Last month, we did an article clarifying the National Defense Service Medal regulations. This was in response to some confusion regarding how and when it is awarded. This month, we’ll look at some other awards that we frequently see out of regulation. In contrast to issues with the NDSM, which is usually an innocent mistake, there are a set of awards that are a red flag for what we consider possible Stolen Valor cases.
Each branch of service has an award that is little known and rarely actually seen on a uniform. These are the awards for non-combat heroism. There is the Soldier’s Medal, the Navy & Marine Corps Medal, the Airman’s Medal, and the Coast Guard Medal.
First off, the eligibility for these awards all reads the same (aside from the branch named):
“May be awarded to a person who, while serving in any capacity with the Coast Guard, distinguishes him or herself by heroism not involving actual conflict with an enemy…”
But not just your vanilla heroism! The regulation goes on:
“To justify this decoration, individuals must have performed a voluntary act of heroism in the face of great danger to themselves and such as to stand out distinctly above normal expectations.”
The fact that these awards are for non-combat incidents of valor is what makes them so rare. Not only does an individual have to help another with disregard to the danger to himself, but he has to be at the right place at the right time. The Military Times Hall of Valor lists only 6,373 recipients of all of these awards, together. In comparison, there are 76,078 entries for the Silver Star with an estimated 104,928 awarded. (The Hall of Valor is not a complete list. There are definitely more recipients, the numbers reflect the rarity of the awards well. It’s not a complete list for the Silver Star either.)
Often, the awards are presented for things like rendering aid to victims in a fiery car crash or rescuing people caught in dangerous currents. They may also be for thwarting violent crimes, or Military Instructors saving the lives of recruits (Remember the Grenade Pit?). From the most recent Coast Guard medal Citation;
“When impact with the oncoming vessel became unavoidable, Senior Chief Petty Officer HORNE, disregarding his own safety in order to protect a fellow crewmember, forcibly pushed the coxswain from the helm, directly exposing himself to the oncoming vessel. The violence of the subsequent collision forcibly ejected him from the boat, and despite immediate recovery from the water and application of first aid by his shipmates, he succumbed to the severe injuries received during the incident.”
Some examples
Sgt George Long being decorated
In April of this year, Sgt. George Long was awarded the Soldier’s Medal for his actions during the Ft. Hood active shooter situation in 2014. He and another soldier, who lost his life, barricaded the door leading to a larger group of people in a meeting, preventing the shooter from killing more people.
The Army version is the oldest award, having been established in 1926. The Navy & Marine Corps Medal was established in 1942 followed by The Coast Guard Medal in 1949. The Airman’s Medal is the youngest of the awards, established in 1960.
John F Kennedy receiving the Navy & Marine Corps Medal
A rather well-known recipient was President John F. Kennedy, who was awarded the Navy & Marine Corps Medal in 1943, very shortly after the award was established. Then-Lieutenant Kennedy rescued members of his crew and swam for hours securing food and aid after his Torpedo Boat was in a collision and sunk.
A practical matter for us
I mentioned earlier that as we process the orders we receive, the presence of one of these awards is a big red flag. Take a look at the awards from one order. This was from a person claiming to be a Vietnam Green Beret. In addition to the great deal of other problems, he’s claiming a Soldier’s Medal.
Almost every person like this that we have to deal with selects one of the Non-Combat Valor awards. I have a theory why: When they are going through the list of awards, selecting all the pretty colors, they get to Soldier’s Medal and say to themselves, “Hmm. I guess I need one of those. Every Soldier would have a Soldier’s Medal, right?” Wrong. As wrong as only a Stolen Valor fraudster can be.
On a side note, we refer to cases like these as “Stolen Valor Cases” even though we have no recourse under the Stolen Valor Act. The law states that an invidiviual must use the unauthorized awards with intent to obtain money, property, or other tangible benefit. Thus, all we really can do is refuse to fulfill the order.
The one option we do have is to, request documentation. Of the 100-150 orders we’ve cancelled because of the presence of these awards, only 5 people have ever provided verification (which we also verified for authenticity through an outside source.) One person submitted false documents to us with the Navy & Marine Corps medal listed, but he couldn’t explain how he earned the award, but that’s a totally different story…
Hope this helps
If you ever bump into one of these awards “out in the world”, this information should either help you in recognizing an individual who has done a very selfless act for others, or conversely, identify an individual who should not be trusted, and should be rigorously questioned and held to account.
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