Notes on Army Medals

Notes on Army Medals Philippine Liberation Medal Ribbon: (1 battle star)
Criteria: Awarded to any service member, of both Philippine and allied militaries, who participated in the liberation of the Philippine Islands between the dates of October 17, 1944 and September 2, 1945. To be awarded the medal, a service member must have served in the Philippines for at least thirty days during the eligible time period, or must have participated in one of the following actions: Participation in the initial landing operation of Leyte and adjoining islands from October 7 to October 20, 1944; or Participation in any engagement against hostile Japanese forces during the Philippine Liberation Campaign of October 17, 1944 to September 2, 1945. Personnel who are awarded the medal for participation in the above mentioned operations are authorized a service star to the Philippine Liberation Medal. Personnel who earned the medal for general service during the eligible time period are awarded the medal without device. Attachments: Bronze Star Device. Note: This service ribbon is issued by the military along with an accompanying medal. Check the appropriate Branch of Service category for purchase of its medal counterpart.

Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal and ribbon- WWII (2 bronze battle stars, 1 bronze arrowhead
Criteria: Awarded to any member of the United States military who served in the Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945. There were twenty one official campaigns of the Pacific Theater, denoted on with a service star. The arrowhead device is authorized for those campaigns involving amphibious assaults. Credible campaigns for the Pacific Theater are as follows: Philippine Islands 7 Dec 41 - 10 May 42; Burma, 1942 7 Dec 41 - 26 May 42; Central Pacific 7 Dec 41 - 6 Dec 43; East Indies 1 Jan 42 - 22 Jul 42; India-Burma 2 Apr 42 - 28 Jan 45; Air Offensive, Japan 17 Apr 42 - 2 Sep 45; Aleutian Islands 3 Jun 42 - 24 Aug 43; China Defensive 4 Jul 42 - 4 May 45; Papua 23 Jul 42 - 23 Jan 43; Guadalcanal 7 Aug 42 - 21 Feb 43; New Guinea 24 Jan 43 - 31 Dec 44; Northern Solomons 22 Feb 43 - 21 Nov 44; Eastern Mandates 7 Dec 43 - 14 Jun 44; Bismarck Archipelago 15 Dec 43 - 27 Nov 44; Western Pacific 17 Apr 44 - 2 Sep 45; Leyte 17 Oct 44 - 1 Jul 45; Luzon 15 Dec 44 - 4 Jul 45; Central Burma 29 Jan 45 - 15 Jul 45; Southern Philippines 27 Feb 45 - 4 Jul 45; Ryukyus 26 Mar 45 - 2 Jul 45; China Offensive 5 May 45 - 2 Sep 45. Additionally, the following Pacific Theater �blanket� campaigns qualify - but without service stars: Antisubmarine 7 Dec 41 - 2 Sep 45; Ground Combat: 7 Dec 41 - 2 Sep 45; Air Combat: 7 Dec 41 - 2 Sep 45.

World War II (WW II) Army of Occupation Service Medal
Criteria: Awarded for 30 days consecutive service while assigned to: Germany (excluding Berlin) between 9 May 1945 and 5 May 1955; Austria between 9 May 1945 and 27 July 1955; Berlin between 9 May 1945 and 2 October 1990. Service between 9 May and 8 November 1945 may be counted only if the EAME Campaign Medal was awarded for service prior to 9 May 1945; Italy between 9 May 1945 and 15 September 1947 in the compartment of Venezia Giulia E. Zara or Province of Udine, or with a unit in Italy designated in DA General Order 4, 1947; Japan between 3 September 1945 and 27 April 1952 in the four main islands of Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu; the surrounding smaller islands of the Japanese homeland; the Ryukyu Islands; and the Bonin-Volcano Islands; Korea between 3 September 1945 and 29 June 1949. Other special scenario awards may be applicable. Attachments: Berlin Airplane Device - Mounted, Japan Bar Device, Germany Bar Device

Army Good Conduct Medal
Criteria: Awarded to any enlisted member of the United States Army who completes three consecutive years of "honorable and faithful service.� Such service implies that a standard enlistment was completed without any non-judicial punishments, disciplinary infractions, or court martial offenses. If a service member commits an offense, the three-year mark "resets" and a service member must perform an additional three years of discipline free service before the Good Conduct may be authorized. During times of war, the Army Good Conduct Medal may be awarded for one year of faithful service. The medal may also be awarded posthumously, to any soldier killed in the line of duty. To denote additional decorations of the award, a series of Good Conduct Knots are provided as attachments to the decoration. Service for the Army Good Conduct Medal must be performed on active duty and the medal is not awarded to members of the Army reserve or National Guard who are not federalized to active service. For those Reserve and Guard members who satisfactorily perform annual training and drill duty, however, the Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal may be awarded in lieu. Attachments: Bronze Good Conduct Knot Device, Silver Good Conduct Knot Device.

Combat Infantry Badge
Criteria: Presented to Army infantry enlisted soldiers, infantry or special forces officers in the grade of Colonel or below, or warrant officers with an infantry or special forces MOS - who subsequent to December 6, 1941, has satisfactorily performed duty while assigned or attached as a member of an infantry, ranger or special forces unit of brigade, regimental, or smaller size during any period such unit was engaged in active ground combat. Eligibility for Special Forces personnel (less the Special Forces medical sergeant) accrues from December 20, 1989. Retroactive awards for Special Forces personnel are not authorized. A recipient must be personally present and under hostile fire while serving in an assigned infantry or special forces primary duty, in a unit actively engaged in ground combat with the enemy. The unit in question can be of any size smaller than brigade. Personnel with other than an infantry or special forces MOS are not eligible, regardless of the circumstances. Awards will not be made to general officers nor to members of headquarters companies of units larger in size than brigade. Second and third awards of the CIB are indicated by superimposing 1 and 2 stars respectively, centered at the top of the badge between the points of the oak wreath. It, and the simultaneously created Expert Infantryman Badge were created with the primary goal of recognizing the sacrifices of the infantrymen who were disproportionately likely to be killed or wounded during World War II.

Bronze Star Medal
Criteria: A U.S. Armed Forces individual military decoration and the fourth-highest award for bravery, heroism or meritorious service. Awarded to a member of the military who, while serving in or with the military of the United States after December 6, 1941, distinguished him or herself by heroic or meritorious achievement or service, not involving participation in aerial flight, while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. Awards may be made for acts of heroism, performed under circumstances described above, which are of lesser degree than required for the award of the Silver Star. Awards may also be made to recognize single acts of merit or meritorious service. The required achievement or service while of lesser degree than that required for the award of the Legion of Merit must nevertheless have been meritorious and accomplished with distinction. To be eligible for the Bronze Star Medal, a military member must be getting hostile fire/imminent danger pay, during the event for which the medal is to be awarded. The Bronze Star Medal is typically referred to by its full name (including the word "Medal") to differentiate the decoration from bronze service stars which are worn on campaign medals and service awards.
Policy change in 1947:
Retired Gen. George C. Marshall, the Chief of Staff during WWII, convinced Congress that the combat infantryman and combat medics bore the brunt of close combat during WWII. Now, any member that received a Combat Infantryman Badge or a Combat Medic Badge is eligible to receive the Bronze Star Medal.

Expert Infantry Badge
The Combat Infantry Badge takes precedence over the Expert Infantry Badge - which was awarded following a testing phase which is the culmination of weeks of training, leading to a final evaluation period.

American Campaign Medal lapel pin

American Defense Medal lapel pin

WWII Victory Medal and ribbon

Marksman (Rifle, with bayonet)

Expert (Carbine)

WESTCOM USARPAC CLASS A ACU patch

81st Army Reserve Command ACU patch

WWII Honorable Discharge lapel pin

323rd Infantry Regiment insignia:
"LE BON VOULCIR SERVIR LE PAYS"
("The Good Will To Serve The Country")

Source: USA MILITARY MEDALS