Military awards and decorations - Topics

The paperwork behind a valor award often takes longer than the deployment itself Who decides whether an act of heroism earns a Silver Star or a Bronze Star? Order of precedence decides what goes where on the left chest Battles named on a medal are the oldest form of campaign recognition Comparing valor awards between countries is harder than it looks Ribbons only in garrison and full medals for ceremony is the usual rule How long does approval take once a valor award leaves the battalion? What happens to a medal recommendation when the only witness is killed in action? Why do the branches order the same awards differently? Some decorations were designed to be worn once and never again Field awards vs permanent awards: the difference most people never notice How long can you keep wearing a decoration after you leave the service? A citation is not the same document as the medal certificate Do valor awards ever get revoked after the fact? Why do so many award citations get downgraded between the field and the Pentagon? A ribbon rack and a full medal set are not interchangeable Why are some awards pinned on in the field and others presented at the White House? The rules for wearing another service's ribbon on your uniform Why are breast stars worn on the left side and not the right? Why do some decorations sit on the left chest and others on the right? Why do some decorations hang from a neck ribbon instead of a chest ribbon? Purple Heart eligibility has quietly widened since the First World War Miniature medals for mess dress replace full size awards for the evening Branch insignia and regimental crest are not the same thing How did the Order of the Garter end up classified as a decoration? How many medals on a dress uniform before it looks like too many? Foreign awards usually rank below your own country's decorations How does a soldier actually get put in for a Medal of Honor? Can a foreign soldier receive another country's valor award? When a unit citation ribbon outranks a personal decoration The difference between an order and a decoration in European honors systems