forces awards and decorations hierarchy, governed by strict regulations outlined in Navy regulations and Secretary of the Navy instructions.
Overview
The modern system of United States Navy honors traces its origins to the American Civil War, with the establishment of the Medal of Honor in 1861, which remains the nation's highest military decoration. Over time, the system expanded significantly during World War I, World War II, and the Korean War to recognize a wider range of service and sacrifice. Today, the program is managed by the Navy Personnel Command and encompasses awards for actions in conflicts from the Vietnam War to ongoing operations in the Global War on Terrorism. These awards serve to honor individual gallantry, commend exceptional leadership or achievement, and denote qualification in specific warfare areas, such as the Surface Warfare Badge or Naval Aviator insignia.
Categories of awards
Navy awards are formally divided into several distinct categories. Personal decorations are awarded for acts of heroism, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service, with the Navy Cross and Silver Star being among the most prestigious. Unit awards, such as the Navy Unit Commendation, are presented to entire ships, squadrons, or other commands for collective heroism or achievement. Service and campaign awards, like the National Defense Service Medal or Afghanistan Campaign Medal, recognize participation in specific military operations or periods of service. Good conduct medals, including the Navy Good Conduct Medal, are awarded for exemplary behavior, while training and qualification badges, such as the Combat Action Ribbon or Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist pin, denote specific skills or experiences.
Order of precedence
The order of precedence for wearing awards is strictly defined by United States Department of Defense directives and United States Navy Uniform Regulations. Personal decorations are worn first, in descending order of precedence from the Medal of Honor, followed by the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Navy Distinguished Service Medal, and so on. Unit awards follow personal decorations, and service and campaign medals are worn last, generally in chronological order of the service period they represent. Foreign awards are typically placed after all U.S. decorations, and miniature medals are worn on formal evening dress uniforms. This order is standardized across the United States Armed Forces to ensure uniformity and respect for the hierarchy of honors.
Notable individual decorations
The highest personal decoration for naval service is the Medal of Honor, awarded for conspicuous gallantry at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. The Navy Cross, second only to the Medal of Honor, is awarded for extraordinary heroism in combat. Other significant combat valor awards include the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Bronze Star Medal. For non-combat meritorious achievement or service, key decorations are the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, and Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal. The Purple Heart is awarded to those wounded or killed in action against an enemy of the United States.
Unit awards
Unit awards recognize collective performance and foster esprit de corps. The premier unit award is the Presidential Unit Citation, awarded for extraordinary heroism in action. The Navy Unit Commendation is given for outstanding heroism or meritorious service, while the Meritorious Unit Commendation recognizes sustained meritorious performance. Specific campaign participation is acknowledged by awards like the Navy E Ribbon for battle efficiency. These awards are authorized for entire commands, including ships like the USS Constitution, aviation squadrons like VF-84, and ground units of the United States Marine Corps.
Service and campaign awards
This category includes medals awarded for service in specific geographic areas, wars, or operations. Examples include the Korean Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, and Iraq Campaign Medal. The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal covers smaller operations, while the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal recognize service in that ongoing conflict. Long-term service is recognized by the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and Navy Arctic Service Ribbon. These medals provide a historical record of a service member's deployments and participation in key events like the Gulf War or operations in Kosovo.
Obtaining and wearing awards
Awards are typically recommended by a service member's chain of command, with endorsements moving up to the appropriate award authority, which can range from a commanding officer to the President of the United States. Recommendations for high-level decorations like the Medal of Honor undergo rigorous review, often involving the Congress of the United States. Once approved, awards are entered into the service member's official record maintained by the Navy Personnel Command. The rules for wearing awards on various uniforms, from Service Dress Blue to Dinner Dress Jacket, are detailed in the United States Navy Uniform Regulations, with ribbons typically worn on the left breast and certain badges, like the Navy SEAL insignia, worn on the right.