What does an oak leaf mean on a medal ribbon?
a U.S. military decoration in the form of a small bronze twig bearing four oak leaves and three acorns, worn on the ribbon of another decoration for valor, wounds, or distinguished service to signify a second award of the same medal.
What do the oak leaf clusters mean?
Definition of oak-leaf cluster : a bronze or silver cluster of oak leaves and acorns added to various military decorations to signify a second or subsequent award of the basic decoration.
What medals did Vietnam veterans get?
United States. Several decorations (Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal, Commendation Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal) may be awarded for valor, or for merit.
What is a Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster?
Criteria: Exclusively administered by the U.S. Army and Air Force (with the exception of Department of Defense awards), the Oak Leaf Cluster device is used to denote subsequent awards of a particular military decoration. Multiple Oak Leaf Clusters indicate the number of decorations received.
What does an Oak Leaf Cluster look like?
An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem.
How do you put an Oak Leaf Cluster on a ribbon?
Personnel wear oak leaf clusters centered on the service ribbon and suspension ribbon, with the stems of the leaves pointing to the wearer’s right. If four oak leaf clusters are worn on the suspension ribbon on either full-size or miniature medals, the fourth one is placed above the middle one in the row of three.
What does a leaf on a medal mean?
In Commonwealth countries, a bronze oak leaf signifies a Mention in Despatches, and is worn as a gallantry award in its own right, rather than to signify multiple instances of campaign service. The Commonwealth equivalent of a United States oak leaf cluster is a medal bar worn with a campaign medal.
How many oak leaf clusters can you have?
Personnel may wear no more than four oak leaf clusters on each ribbon. If the receipt of future awards reduces the number of oak leaf clusters sufficiently (that is, a silver oak leaf for five awards), personnel will remove the second ribbon and place the appropriate number of devices on a single ribbon.
What does the Vietnam Service Medal look like?
The front of the Vietnam Service Medal consists of a figure of an oriental dragon behind a grove of bamboo trees that represents the subversive nature of the conflict, and the inscription reads “REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM SERVICE”.
What is the difference between the Vietnam Service Medal and the Vietnam Campaign Medal?
The Vietnam Service Medal is a U.S. medal introduced during the War. It was authorized by an executive order in 1965. The Republic of Vietnam Campaign medal is what is known as a foreign award, a military decoration or medal that is awarded to American troops who aided that country in a conflict.
What does Bronze Star on Vietnam Service Medal mean?
The Bronze Star is awarded for meritorious service or acts of valor while serving in combat operations. The Bronze Star is the fourth-highest combat award of the U.S. Armed Forces and the ninth-highest military award (including combat and non-combat) in order of precedence of U.S. Military decorations.
Is a Bronze Star a big deal?
The Bronze Star Medal, or BSM, dates back to World War II. Today, it is the fourth-highest ranking award a service member can receive for a heroic and meritorious deed performed in an armed conflict. For those who receive the BSM, it is a signal of their sacrifice, bravery and honor while serving their country.
What is the Vietnam Service Medal?
Established on July 8, 1965, the Vietnam Service Medal honors members of the United States military who carried out service in the Vietnam War.
What does the Medal of Honor for Vietnam look like?
The medal features the image of a dragon in a bamboo grove and an inscription reading “REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM SERVICE.” The reverse of the medal features a crossbow and a torch alight as well as an inscription reading “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.”
What does SCM stand for in the Bronze Star Medal?
SCM: This probably indicates a Joint Service Commendation Medal that is more often abbreviated as JSCM The citation for the Bronze Star Medal and possibly some of the other awards should be in your father’s Official Military Personnel File (OMPF).
How do you indicate subsequent awards in the Navy?
Subsequent awards may be indicated by service stars, oak leaf clusters, or the Fleet Marine Device as appropriate.