Coast Guard Rifle Marksman
Various United States military services award Marksmanship medals and ribbons, including the Air Force, the Navy and the Coast Guard. These medals of America are awarded to service persons who pass a weapons qualification course and achieve an above-average score. The Coast Guard has established two US military medals for marksmanship: one named the Coast Guard Pistol Marksmanship Ribbon and the other called the Coast Guard Rifle Marksmanship Ribbon. The pistol ribbon is currently awarded for qualification on the a .40 cal SIG-Sauer P229R DAK pistol, and the rifle ribbon is awarded for qualification on the M-16 semi-automatic rifle. The Coast Guard issues these military medals in three rankings: Marksman, Sharpshooter and Expert. These military ribbons are presented as a plain ribbon for Marksman qualification, with the Marksmanship Device added to denote Sharpshooter or Expert status.
The Coast Guard also issues military medals called the Coast Guard Marksmanship Medal to personnel that qualify as Expert with either the M-16 semi-automatic rifle or the .40 cal SIG-Sauer P229R DAK pistol. To qualify at the expert level, a superior score must be obtained on an approved weapons qualification course. The standard weapons qualification course normally consists of several courses of fire from one handed kneeling, double handed standing, and (in the case of the M16), firing from a crouched position. A superior score, qualifying for the Marksmanship Medal, is typically 285 points out of a 300 point scale. This varies slightly depending on the awarding authority and the military command which is running a particular qualification course.
The Marksmanship Medal is worn as a full sized medal, on a dress uniform, but when worn on a duty uniform the award is displayed as the standard Marksmanship Ribbon with and Expert Device. The Marksmanship Medal is the equivalent of the Expert Marksmanship Badge in the Army and the Marine Corps. Coast Guard Rifle Marksmanship Ribbons and Pistol Marksmanship Ribbons are worn below the Republic of Korea War Service Medal and above the Outstanding Volunteer Service Ribbon in the general order of precedence that the United States Coast Guard has established for the proper display of all of its authorized medals and ribbons. These Coast Guard medals and ribbons can be worn in traditional full size medals, mini-medals, ribbons and lapel pins. They are available as traditional full sized medals, mini-medals, and slide-on ribbons, or in the newer, custom thin mini-medals and ultra thin military ribbons which are being embraced by members of the modern military who value their sleeker appearance as a competitive edge that promotes their advancement through the ranks of their respective services.
