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- "V" device– In the Army, the "V" is worn solely to denote "participation in acts of heroism involving conflict with an armed enemy.";[18]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"
Bronze Star MedalFront viewTypeMilitary 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]ClaspsArmy, Air Force, and Space Force –"V" device
- Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard –Combat "V"
StatusCurrently awardedEstablishedExecutive Order 9419, 4 February 1944 (superseded byE.O. 11046, 24 August 1962)First awarded4 February 1944 (retroactive through 7 December 1941)Last awardedCurrently awardedMedal ribbon(above) – Reverse side of star Medal
Naval Service:Navy and Marine Corps Medal
Air and Space Forces:Airman's Medal
Coast Guard:Coast Guard MedalNext(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[edit]
The Bronze Star Medal was established byExecutive Order9419, 4 February 1944 (superseded by Executive Order 11046, 24 August 1962, as amended by Executive Order 13286, 28 February 2003).[10]The Bronze Star Medal may be awarded by the Secretary of a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,Space Force, or Coast Guard of 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.
Most Filipino and American servicemembers who served in theUnited States Army Forces in the Far Eastfrom 6 December 1941 to 10 May 1942 qualify to be awarded the Bronze Star Medal. They must have served onLuzon,Bataan, orCorregidorat any point within that five-month period in order to qualify.[11]
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.[12]
Appearance[edit]
The Bronze Star Medal was designed by Rudolf Freund (1878–1960) of the jewelry firmBailey, Banks & offerdle.[13](Freund also designed theSilver Star.[14])
The medal is abronzestar1+1⁄2inches (38mm) in circumscribing diameter. In the center is a3⁄16inch (4.8mm) 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 (35mm) wide and consists of the following stripes:1⁄32inch (0.79mm) white 67101;9⁄16inch (14mm) scarlet 67111;1⁄32inch (0.79mm) white; center stripe1⁄8inch (3.2mm) ultramarine blue 67118;1⁄32inch (0.79mm) white;9⁄16inch (14mm) scarlet; and1⁄32inch (0.79mm) white.[15]
Authorized devices[edit]
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.[16][17]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,[18]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.[17]
- "V" device– In the Army, the "V" is worn solely to denote "participation in acts of heroism involving conflict with an armed enemy.";[18]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 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".[19]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[edit]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.[1
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