On February 4, 1944, the Bronze Star medal was authorized by Congress to be awarded to members of all branches of military service and may be awarded either for combat heroism or for meritorious service. The meritorious service must occur in a combat environment to be eligible. It is awarded “for heroic or meritorious achievement of service, not involving aerial flight in connection with operations against an opposing armed force; or while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.” Additionally, the Bronze Star is limited to those servicemembers who are receiving imminent danger pay. Since 9/11, more than 20,000 service members have been awarded the Bronze Star.

General George C. Marshall, in a memorandum to President Roosevelt dated February 3, 1944, wrote: “The fact that the ground troops, Infantry in particular, lead miserable lives of extreme discomfort and are the ones who must close in personal combat with the enemy, makes the maintenance of their morale of great importance. The award of the Air Medal have had an adverse reaction on the ground troops, particularly the Infantry Riflemen who are now suffering the heaviest losses, air or ground, in the Army, and enduring the greatest hardships.” The Air Medal had been adopted two years earlier to raise airmen’s morale.

Only three other wartime medals are ranked higher than the Bronze Star: The Distinguished Service Cross, The Silver Star, and The Medal of Honor. Awards may be made for acts of heroism which are of lesser degree than required for the award of the Silver Star. Some service members are awarded the Bronze Star with a “V” device attached to it. The “V” device is worn to denote participation in acts of heroism involving conflict with an armed enemy. It was originally worn only on the suspension and service ribbons of the Bronze Star Medal to denote an award made for heroism (valor). So, to qualify for a “V” a servicemember must be in direct armed conflict with an enemy, directly engaging or being engaged by the enemy.

Varying levels of documented heroic actions are necessary to substantiate recommendations for the Bronze Star Medal with “Vâ€?. So, how does the military define what is “heroic” when so many people seem to use it to describe soldiers in general? “Extreme courage demonstrated in attaining a noble end. To perform duty, or to accomplish an act or achievement in connection with military operations against an armed enemy, the individual must have been subjected to either personal hazard as a result of direct enemy action, or the imminence of such action, or must have had the conditions under which his or her duty or accomplishment took place complicated by enemy action or the imminence of enemy action.”

Just thought I’d give a little history about the Bronze Star. If I think about it, I’ll talk a little about some of the other medals being awarded in Iraq and Afghanistan so you get a sense of what they mean.