← Back to Operational RegulationsOPREG 2004 • Administrative

NATIONAL GUARD AWARDS

CurrentLast updated August 22, 2026

1.AUTHORITY AND PURPOSE

(a)This regulation establishes the decorations, service awards, unit citations, badges, and devices of the Ridgeway National Guard, the criteria for each, the order in which they are worn, and the procedure by which they are recommended, approved, recorded, and revoked.
(b)No award may be conferred upon a guardsman except in accordance with this regulation. An award conferred outside this regulation is void and shall be struck from the Register.
(c)This regulation supersedes all prior awards policy of the Ridgeway National Guard.

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2.DEFINITIONS

(a)The following terms carry the meanings given, and no others, throughout this regulation.
- (i)Valor — extraordinary courage in the face of danger.
- (ii)Service — faithful, sustained performance of duty.
- (iii)Merit — exceptional professionalism, competence, conduct, or contribution exceeding the ordinary expectations of duty.
- (iv)Achievement — the successful completion of a significant act, project, operation, or objective producing measurable benefit, improvement, or distinction.
(b)Decoration shall mean an award conferred for a specific act or period of valor, merit, or achievement, and requiring a recommendation under Section 9.
(c)Service award shall mean an award conferred upon satisfaction of an objective condition, and requiring no recommendation.
(d)Unit shall mean any company, battery, troop, detachment, battalion, or regiment of the Ridgeway National Guard bearing a distinct designation on the order of battle.
(e)Qualifying period shall mean the dates specified in a unit citation order during which the acts recognized by that citation occurred.
(f)Hostile fire shall mean fire directed at a guardsman by an armed enemy, insurgent, or hostile force, whether foreign or domestic.
(g)Approving authority shall mean the officer or official empowered by Sections 4 through 7 to confer a given award. Approving authority may not be delegated below the level stated.

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3.ORDER OF PRECEDENCE

(a)Awards are worn in the following order, from highest to lowest. Precedence within a group follows the numbering below.
- (i)Group I — Decorations for Valor
  - - 1. Medal of Valor
  - - 1. Distinguished Service Cross
  - - 1. Cross of Merit
- (ii)Group II — Purple Heart
  - - 4. Purple Heart
- (iii)Group III — Decorations for Merit and Achievement
  - - 5. Legion of Merit
  - - 6. Governor's Commendation Medal
  - Commendation Medal
  - Achievement Medal
- (iv)Group IV — Medals Conferred Outside the Guard, in the sub-order at Section 12(a)
  - - 9. Medals conferred by the Governor
  - - 1. Medals conferred by the Senate
  - - 1. Medals conferred by the Lieutenant Governor
  - - 1. Medals conferred on the recommendation of a court of the State
- (v)Group V — Unit Citations
  - - 13. Governor's Unit Citation
  - - 1. Valorous Unit Award
  - - 1. Adjutant General's Unit Citation
  - - 1. Meritorious Unit Award
  - - 1. Superior Unit Award
  - - 1. Unit Combat Readiness Award
- (vi)Group VI — Campaign and Service Awards
  - - 19. Combat Action Medal
  - - 1. Campaign Medal
  - - 1. War on Terror Service Medal
  - - 1. Overseas Service Award
  - - 1. Emergency Service Medal
  - - 1. Good Conduct Medal
  - - 1. Honor Graduate Medal
  - - 1. Guardsman of the Month Medal
  - - 1. Recruiting Service Medal
  - - 1. Volunteer Service Medal
  - - 1. Chaplain Service Medal
  - - 1. Officer Candidate School Medal
  - - 1. Marksmanship Medal
  - - 1. General Service Medal
(b)Badges, stripes, and combat patches under Section 8 are not ranked in the order of precedence and are worn as prescribed by OPREG 1008.
(c)Where a guardsman holds more than one award of equal precedence, the earlier award is worn first.

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4.DECORATIONS FOR VALOR

(a)Medal of Valor
- (i)For gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty, in action against an armed enemy and while exposed to hostile fire.
- (ii)The act must be so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the guardsman above his comrades, must have involved a real prospect of death, and must have been performed voluntarily. The absence of the act must not have subjected the guardsman to justified criticism.
- (iii)Approving authority: the Governor, or the Adjutant General upon the recommendation of a Regimental Commanding Officer.
(b)Distinguished Service Cross
- (i)For extraordinary heroism at grave risk of life, in action against an armed enemy and while exposed to hostile fire, where the act does not meet the standard of the Medal of Valor.
- (ii)Approving authority: the Adjutant General or the Assistant Adjutant General.
(c)Cross of Merit
- (i)For heroism at risk of life not involving conflict with an armed enemy, including rescue, fire, flood, structural collapse, and hazardous material response, whether on or off duty.
- (ii)Approving authority: the Adjutant General or the Assistant Adjutant General.
(d)No act may be recognized by more than one decoration under this Section.

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5.THE PURPLE HEART

(a)The Purple Heart is conferred upon a guardsman who, while engaged with a hostile force in an operation ordered or authorized by the Governor or the Adjutant General, satisfies both of the following.
- (i)Sustains injury in the course of that engagement reducing him below fifty percent of his health.
- (ii)Having sustained that injury, and before the engagement concludes or he withdraws from it, he neutralizes one or more active threats.
(b)Approving authority: Headquarters, Ridgeway National Guard.

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6.DECORATIONS FOR MERIT AND ACHIEVEMENT

(a)Decorations under this Section are distinguished by the scope of the impact of the service or achievement, not by the rank of the recipient. No decoration in this Section is reserved to commissioned officers or to enlisted guardsmen.
(b)Legion of Merit
- (i)For exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service, where the benefit is felt across the Ridgeway National Guard as a whole or across the Department of Defense.
- (ii)Sustained service of not less than six months, or a single achievement of comparable consequence.
- (iii)Approving authority: the Adjutant General or the Assistant Adjutant General.
(c)Governor's Commendation Medal
- (i)For meritorious service or achievement benefiting the State of Ridgeway or the Ridgeway National Guard.
- (ii)Approving authority: the Governor.
(d)Commendation Medal
- (i)For meritorious service or achievement where the benefit is felt at regimental or battalion level.
- (ii)Sustained service of not less than three months, or a discrete achievement of comparable consequence.
- (iii)Approving authority: Regimental Commanding Officer or above.
(e)Achievement Medal
- (i)For meritorious service or achievement where the benefit is felt at company level or below, or for a discrete act or project producing measurable improvement.
- (ii)Approving authority: Battalion Commander or above.
(f)Where a decoration under subsections (d) or (e) is conferred for an act performed under hostile fire that does not meet the standard of Section 4, the Valor Device is authorized under Section 8(d).

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7.UNIT CITATIONS

(a)General provisions
- (i)A unit citation is conferred upon the unit, not upon its members. It is recorded against the unit designation and is retained by the unit permanently.
- (ii)Every unit citation order shall state the qualifying period by date and the unit or units to which it applies.
- (iii)A guardsman assigned or attached to the unit for the whole of the qualifying period wears the citation permanently, whether or not he remains in that unit.
- (iv)A guardsman assigned to the unit outside the qualifying period wears the citation only while so assigned, and removes it on reassignment.
- (v)A unit citation is displayed as a streamer on the unit guidon or colours.
- (vi)Recommendation is made by the commanding officer of the unit, or by any officer in its chain of command, on RNG Form 2004-A, and must identify the qualifying period and the acts relied upon.
(b)Governor's Unit Citation
- (i)For gallantry, determination, and esprit de corps in defensive operations conducted on behalf of the State.
- (ii)The unit must have displayed conduct that would warrant the Distinguished Service Cross were it performed by an individual.
- (iii)Approving authority: the Governor.
(c)Valorous Unit Award
- (i)For extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy while exposed to hostile fire.
- (ii)Approving authority: the Governor, or Headquarters, Ridgeway National Guard.
(d)Adjutant General's Unit Citation
- (i)For exemplary accomplishment of an assigned mission under conditions of significant adversity, hardship, or challenge.
- (ii)Approving authority: the Adjutant General.
(e)Meritorious Unit Award
- (i)For meritorious achievement or service in the accomplishment of a specific mission or operation, whether or not in combat, over a qualifying period of not less than thirty days.
- (ii)Approving authority: Headquarters, Ridgeway National Guard.
(f)Superior Unit Award
- (i)For sustained excellence in the performance of routine peacetime duties over a qualifying period of not less than six months, absent any specific mission or operation.
- (ii)Not more than one Superior Unit Award may be conferred upon the same unit in any twelve-month period.
- (iii)Approving authority: Headquarters, Ridgeway National Guard.
(g)Unit Combat Readiness Award
- (i)For sustained combat mission readiness across the unit, demonstrated by the qualification of not less than seventy-five percent of assigned strength under Section 8(a) during the qualifying period.
- (ii)Approving authority: Headquarters, Ridgeway National Guard.
(h)The Meritorious Unit Award and the Superior Unit Award may not be conferred for the same qualifying period.

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8.CAMPAIGN AND SERVICE AWARDS

(a)Combat Action Medal
- (i)For personal participation in ground or surface combat, foreign or domestic, on an operation ordered or authorized by the Governor or the Adjutant General.
- (ii)The guardsman must have been under hostile fire or have engaged a hostile force.
- (iii)Approving authority: Headquarters, Ridgeway National Guard.
(b)Campaign Medal
- (i)The Adjutant General may designate any operation as a campaign by order, and shall specify in that order the operational area, the inclusive dates, and the name of the clasp.
- (ii)The Campaign Medal is conferred upon any guardsman who served within the designated area during the designated dates, with the clasp named in the order.
- (iii)Subsequent campaigns are recognized by additional clasps to the same medal, not by additional medals.
- (iv)Approving authority: Headquarters, Ridgeway National Guard.
(c)War on Terror Service Medal
- (i)For service during a large-scale foreign invasion of, or insurrection upon, domestic soil.
- (ii)Approving authority: Headquarters, Ridgeway National Guard.
(d)Overseas Service Award
- (i)For deployment to foreign soil for combat or training operations approved by the Ridgeway National Guard.
- (ii)Approving authority: Headquarters, Ridgeway National Guard.
(e)Emergency Service Medal
- (i)For participation in an official deployment of the Guard, excluding Mutual Aid callouts under OPREG 5001.
- (ii)Approving authority: Headquarters G-1.
(f)Good Conduct Medal
- (i)For any period of six consecutive months of service completed without a disciplinary reprimand entered on the guardsman's record.
- (ii)Conferred automatically by the Headquarters G-1 on satisfaction of the condition. Subsequent qualifying periods are recognized by a Service Star under Section 8(c), not by an additional medal.
- (iii)A disciplinary reprimand entered during a period restarts that period. It does not affect a Good Conduct Medal or Service Star already conferred.
(g)Honor Graduate Medal
- (i)For the honor graduate of a Ridgeway National Guard Basic Combat Training cycle.
- (ii)Approving authority: the 186th Training Battalion Commander.
(h)Guardsman of the Month Medal
- (i)For selection as Guardsman of the Month.
- (ii)Approving authority: Headquarters, Ridgeway National Guard.
(i)Recruiting Service Medal
- (i)For participation in the recruitment programme of the 186th Training Battalion for a period of not less than two months.
- (ii)Approving authority: Battalion Commander, 186th Training Battalion, or above.
(j)Volunteer Service Medal
- (i)For six or more months of service to any of the following: the Public Defender's Office; the Justice Department; the Application Committee for the Guard; the Parks Service as a Volunteer Ranger; the Ridgeway County Fire Department; the Ridgeway County Transit Authority; the State Department.
- (ii)Approving authority: Headquarters G-1.
(k)Morale Contribution Award
- (i)For boosting the RNG server for two (2) months, or who have boosted more than once at a time.
- (ii)Approving authority: Headquarters G-1.
(l)Officer Candidate School Medal
- (i)For attendance at and completion of the Officer Candidate School.
- (ii)Approving authority: Headquarters, Ridgeway National Guard.
(m)Marksmanship Medal
- (i)For attaining an Expert score in rifle qualification under Section 8(a).
- (ii)Approving authority: Headquarters, Ridgeway National Guard.
(n)General Service Medal
- (i)For completion of Basic Military Training.
- (ii)Approving authority: Company Commander or above, 186th Training Battalion.

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9.BADGES, STRIPES, AND DEVICES

(a)Weapons Qualification Badges
- (i)Conferred on completion of a weapons qualification exercise, separately for sidearm and for longarm.
  - Marksman: score of 175 to 225.
  - Sharpshooter: score of 226 to 275.
  - Expert: score of 276 to 300.
- (ii)A guardsman wears only the highest badge attained for each weapon class. A subsequent qualification supersedes the earlier badge.
(b)Service Stripes and Deployment Stripes
- (i)One service stripe for every six months of service within the Ridgeway National Guard or its detachments.
- (ii)One deployment stripe for service in a deployment forming part of a war effort.
(c)Valor Device
- (i)The Valor Device is worn on the ribbon of a Commendation Medal or Achievement Medal conferred under Section 6(f).
- (ii)The device must be authorized expressly in the award order.
(d)Combat Patches
- (i)Combat patches are authorized by campaign order under Section 7(b)(i).

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10.RECOMMENDATION AND APPROVAL

(a)Automatic awards. The following are conferred by the Headquarters G-1 on verification of the condition, without recommendation: the Purple Heart, the Good Conduct Medal, the General Service Medal, the Campaign Medal, the Emergency Service Medal, the Volunteer Service Medal, the Chaplain Service Medal, weapons qualification badges, service stripes, and deployment stripes.
(b)Recommended awards. All other awards require a recommendation submitted through the chain of command.
(c)Restraint in issue. Approving authorities shall confer decorations sparingly. The Headquarters G-1 shall review the Register and may, by order, suspend or restrict the authority of any commander whose issue of decorations is found to be excessive relative to the service recognized.

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11.REVOCATION

(a)The Adjutant General may revoke any award of the Ridgeway National Guard for any reason.
(b)On revocation the guardsman shall cease to wear the award.
(c)A unit citation may be revoked only by the authority that conferred it or by order of the Adjutant General.