The Good Conduct Medal is one of the oldest military decorations of the United States military. The Navy Good Conduct Medal was first issued in 1869, followed by a Marine version in 1896. The Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal was issued in 1923 and the Army Good Conduct Medal in 1941. The Air Force was the last service to create a Good Conduct Medal in 1963 and the first to discontinue it, which it did in February 2006.
Criteria
The Good Conduct Medal is awarded to any enlisted member of the United States military (except U.S. Air Force personnel after 2006) who completes three consecutive years of "honorable and faithful service". Such service implies that a standard enlistment was completed without any non-judicial punishments, disciplinary infractions, or court martial offenses. If a service member commits an offense, the three-year mark "resets" and a service member must perform an additional three years of service without having to be disciplined, before the Good Conduct may be authorized.
Service for the Good Conduct Medal must be performed on active duty and the medal is not awarded to members of the military reserve or National Guard who are not federalized to active service. For those Reserve and Guard members who satisfactorily perform annual training and drill duty, however, a separate series of Reserve Good Conduct Medals may be awarded in lieu.
During times of war, the Good Conduct Medal may be awarded for one year of faithful service. The Good Conduct Medal may also be awarded posthumously, to any soldier killed in the line of duty.
The medal has been nicknamed as the "good cookie medal" or "didn't get caught medal" by some troops.
Navy Good Conduct Medal
Of all the Good Conduct Medals, the Navy Good Conduct Medal is the oldest, dating back to 1869. There have been a total of four versions of the Navy Good Conduct Medal, the first version of which was issued from 1870 to 1884. The original Navy Good Conduct Medal was also not worn on a uniform, but issued with discharge papers as a badge to present during reenlistment. A sailor in the Navy received a new Good Conduct Medal for each honorable enlistment completed.
The second version of the Navy Good Conduct Medal was issued between 1880 and 1884. The medal was considered a “transitional decoration” and was the first of the Good Conduct Medals to be worn on a uniform. The medal was phased out by 1885 and a new medal issued between 1885 and 1961. The new medal was a Good Conduct medallion suspended from an all red ribbon. Enlistment bars, denoting each honorable enlistment completed, were pinned on the ribbon as attachments.
The current Navy Good Conduct Medal dates from 1961 and is issued to every active duty sailor who completes three years of honorable and faithful service. Before 1996, four years of honorable and faithful service was required. Service stars denote additional awards of the Navy Good Conduct Medal. The back of the Good Conduct Medal has the three words "FIDELITY ZEAL OBEDIENCE" superimposed in a semi-circle. Upon 12 years of honorable and faithful service, sailors are also allowed to wear gold-colored version of their Petty Officer insignia, something usually seen with those with the rank of Chief Petty Officer or Petty Officer First Class and above, but occasionally Petty Officer Second Class.
Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal
The Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal was first issued in 1896 and was originally a ribbon and medal suspensed from a clasp bearing the words "U.S. Marine Corps".
The clasp was eliminated after 1935 and the medal has remained unchanged in appearance since that time.
Enlistment bars, showing each honorable period of service, were used until 1953 when the Marine Corps adopted service stars to denote additional awards of the Good Conduct Medal.
It is affectionately nicknamed, "The Good Cookie" by Marines.
Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal
The Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal was designed in 1923 and originally used enlistment bars as attachments, in the same manner as the Marine Corps and Navy Good Conduct Medal. In 1966, the Coast Guard began using service stars to denote additional awards of the Good Conduct Medal.
Army Good Conduct Medal
The Army Good Conduct Ribbon
The Army Good Conduct Medal Obverse
The Army Good Conduct Medal Reverse
The Army Good Conduct Medal was established by Executive Order 8809, dated 1941-06-28, and authorized the award for soldiers completing three years active service after that date.
The criteria was amended by Executive Order 9323, dated 1943-03-31, to authorize award for three years service after 1941-12-07 or one year service while the United States is at war.
Executive Order 10444, dated 1953-04-10, revised the criteria to authorize award for three years service after 1940-08-27; one year service after 7 December 1941 while the United States is at war; and award for the first award for service after 1950-06-27 upon termination of service, for periods less than three years, but more than one year.
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- The eagle, with wings spread, denotes vigilance and superiority.
- The horizontal sword denotes loyalty,
- The book represents knowledge acquired and ability gained.
- On the reverse, the lone star denotes merit.
- The wreath of laurel and oak leaves denotes reward and strength.
- The second and subsequent awards are indicated by the wear of the clasp with loop on the ribbon.
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- Bronze clasps indicate the second (two loops) through fifth award (five loops);
- Silver clasps indicate sixth (one loop) through tenth award (five loops); and
- Gold clasps indicate eleventh (one loop) through the fifteenth award (five loops).
The Good Conduct Medal is awarded for exemplary behavior, efficiency, and fidelity in active Federal Military service. It is awarded on a selective basis to each soldier who distinguishes himself/herself from among his/her fellow soldiers by their exemplary conduct, efficiency, and fidelity throughout a specified period of continuous enlisted active Federal military service. Qualifying periods of service include each three years completed after 1940-08-27 or, for first award only, upon completion of at least one year upon termination of service if separated prior to three years. Also for the first award only, for those individuals who died before completing one year of active Federal military service if the death occurred in the line of duty. The immediate commander must approve the award and the award must be announced in permanent orders.
Effective 1982-09-01, Active Guard and Reserve personnel became eligible for award of the Good Conduct Medal. For Active Guard and Reserve personnel, the Good Conduct Medal qualification period may commence at a time during the three years immediately preceding the 1982-09-01 effective date, provided no portion of service for the Good Conduct Medal is included in a period of service for which the Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal was awarded.
Air Force Good Conduct Medal
The last of the Good Conduct Medals is the Air Force Good Conduct Medal which was authorized by Congress on July 6, 1960, but not created until June 1, 1963. Between 1947 and 1963, Air Force personnel were issued the Army Good Conduct Medal. For those serving both before and after 1963, both the Army and Air Force Good Conduct Medals could be worn simultaneously on an Air Force uniform. The 97th Air Force Uniform Board met in October 2005 and made the decision to discontinue the medal with the rationale that good conduct of Airmen is the expected standard, not an exceptional occurrence worthy of recognition. On 8 February 2006, the Board announced that effective immediately new medals will no longer be awarded.
“We live by our core values,” Chief Murray said. “When members of our service stray from those values, they do themselves and all Airmen a disservice. When that happens, commanders have the tools they need to evaluate the situation and the individual's worthiness for continued service
“In today’s Air Force, our Airmen understand that the uniform they wear represents good conduct,” he said.
Airmen who have previously earned the Good Conduct Medal are still authorized to wear it
The medal is the same as the Army Good Conduct Medal and was designed by Joseph Kiselewski. The Air Force Good Conduct Medal has remained unchanged in appearance since its original design over forty years ago. Additional decorations of the Air Force Good Conduct Medal are denoted by oak leaf clusters.
See also
External links
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| Good conduct |
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