Awards and decorations of the United States Coast Guard are military medals and ribbons of the United States Coast Guard which are currently issued under the authority of the Department of Homeland Security .
4-549: The Coast Guard Medal is a decoration of the United States military that is awarded to any service member who, while serving in any capacity with the United States Coast Guard , distinguishes themselves by heroism not involving actual conflict with an enemy. For the decoration to be awarded, an individual must have performed a voluntary act of heroism in the face of great personal danger or of such
8-522: A magnitude that it stands out distinctly above normal expectations. The Coast Guard Medal was first authorized by 14 U.S.C. § 2739 on 4 August 1949, but it was not until 1958 that the medal was actually bestowed. The first recipients of the Coast Guard Medal were FN Earl H. Leyda and BM3 Albert Raymond Johnson who were awarded the decoration in March 1958. The citation for
12-816: The Coast Guard Medal was for actions performed in August 1957 while attempting to rescue trapped workers from the Oswego Water Works Tunnel, under Lake Ontario , in Oswego, New York . Additional awards of the Coast Guard Medal are annotated by 5 ⁄ 16 inch gold stars . The Coast Guard Medal is the equivalent to the Army's Soldier's Medal , the Navy and Marine Corps Medal , and the Air and Space Forces' Airman's Medal . Awards and decorations of
16-1037: The United States Coast Guard Prior to 2002, such awards were issued by the Secretary of Transportation and Coast Guard personnel were eligible to receive a variety of Department of Transportation (DOT) civilian decorations . Since transferring to the Department of Homeland Security, the issuance of DOT awards has been discontinued in the Coast Guard, although such awards may still be seen on active duty Coast Guard uniforms. Coast Guard military awards are similar to U.S. Navy awards (often with nearly identical ribbons save for an additional white stripe) and Coast Guard personnel are eligible to receive all inter-service awards and decorations , authorized foreign awards and international decorations . The current active awards and decorations of
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