Resource Library
World War II Victory Medal
In July of 1945 the United States Congress created the World War II Victory Medal to honor the service of all United States military personnel who served on active duty or as a reservist between December 7, 1941 and December 31, 1946. These milit... read more
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal was created, like so many other World War II medals, by an executive order issued by President Franklin Roosevelt in November of 1942. These military medals were issued to honor the military serv... read more
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart was originally created by George Washington as the Badge of Military Merit on August 7, 1782, during the Revolutionary War. While Douglas MacArthur promoted the change of name and design in 1932, the continuous history of these ... read more
Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit An Act of Congress created the Legion of Merit on July 20, 1942, as one of only six special military medals issued as a “Neck Order” which could be given to U.S. military personnel as well as foreign military personnel and dignita... read more
Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medal
In April of 1964 the Air Force established its Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medal and called it the "Air Force Reserve Ribbon". Seven and a half years later, in November of 1971, these Air Force ribbons became full sized military medals... read more
Air Force Good Conduct Medal
The Air Force was the last of the five U. S. Military branches to establish a Good Conduct Medal. These Air Force ribbons and medals were authorized by Congress on July 6, 1960, but not created until June of 1963. Previously, between 1947 and 19... read more
Combat Readiness Medal
In 1964 the U.S. Air Force created a new military medal called The Combat Readiness Medal. Originally it was superior to the Air Force Commendation Medal, but in 1967 the criteria was changed and these military decorations were designated a campa... read more
Prisoner of War Medal
It is an interesting fact of history that until 1985, there was no military medal issued to service persons honoring their travails as prisoners of war for either of the two World Wars, not to mention the smaller conflicts that followed World War ... read more
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award
In 1969 the Air Force created its Organizational Excellence Award. These Air Force ribbons are presented to internal organizations of the Air Force, which are sub-entities within larger units. These unique and unnumbered organizations perform ce... read more
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal is another of the many military medals President Roosevelt created during his World War II years, in late 1942. The purpose of these military ribbons and medals was to honor US military personnel for service in ... read more