| Commendation Medals | |
|---|---|
     Five Commendation Medals are awarded by branch or service. From left to right: Joint Service, Army, Naval Service, Air and Space Forces, and Coast Guard. | |
| Type | Military medal (decoration) |
| Awarded for | Heroism, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service |
| Presented by | United States Department of Defense United States Department of the Army[1] United States Department of the Navy[2] United States Department of the Air Force[3] United States Department of Homeland Security[4] |
| Eligibility | Military personnel only |
| Status | Currently awarded |
| Established | Naval Service: 1943 Coast Guard: 1943 Army: 1945 Air and Space Forces: 1958 Joint Service: 1963 |
     Five Commendation ribbons are awarded by branch or service. Top row: Joint Service, Army. Bottom row: Naval Service, Air and Space Forces, Coast Guard. | |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Army, Naval Service, and Coast Guard: Air Medal Air and Space Forces: Aerial Achievement Medal |
| Next (lower) | Joint Service Achievement Medal |
The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth version existing for acts of joint military service performed under the Department of Defense.
The Commendation Medal was originally only a service ribbon and was first awarded by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard in 1943. An Army Commendation Ribbon followed in 1945 and in 1949 the Navy, Coast Guard, and Army Commendation ribbons were renamed the "Commendation Ribbon with Metal Pendant". By 1960 the Commendation Ribbons had been authorized as full medals and were subsequently referred to as Commendation Medals.
Additional awards of the Army and Air and Space Commendation Medals are denoted by bronze and silver oak leaf clusters. The Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and Coast Guard Commendation Medal are authorized gold and silver 5/16 inch stars to denote additional awards. The Operational Distinguishing Device ("O" device) is authorized for wear on the Coast Guard Commendation Medal upon approval of the awarding authority. Order of Precedence is following the Air Medal but before the Prisoner of War Medal and all campaign medals. Each of the military services also awards separate Achievement Medals which are below the Commendation Medals in precedence.
- ^ "Army Regulation 600–8–22" (PDF). Department of the Army. December 11, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 11, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ "SECNAV Instruction 1650.1H" (PDF). U.S. Navy Awards. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 18, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ "Production publication" (PDF). static.e-publishing.af.mil. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 27, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ "Data" (PDF). media.defense.gov. 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 4, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2021.