last updated 21 Nov 2007
Below you will find two pages of ribbons worn on US military uniforms for medals and awards up through the Korean War. Check the links below for ribbons awarded after the Korean War. Understand there are ribbons and there are medals. Every medal also has a corresponding ribbon (Silver Star), some ribbons are ribbons only, with no corresponding medal (Presidential Unit Citation). A military decoration (a medal) is awarded to an individual for a specific achievement. These medals are always a distinctive shape. A service medal is awarded to all participants in a specific campaign in a specific part of the world. Service medals are always circular. Every participant in World War II who served on active duty at any time between 7 Dec 1941 to 31 Dec 1946 was awarded the World War II Victory Medal. Every member of the military who served in the Asiatic Pacific area at any time from 7 Dec 1941 to 2 Mar 1946 was awarded the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal. It is usually possible for you to identify ribbons on a uniform which may have been in a closet for 50 years or more. Simply put it next to your computer screen as you view the pages below. Some will be faded. You can also go to one of the links given after the pages to see the order the ribbons should appear on the uniform, starting at the top and working down from left to right. Many veterans of World War II were not given their medals and ribbons until being discharged and many times they have them out of sequence on their uniforms. Many veterans never received the medals they should have. You can correct this today by applying for those medals. Details are below. Standard medals for a returning North China Marine would be: Purple Heart (maybe-see link below)Good Conduct Medal (3 years good conduct needed), perhaps with bar for second award American Defense Service Medal w/base clasp Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal. Those Marines stationed in China anywhere between 7 Jul 1937 and 7 Sep 1939 would also qualify for the China Service Medal. All POWs are now entitled to the POW Medal (and ribbon) which did not exist until much later. Ordering information is below. The last link below has both ribbons and medals.
Prisoner of War ribbon
1. Medal of Honor 2. Brevet Medal, USMC 3. Distinguished Service Cross 4. Certificate of Merit 5. Navy Cross 6. Soldier's Medal 7. Navy/Marine Corps Medal 8. Coast Guard Medal 9. Bronze Star 10. Air Medal 11. Specially Meritorious Medal 12. Distinguished Unit Citation 13. Presidential Unit Citation (today #12 is called the Presidential Unit Citation) 14. Navy Unit Commendation 15. Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 16. Good Conduct CG 17. Organized USMC Reserve Medal 18. Naval Reserve Medal 19. Dewey Medal 20. Sampson Medal 21. Civil War Campaign 22. Indian Campaign 23. Exp Medal USMC 24. Exp Medal Navy 25. Spanish Campaign 26. China Campaign 27. Cuban Pacification 28. Nicaraguan Campaign 1912 29. Mexican Service 30. Haitian Campaign 1915, 1919-20 31. Yangtze Service 32. China Service 33. American Defense Service 34. American Campaign 35. Euro-African-Middle East Campaign 36. National Defense Service 37. Korean Service 38. Armed Forces Reserve 39. Marine Corps Reserve 40. AF Longevity Service 41. Merchant Marine Combat Bar 42. Merchant Marine Defense Bar 43. MerMar Atlantic War Zone Bar 44. MerMar Mediterranean-Mid East War Zone Bar 45. MerMar Pacific War Zone Bar 46. Distinguished Civilian Service 47. Outstanding Civilian Service 48. Exceptional Civilian Service 49. Meritorious Civilian Service 50. Distinguished Public Service Award, Navy
1. Distinguished Service, Army 2. Distinguished Service, Navy 3. Silver Star 4. Legion of Merit 5. Distinguished Flying Cross 6. Commendation Medal, Army 7. Commendation, Navy 8. Commendation, AF 9. Commendation, CG 10. Purple Heart 11. Gold Life Saving 12. Silver Life Saving 13. Good Conduct, Army 14. Good Conduct, USMC 15. Good Conduct, Navy 16. Peary Polar Expedition 17. NC-4 Medal 18. Byrd Antarctic Exp Medal 19. Second Byrd Ant Exp 20. US Ant Exp 21. Spanish War Service 22. Army of Cuban Occupation 23. Army of Puerto Rican Occupation 24. Philippine Campaign 25. Philippine Congressional 26. Mexican Border Service 27. Dominican Campaign 28. Victory Medal WW I 29. Occupation of Germany 30. Second Nicaraguan Campaign 31. Asiatic Pacific Campaing 32. Women's Army Corps Service 33. Victory Medal WWII 34. Occupation Service 35. Medal for Humane Action 36. United Nations Service 37. MerMar Distinguished Service 38. MerMar Meritorious Service 39. MerMar Gallant Service 40. Mariner's Medal 41. MerMar Victory WWII 42. MerMar Korean Service Bar 43. Medal for Merit 44. National Security Medal 45. Medal for Freedom 46. AF Exceptional Service 47. Distinguished Service Medal of NASA 48. American Typhus Commission Medal 49. Selective Service Medal 50. Bailey Medal
Use the following links to view ribbons since World War II and to see the proper sequence for wearing them on the uniform. The second link will help explain arrowheads, stars on the campaign ribbons, and so on.
To obtain replacement medals - do a Google search for "Standard Form 180" This will get you any number of sites where you can download the form (Form 180) which must be filled out and sent in. Allow six months or more for a reply. Simply follow directions with the form. An individual can do this for their own medals, or a relative can request medals. I used to have a link here but the sites kept changing. Just do the Google search for a current site.
To apply for a Purple Heart - do a Google search for "how to apply for a Purple Heart" This will get you a Form 180 and directions for a Purple Heart request. You will need two buddy letters to go with the request, letters from witnesses. The process may take a while. It took us five years of submitting papers and making phone calls. Even with buddy letters you may not be successful. Some of the people you deal with in this process seem to be petty bureaucrats.
The above is a commercial site but has all the medals and ribbons for all branches.
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