The Silver Star Medal is Awarded for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States, or while engaged in military operations involving conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. The level of gallantry required, while of a high degree, is less than that required for the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross or Navy Cross. The Silver Star is derived from the Army’s “Citation Star”, a 3/16” dia. silver star device which was worn on the ribbon bar and suspension ribbon of the “appropriate Army campaign medal” by any soldier cited in orders for gallantry in action. Although most applicable to the World War I Victory Medal, it was retroactive to all Army campaign military medals dating back to the Civil War.
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The Naval Reserve Meritorious Service Medal was authorized on September 12, 1959 originally as a ribbon-only award. The medal was authorized on June 22, 1962 with eligibility backdated to July 1, 1958. The award is made on a selected basis to U.S. Navy Reservists who fulfill, with distinction, the obligations of an inactive Reservists at a higher level than normally expected. The obligations pertain to attendance and performance.
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The appearance of medal bars and clasps to reward subsequent acts of heroism/meritorious service or to commemorate participation in specific battles/campaigns seems to have coincided, once again, with the ascendance of the British Empire in the early 19th century.
Recognizing that a decoration could be earned more than once, the “additional award” bar was instituted in 1856 along with the creation of the Victoria Cross. However the battle clasp, which rewards participation in single military campaigns, had its beginnings much earlier when the Army Gold Cross was instituted in 1810. The Royal Warrant of the time established a series of ornate gold clasps, containing the name of the specific engagement, which were attached to the suspension ribbon.
The practice made its U.S. debut in 1898 with the appearance of engagement bars to the Sampson Medal and was followed shortly thereafter by the extensive series of campaign and service clasps issued with the World War I Victory Medal. No device was authorized for wear on the ribbon bar of the Sampson Medal to denote receipt of these clasps but “battle stars” were extensively used on the ribbon bar of the Victory Medal, one for each battle clasp received.
(1) The individual Services issued a series of clasps to the American Defense Service Medal which indicated that the wearer was serving outside the Continental U.S. prior to America’s entry into World War II. A 3/16” diameter bronze star device was worn on the ribbon bar to indicate the receipt of any of these clasps.
(2) The Army of Occupation Medal, issued at the end of World War II, is always worn with one or both of the depicted bars to indicate the area in which the recipient served. It is to be noted that no ribbon device was issued to denote the receipt of either or both clasps.
(3) As can be seen, The Navy Occupation Service Medal was issued with two differently named clasps but all of the above comments on the Army medal apply equally to the Navy version.
(4) In the only case of a battle clasp being named for a specific World War II engagement, the Navy and Marine Corps issued a bar to those military personnel who participated in the heroic defense of Wake Island from 7th to 22nd December, 1941. The clasp is worn on the suspension ribbon of the appropriate Expeditionary Military Medal and is represented by a silver letter “W” on the ribbon bar.
(5) Military personnel who volunteer to spend a winter on the Antarctic continent may wear a bronze clasp entitled, “Wintered Over” on the suspension ribbon of the Antarctica Service Medal. For a second such period of service, a gold bar containing the same inscription is awarded and for any hearty soul willing to endure a third winter, a similar clasp in silver is bestowed. Only the most senior bar is worn on the suspension ribbon. The bars are represented on the ribbon bar by a disk depicting the Antarctic continent in the same finish as the clasp.
(6) Although not strictly of a military nature, the most ornate clasp in the U.S. repertoire is the second award bar to the Department of Transportation’s Life Saving Medals. As before, the finish of the bar corresponds to the actual medal which was awarded, gold or silver. When the width of all U.S. ribbons was standardized in the 1950’s, both Life Saving Medals were redesigned. At the same time, the clasp was scaled down to conform with the new 1 3/8” ribbon width and also underwent a minor date change.
(7) The Army Good Conduct Medal uses a unique series of bars in three finishes (bronze, silver and gold) to denote additional awards. Borrowing from the slang expression for a reenlistment (“signing on for another hitch”) the clasp, worn on both the suspension ribbon and the ribbon bar, features rope knots (half-hitch knot) to indicate the number of times the recipient has reenlisted.
(8) And finally, there is the “Little Bar That Never Was”, a classic case of an overeager bureaucrat jumping the proverbial gun. This bar, inscribed “Fleet Marine”, was discovered on an official U.S. Government wall chart of awards and decorations dated 1967 and was intended for wear by Naval personnel who served with Marine Corps units in combat. It was evidently superseded by the present ASIA miniature Marine Corps emblem without fanfare.
