Bronze Star Medal

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
  • Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard – Combat "V"
StatusCurrently awarded
EstablishedExecutive Order 9419, 4 February 1944 (superseded by E.O. 11046, 24 August 1962)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

The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone.

When the medal is awarded by the Army, Air Force, or Space Force for acts of valor in combat, the "V" device is authorized for wear on the medal. When the medal is awarded by the Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard for acts of valor or meritorious service in combat, the Combat "V" is authorized for wear on the medal.

Officers from the other Uniformed Services of the United States are 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, UPI reporter Joe Galloway was awarded the Bronze Star with "V" device for actions during the Vietnam War, specifically rescuing a badly wounded soldier under fire in the Battle of Ia Drang Valley, in 1965.[7][8] Another civilian recipient was writer Ernest Hemingway.[9]

  1. ^ "Army Regulation 600–8–22: Military Awards" (PDF). Department of the Army. 11 December 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  2. ^ "SecNav Instruction 1650.1h: Navy And Marine Corps Awards Manual" (PDF). Department of the Navy. 22 August 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  3. ^ "The Air Force Military Awards and Decorations Program" (PDF). Department of the Air Force. 8 February 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 October 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  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 from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2009.
  6. ^ "Australian officer awarded US Bronze Star". The Age. Australian Associated Press. 16 March 2005. Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  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. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  8. ^ "Joseph L. Galloway". We Were Soldiers. Archived from the original on 11 August 2016.
  9. ^ Hemingway on War and Its Aftermath National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved January 12, 2022.

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