MyMilitaryMedals.com Blog
Military Ribbons are only a Reminder of Service
January 4th 2012 - 9:40 am
I have noticed over the years that there are some families that have many members of their family in the United States armed forces, and that there are others that hardly have a person in the military. I sometimes think that some people think that they are above the military, or that it is below them, either way I think that they are wrong. My dedication to the US military is strong, and it does not have anything to do with being enlisted, or not. I feel that the reason I am able to do everything that I can, in this free environment, is because our military members affording me this opportunity. Although there have been many members of my family in all branches of the armed forces, there has never been a push by anyone to join the service, and for sure not any particular branch. Starting with my father, who was in the US Navy, he never tried to convince anyone to join the military, nor did he try to persuade one not to. Come to think of it, my father never spoke of the military much, and only briefly told a few stories of his experiences. One of the best pictures of my father is a photo that was taken in his first year of enlistment, and it is a black and white that always hung at my grandmother’s home. Seeing this picture on a regular basis was the beginning of my love for the military, and there would be many fond memories to follow.
The generations following my father saw a lot of family members enlisting into the military. Several of my uncles enlisted into the US Army, and US Air Force in the 70’s and 80’s, and a good number of my cousins followed in their footsteps. All but one of my siblings has served at least one term in the military, and my youngest sister who did not enlist is married to a Marine. My oldest sister spent twenty-two years in the military before retiring, and is now on a second career, and completing her master’s degree. Many folks think that the military is a substitution for college, or another route in life, but I beg to differ.
The majority of my family and friends that have been or are currently in the military are very highly educated. There are many programs, and opportunities to complete your education in the military, and that is one of the reasons that people use when they choose to enlist. If you take advantage of the educational benefits afforded to military members, you can be much further ahead than if you stumble through life trying to figure it out without direction. Being a part of the military, regardless of the branch of service, you will most definitely have direction. I also have had several family members use their education to the best benefit of the military, and become commissioned officers. In addition to my friends and family members being in the military many of them have used the leadership, an organizational skills acquired in the military to go on and start their own businesses. I plan to make a wall of fame for a lack of a better term, and have a place where my family can go and see the accomplishments of the family as a whole.
In this wall of fame, which could be posted on the internet, or maybe an actual physical display will show the accomplishments of my family members. I plan to display pictures of members in service, along with their military awards. I think it will be fun and rewarding to work on this project, and to recognize these individuals. A display of all the military ribbons and military medals will really tell the story of each service member. As one reviews a members military awards they can tell where they have been, for how long they have served, and in what campaign time periods they are part of. When completed this display will also show the pride I have for the accomplishments of my friends and family, and the respect and admiration I have for all those that have served this great nation.
Popular Military Ribbons
December 29th 2011 - 12:10 pm
There are many military ribbons that are awarded and worn by US military members each and every day. These ribbons range in precedence and for many different acts, or for terms of service. In today’s military there are a couple of military ribbons that are found on service members uniforms, and that is what I would like to delve into a little bit.
By far, the most common ribbon awarded to service members across the board is the national defense service ribbon. Some would argue that general service ribbon are awarded to everyone, but I would challenge that saying that there is an Air Force Service ribbon, and an Army Service Ribbon, but the Navy, Marine Corp., and the US Coast Guard do not have a service ribbon. The National Defense Service Medal and its counterpart military ribbon were commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. This military award has been awarded to troops since 1953. This military decoration was originally designed and intended for the use as a “blanket campaign award”, to honor those that have served in various capacities during a time period that the United States military was at armed conflict. The criteria do not require that you actually be deployed to foreign soil, and participation in actual battle. If an individual has spent time in the military during this time of conflict they qualify for this award. To be more specific, regulations state that the National Defense Service Medal is awarded to any and all members of the United States military who has served honorably during a period of time that has been designated a “national Emergency”. This military ribbon and medal is the oldest military award still in circulation by the United States armed forces, this award is followed second by another highly dispersed award, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal has been awarded since 1961, and it continues to be a current day award. There are two other military ribbons that are in great circulation in today’s military, and they are the Global War on Terrorism service and expeditionary medals, and the ribbons that they are accompanied by.
The Global War Medals and ribbons were established by President George W. Bush in March of 2003. These military ribbons and medals were awarded for military service during the time of the terrorist acts on the United States in New York City, the state of Pennsylvania, and on the Pentagon in Washington DC. To qualify for these awards an individual must perform honorable duties in a designated anti-terrorism or in support of these operations, for a period of30 days, or 60 days if non-consecutive. If an individual takes place in actual combat operations there is not a minimum time period. A few of the operations associated with this military ribbon, and medal are the Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Noble Eagle, and the operation Iraqi Freedom.
Both the National Defense Service Medal, and ribbon, and the Global War on Terrorism awards are found on the uniforms of today’s service members, and are well known throughout the military.
