Guardsmen recognized for actions "above and beyond" in GWOT

By John Listman
National Guard Bureau

Since the Revolutionary War, when General George Washington developed the Purple Heart Badge to honor combat heroism, the American military has adopted numerous decorations to recognize those who distinguish themselves in combat situations from what is considered routine or expected performance.

During the Civil War, Congress, in order to recognize the highest extent of combat heroism an individual can achieve, usually referred to as “above and beyond the call of duty,” authorized the Medal of Honor (MOH). The MOH remained the only official decoration available for heroism in the American military until the United States entered World War I. To recognize heroism not reaching the level required for the MOH, the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) was created by Congress in 1918.

Soon after the first American forces entered combat in the spring of 1918, the Army leadership realized that many men performed acts of bravery under fire not rising to the standards set for the MOH or DSC. As had been done in past wars, the only way available to recognize these men was to note their gallantry as a citation published in orders, what the British often refer to as being “mentioned in dispatches.” But this was found to be unsatisfactory as it left no visible way to identify the demonstrated courage of the man.

To remedy this situation, Congress authorized the Army in July 9, 1918, to issue to those men qualified for a lesser decoration for valor a 3/16-inch, five-pointed, Silver Star to be affixed to the campaign ribbon. During the war, out of two million Soldiers serving in France, 94 MOHs and over 6,000 DSCs were awarded along with more than 20,000 Silver Star pins.

In 1932 Congress revisited the military awards system and made several changes. The Silver Star Medal (SSM) was designed to replace the former pin award. The new SSM consisted of a five-pointed bronze star medal suspended on a red, white and blue ribbon. On the face it contains in its center a silver star of the same size as those available during the war. On the reverse it is inscribed “For Gallantry in Action.”

Thousands of SSMs were awarded starting with World War II, through the Korean, Vietnam, and first Gulf War. Since the start of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan in 2001 and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) in 2003, at least 20 Guardmembers have earned the medal. One has earned the DSC.

These are their stories, taken from their official citations, after-action reports and press accounts. The units cited with the name are the members’ Guard unit at the time of mobilization or voluntary entry on active duty, not necessarily the unit they were with when they earned the medal.

We are proud to honor these Guardmembers for their dedicated service to their states and nation. And we are especially mindful that five of these Guardsmen died in the course of earning this honor. Their pictures are highlighted with a golden border.