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Bronze Star Medal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the US military award. For the campaign attachment, seeservice star.For the Canadian life saving award, seeRoyal Life Saving Society Canada.
"Bronze Star" redirects here. Not to be confused withBronze Award,Bronze medal,orBronze Medallion.

Bronze Star Medal
Front view
TypeMilitary medal (Decoration)
Awarded for"Heroic or meritorious achievement or service"
Presented byDepartment of the Army[1]
Department of the Navy[2]
Department of the Air Force[3]
Department of Homeland Security[4]
Clasps
Army, Air Force, and Space Force –"V" device
StatusCurrently awarded
EstablishedExecutive Order 9419,4 February 1944 (superseded byE.O. 11046,24 August 1962)
First awarded4 February 1944 (retroactive through 7 December 1941)
Last awardedCurrently awarded


Medal ribbon(above) – Reverse side of star (below)
Precedence
Next (higher)Army:Soldier's Medal
Naval Service:Navy and Marine Corps Medal
Air and Space Forces:Airman's Medal
Coast Guard:Coast Guard Medal
Next (lower)Purple Heart

TheBronze Star Medal(BSM) is aUnited States Armed Forces decorationawarded to members of theUnited States Armed Forcesfor either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in acombat zone.

When the medal is awarded by theArmy,Air Force,orSpace Forcefor acts of valor in combat, the"V" deviceis authorized for wear on the medal. When the medal is awarded by theNavy,Marine Corps,orCoast Guardfor acts of valor or meritorious service in combat, theCombat "V"is authorized for wear on the medal.

Officers from the otherUniformed Services of the United Statesare eligible to receive this award, as are foreign soldiers who have served with or alongside a service branch of the United States Armed Forces.[5][6]

Civilians serving with U.S. military forces in combat are also eligible for the award. For example,UPIreporterJoe Gallowaywas awarded the Bronze Star with "V" device for actions during theVietnam War,specifically rescuing a badly wounded soldier under fire in theBattle of Ia DrangValley, in 1965.[7][8]Another civilian recipient was writerErnest Hemingway.[9]

General information

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The Bronze Star Medal was established byExecutive Order9419, 4 February 1944 (superseded by Executive Order 11046, 24 August 1962, as amended by Executive Order 13286, 28 February 2003).[10] The Bronze Star Medal may be awarded by the Secretary of a military department or the Secretary ofHomeland Securitywith regard to theCoast Guardwhen not operating as a service in theDepartment of the Navy,or by such military commanders, or other appropriate officers as the Secretary concerned may designate, to any person who, while serving in any capacity in or with theArmy,Navy,Marine Corps,Air Force,Coast Guard,orSpace Forceof the United States, after 6 December 1941, distinguishes, or has distinguished, herself or himself by heroic or meritorious achievement or service, not involving participation in aerial flight—

(a) while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States;
(b) while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or
(c) 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.

The acts of heroism are of a lesser degree than required for the award of theSilver Star.The acts of merit or acts of valor must be less than that required for theLegion of Meritbut must nevertheless have been meritorious and accomplished with distinction.

The Bronze Star Medal (without the "V" device) may be awarded to each member of the Armed Forces of the United States who, after 6 December 1941, was cited in orders or awarded a certificate for exemplary conduct in ground combat against an armed enemy between 7 December 1941 and 2 September 1945. For this purpose, the US Army'sCombat Infantryman BadgeorCombat Medical Badgeaward is considered as a citation in orders. Documents executed since 4 August 1944 in connection with recommendations for the award of decorations of higher degree than the Bronze Star Medal cannot be used as the basis for an award under this paragraph.

Effective 11 September 2001, theMeritorious Service Medalmay also be bestowed in lieu of the Bronze Star Medal (without Combat "V" device) for meritorious achievement in a designated combat theater.[11]

Appearance

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The Bronze Star Medal was designed by Rudolf Freund (1878–1960) of the jewelry firmBailey, Banks & Biddle.[12](Freund also designed theSilver Star.[13])

The medal is abronzestar1+1⁄2inches (38 mm) in circumscribing diameter. In the center is a3⁄16inch (4.8 mm) diameter superimposed bronze star, the center line of all rays of both stars coinciding. The reverse bears the inscription"HEROIC OR MERITORIOUS ACHIEVEMENT"with a space for the name of the recipient to be engraved. The star hangs from its ribbon by a rectangular metal loop with rounded corners. The suspension ribbon is1+3⁄8inches (35 mm) wide and consists of the following stripes:1⁄32inch (0.79 mm) white 67101;9⁄16inch (14 mm) scarlet 67111;1⁄32inch (0.79 mm) white; center stripe1⁄8inch (3.2 mm) ultramarine blue 67118;1⁄32inch (0.79 mm) white;9⁄16inch (14 mm) scarlet; and1⁄32inch (0.79 mm) white.[14]

Authorized devices

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The Bronze Star Medal with the "V" device to denote heroism is the fourth highest military decoration for valor. Although a service member may be cited for heroism in combat and be awarded more than one Bronze Star authorizing the "V" device, only one "V" may be worn on each suspension andservice ribbonof the medal.[15][16]The following ribbon devices must be specifically authorized in the award citation in order to be worn on the Bronze Star Medal, the criteria for and wear of the devices vary between the services:

  • Oak leaf cluster– In theArmy,Air Force,andSpace Force,[17]the oak leaf cluster is worn to denote additional awards.
  • 5/16inch star– In theNavy,Marine Corps,andCoast Guard,the5/16inch star is worn to denote additional awards.[16]
  • "V" device– In the Army, the "V" is worn solely to denote "participation in acts of heroism involving conflict with an armed enemy.";[17]in the Air Force and Space Force, the "V" is worn to denote heroism in combat.
  • Combat "V" – In the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, the "V" is worn to denote combat heroism or to recognize individuals who are "exposed to personal hazard during direct participation in combat operations".[2][15]

History

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An example of an army Bronze Star Medal citation, given for combat valor.
MarineCol. Richard E. Edgington after being awarded a Bronze Star

ColonelRussell P. "Red" Reederconceived the idea of the Bronze Star Medal in 1943; he believed it would aid morale if captains of companies or of batteries could award a medal to deserving people serving under them. Reeder felt another medal was needed as a ground equivalent of theAir Medal,and suggested calling the proposed new award the "Ground Medal".[18]The idea eventually rose through the military bureaucracy and gained supporters. GeneralGeorge C. Marshall,in a memorandum to PresidentFranklin D. Rooseveltdated 3 February 1944, wrote

The fact that the ground troops, Infantry in particular, lead miserable lives of extreme discomfort and are the ones who must close inpersonal combatwith the enemy, makes the maintenance of their morale of great importance. The award of the Air Medal has had an adverse reaction on the ground troops, particularly the Infantry Riflemen who are now suffering the heaviest losses, air or ground, in the Army, and enduring the greatest hardships.

The Air Medal had been adopted two years earlier to raise airmen's morale. President Roosevelt authorized the Bronze Star Medal byExecutive Order9419 dated 4 February 1944, retroactive to 7 December 1941. This authorization was announced in War Department Bulletin No. 3, dated 10 February 1944.

PresidentJohn F. Kennedyamended Executive Order 9419 per Executive Order 11046 dated 24 August 1962 to expand the authorization to include those serving with friendly forces. This allowed for awards where US service members become involved in an armed conflict where the United States was not a belligerent. At the time of the Executive Order, for example, the US was not a belligerent in Vietnam, so US advisers serving with the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces would not have been eligible for the award.

Since the award criteria state that the Bronze Star Medal may be awarded to "any person... while serving in any capacity in or with" the US Armed Forces, awards to members of foreign armed services serving with the United States are permitted. Thus, a number of Allied soldiers received the Bronze Star Medal inWorld War II,as well as UN soldiers in theKorean War,Vietnamese and allied forces in theVietnam War,and coalition forces in recent military operations such as thePersian Gulf War,War in Afghanistan,and theIraq War.A number of Bronze Star Medals with the "V" device were awarded to veterans of theBattle of Mogadishu.

World War II infantry award

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As a result of a study conducted in 1947, a policy was implemented that authorized the retroactive award of the Bronze Star Medal (without the "V" device) to all soldiers who had received theCombat Infantryman Badgeor theCombat Medical BadgeduringWorld War II.The basis for this decision was that these badges were awarded only to soldiers who had borne the hardships which resulted in General Marshall's support of the establishment of the Bronze Star Medal. Both badges required a recommendation by the commander and a citation in orders.[14]

U.S. Air Force criteria controversy

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See also:Medal inflation

In 2012, two U.S. airmen were allegedly subjected tocyber-bullyingafter receiving Bronze Star Medals for meritorious non-combat service. The two airmen, who had received the medals in March 2012, had been financeNCOICsin medical units deployed to theWar in Afghanistan.The awards sparked a debate as to whether or not the Air Force was awarding too many medals to its members, and whether the Bronze Star should be awarded for non-combat service.[19]This prompted the Air Force to take down stories of the two posted to the internet, and to clarify its criteria for awarding medals. The Air Force contended that meritorious service awards of the Bronze Star outnumber valor awards, and that it views awards on a case-by-case basis to maintain the integrity of the award.[20]

This is not the first time that the USAF has been criticized for offering this award. The Department of Defense investigated the award of the Bronze Star Medal (BSM) by the USAF to some 246 individuals after operations in Kosovo in 1999. All but 60 were awarded to officers, and only 16 of those awarded were actually in the combat zone. At least five were awarded to officers who never leftWhiteman Air Force Basein Missouri. During this campaign, the Navy had awarded 69 BSMs, and the Army with 5,000 troops in neighboring Albania (considered part of the combat zone) awarded none.[21][22]In the end, there was a Pentagon review and decision by Congress in 2001 to stop the awarding of Bronze Stars to personnel outside the combat zone.[23]

Notable recipients

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Jim Mattis
George S. Patton

References

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  1. ^"Army Regulation 600–8–22: Military Awards"(PDF).Department of the Army.11 December 2006. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 11 January 2018.Retrieved10 January2018.
  2. ^ab"SecNav Instruction 1650.1h: Navy And Marine Corps Awards Manual"(PDF).Department of the Navy.22 August 2006. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 16 February 2012.Retrieved16 February2012.
  3. ^"The Air Force Military Awards and Decorations Program"(PDF).Department of the Air Force.8 February 2018. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 9 October 2018.Retrieved10 January2018.
  4. ^"Coast Guard Military Medals And Awards Manual"(PDF).Department of Homeland Security.15 August 2016.Archived(PDF)from the original on 9 October 2022.
  5. ^"PHS Officer Awarded Bronze Star for Year Long Deployment in Afghanistan".Commissioned Officers Association of the USPHS Inc.22 July 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 7 April 2014.Retrieved12 December2009.
  6. ^"Australian officer awarded US Bronze Star".The Age.Australian Associated Press. 16 March 2005. Archived fromthe originalon 14 October 2008.Retrieved7 December2012.
  7. ^Galloway, Joseph L. (10 November 2015)."From the front lines of Ia Drang Valley: 'Killing, dying and suffering indelibly marked us all'".Stars and Stripes.Retrieved29 October2016.
  8. ^"Joseph L. Galloway".We Were Soldiers.Archived fromthe originalon 11 August 2016.
  9. ^Hemingway on War and Its AftermathNational Archives and Records Administration.Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  10. ^"Title 32, Volume 3, Section 578.16 Bronze Star Medal".Code of Federal Regulations.Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1 January 2008. pp. 390–391. Archived fromthe originalon 14 March 2012.
  11. ^"Title 32, Volume 3, Section 578.18 Meritorious Service Medal".Code of Federal Regulations.Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1 July 2008.Archivedfrom the original on 8 November 2012.
  12. ^"Fact Sheet: Bronze Star".U.S. Air Force.23 August 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 22 October 2013.
  13. ^"Bronze Star".Orders and Medals Society of America.Archived fromthe originalon 12 January 2012.
  14. ^ab"Bronze Star Medal".Institute of Heraldry.Archived fromthe originalon 1 November 2013.
  15. ^ab"2013 UNHCR country operations profile – Afghanistan".UNHCR.Archived fromthe originalon 26 September 2013.
  16. ^ab"Department of Defense Manual 1348.33 Volume 3"(PDF).Defense Technical Information Center.23 November 2010. pp. 51–53. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 26 February 2013.Retrieved1 July2012.
  17. ^ab"Army Regulation 600-8-22, Military Awards"(PDF).Department of the Army.24 June 2013. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 22 July 2011.Retrieved16 January2015.
  18. ^Reeder, Col. Red(1966).Born at Reveille.New York City:Duell, Sloan and Pearce.p. 218.
  19. ^Schogol, Jeff (16 April 2012)."Tech. sgts. take heat after receiving medals".Air Force Times.Archived fromthe originalon 20 December 2016.
  20. ^Lyle, Amaani (24 April 2012)."Air Force officials clarify Bronze Star approval process".U.S. Air Force.Retrieved25 April2012.
  21. ^Anderson, Jon R.; Vinch, Chuck (8 June 2000)."Pentagon reviewing Bronze Star awards".Stars and Stripes.Retrieved29 December2014.
  22. ^Anderson, Jon R. (18 June 2000)."Air Force to award 61 more Bronze Stars".Stars and Stripes.Retrieved29 December2014.
  23. ^Spencer, Jim (1 November 2000)."Bronze Star Shines Again As Combat Award".Daily Press.Retrieved29 December2014.
  24. ^"Charles Mergendahl Dies, Bay Street TV Editor, Author".The Boston Globe.30 April 1959. p. 26.Retrieved13 January2022.
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