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Category: United States

The NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal

The NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal is US medal awarded to government employees for notable leadership accomplishments in NASA.

The NASA Outstanding Public Leadership Medal is United States medal established in 2012 and awarded to Government employees for notable leadership accomplishments that have significantly influenced the NASA Mission.

The medal given “for notable leadership accomplishments that have significantly influenced the NASA Mission.” Sustained leadership and exceptionally high-impact leadership achievements should demonstrate the individual’s effectiveness in advancing the Agency’s goals and image in the present and future terms.

Leadership excellence must be demonstrated in all of the following areas:

  • Achieving Results / Highly effective in achieving positive results/change: Impact and importance of work achievements toward NASA’s missions and image are a direct result of the individual’s contributions and efforts.
  • Role Model: Consistent and exemplary behavior that models NASA’s core values and promotes these values within the Agency.
  • Leading People: Cooperative collaboration and teamwork across the organizational, directorate, Agency, Government or industry level to accomplish expected results;
  • Influencing Change: Innovative approaches used in the conception, design, or execution of projects, programs, initiatives, and activities (work represents a high degree of creativity or fundamental departure from usual practice).

Achievements in leadership are not limited to executives or supervisors – employees at any grade level who meet the criteria may be considered.

The NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal Design

The medal is circular, struck in bronze gilt, and bears a hand holding a torch and the words “NASA” inscribed on a banner behind the torch and divided into “NA” (left) and “SA” (right) on the obverse. The reverse bears the words “OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP“.

The medal measures 38.2 mm by 43.7 mm.

The ribbon has stripes of light blue, white, dark blue, white and light blue (mirrored).

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The Congressional Space Medal of Honor

The Congressional Space Medal of Honor was established in 1969 to recognize astronauts for distinguished meritorious efforts.

The Congressional Space Medal of Honor is awarded by the President of the United States in Congress’s name on recommendations from the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The medal was authorized by the United States Congress in 1969 to recognize “Any astronaut who in the performance of his or her duties has distinguished himself or herself by exceptionally meritorious efforts and contributions to the welfare of the Nation and mankind“.

To be awarded the medal, an astronaut must perform feats of extraordinary accomplishment while participating in space flight under the authority of NASA.

The decoration can be awarded for scientific discoveries or actions of tremendous benefit to mankind, for extreme bravery during a space emergency, or in preventing a major space disaster. It can also be presented posthumously to those astronauts who die while performing a US space mission (as of 2019, all 17 astronauts killed on US missions have been awarded the medal).

Although this is a civilian award, its use is authorized as a military decoration for display on U.S. military uniforms due to the prestige of the decoration. In such cases, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor is worn as a ribbon following all United States Armed Forces decorations.

Only one Congressional Space Medal of Honor may be awarded to a person, however, for each succeeding act that would otherwise justify the award of the Medal, the President may award a suitable bar or another device.

The Congressional Space Medal of Honor Design

The medal was designed by the Institute of Heraldry, U.S. Army. The suspension is a gold eagle with wings displayed.

The obverse is a circular green enamel wreath of laurel is surmounted by a five-pointed gold star. Between each point of the star is a gold flame. The star is surmounted by a light blue enamel cloud bank with five lobes edged in gold, bearing a five-pointed dark blue enamel star with a diamond in the center. The laurel wreath is a symbol of great achievement, while the overlapping star points simulate space vehicles moving to greater accomplishments through space. The flames signify the dynamic energy of the rocket era and the imagination of the men in the space program of the United States. The stylized glory cloud alludes to the glory in the coat of arms of the United States and to the high esteem of the award. The dark blue voided star symbolizes the vast mysteries of outer space while the brilliancy of the feat is represented by a diamond. The eagle with wings raised in the spirit of peace represents man’s first landing on another planet.

The reverse bears in the center the inscription “CONGRESSIONAL” arranged in a semicircle above the inscription “SPACE MEDAL PRESENTED TO” and the name of the recipient as well as the date, all within an outer circle of fifty stars.

The ribbon is 1 3/4 inches and has the following vertical stripes: gold, dark blue, light blue, white and red (mirrored). The scarlet center line symbolizes the courage of the astronauts, the nation’s manned space program and the fire power of rockets flying through the earth‘s atmosphere. The light blue is the same color as the chief of the shield of the coat of arms of the United States which appears on the President’s flag. The dark blue symbolizes the hostile environment of space.

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The NASA Space Flight Medal

The NASA Space Flight Medal is a decoration bestowed upon astronauts (US or foreign) who fly aboard a United States space mission.

The NASA Space Flight Medal is a decoration of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration first awarded in 1981 for “significant achievement or service during individual participation as a civilian or military astronaut, pilot, mission specialist, payload specialist, or other space flight participant in a space flight mission.”

The medal is bestowed upon any astronaut (US or foreign) who flies aboard a United States space mission, and typically every subsequent flight is honored with an additional award.

Multiple awards of the decoration are annotated either by award stars or oak leaf clusters. The medal is authorized for wear on active uniforms of the United States military and is worn after all military decorations.

The NASA Space Flight Medal Design

The medal is circular, struck in bronze and measures 1-5/8 inches (4 centimeters) in diameter.

The obverse shows a garland border, with a triangle featuring a space shuttle and the word “NASA” below it. The reverse is plain except for the inscription “SPACE FLIGHT MEDAL“.

The ribbon has stripes of blue, red, dark blue, red and lavender.

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The NASA Distinguished Service Medal

The NASA Distinguished Service Medal is the highest award that can be given to member of the federal government (astronauts and civilians).

The NASA Distinguished Service Medal is the highest award that can be bestowed to member of the federal government, including both military astronauts and civilian employees by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States. Typical presentations of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal included awards to senior NASA administrators, mission control leaders, and astronauts who have completed several successful space flights.

The medal is awarded to those who display distinguished service, ability, or courage and have personally made a contribution representing substantial progress to the NASA mission. The contribution must be so extraordinary that other forms of recognition would be inadequate.

The medal was originally awarded by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and was inherited by NASA. Due to the prestige of the award, the decoration is authorized for wear on the active uniforms of the United States military.

The NASA Distinguished Service Medal Design

The medal is a three-piece construction struck in bronze gilt with a blue enameled centerpiece. It measures 41.8 millimeters by 45.8 millimeters and is given unnamed. The edge alternates from fluted to Maltese cross-like design.

The obverse shows a golden version of the red, white and blue insignia of NASA. The round shape represents a planet, the stars space, the red v-shaped wing represents aeronautics and the circular orbit around the agency’s name represents space travel. Around the symbols is the inscription “DISTINGUISHED SERVICE” and “NASA”. The reverse sometimes has the name of the recipient engraved as well as the presentation date.

The ribbon is blue, with light-blue and white thinner stripes towards the edges.

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The NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal

The NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal is the highest honor NASA awards to anyone who was not a government employee.

The NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal is the highest honor NASA awards to anyone who was not a government employee when the service was performed whose distinguished service, ability, or vision
has personally contributed to NASA’s advancement of United States’ interests.

The medal is awarded for:

“Distinguished accomplishments [that] contributed substantially to the NASA mission. The contribution must be so extraordinary that other forms of recognition would be inadequate.”

NASA’s most prestigious honor awards are approved by the administrator and presented to a number of carefully selected individuals and groups of individuals, both government and non-government, who have distinguished themselves by making outstanding contributions to the agency’s mission.

The NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal Design

The medal is struck in bronze gilt and measures 44.5 mm by 48.5 mm.

It bears the inscription “PUBLIC SERVICE” on the reverse.

The ribbon is blue, with light-blue and yellow thinner stripes towards the edges.

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The Kittanning Destroyed Medal

The Kittanning Destroyed Medal was the very first military medal in North America. It was awarded for courage and bravery.

The Kittanning Destroyed Medal is the first documented medal engraved and struck for military honor in British North America. It was established by order of the Corporation of the City of Philadelphia and presented by Mayor Attwood Shute to Colonel John Armstrong.

Armstrong had led the Second Battalion of the Pennsylvania Regiment against the Indian village of Kittanning on September 8, 1756, in retaliation for the raiding and burning of Fort Granville approximately a month before.

Armstrong and his officers received silver medals. Later, his non-commissioned officers accepted medals struck in bronze, while the enlisted soldiers collected theirs in pewter.

The last strike from the original dies was most likely in the early 1860s and, although the medal has been restruck for many of America’s commemorative anniversaries and celebrations, the dates have rarely been recorded.

The Kittanning Destroyed Medal continues to be reproduced and admired because it provides narration, perspective charm, commemoration, image, beauty, and longevity. It was the very first military medal in North America awarded for courage and bravery, predating the Badge of Military Merit or Purple Heart by approximately twenty-five years.

The Kittanning Destroyed Medal Design

The medal is circular and struck in silver, bronze or pewter medal. It measures 1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm) in diameter. The
medals were engraved by Edward Duffield, a watchmaker, and struck by Joseph Richardson, a noted silversmith.

The obverse shows the battle at Kittanning. Colonel Armstrong is directing his men through the stockade surrounding the Delaware village of Kittanning, and there’s a man prostrate on the ground before them. In the background, the Indian village is burning. The image is surrounded by the inscription “KITTANNING DESTROYED BY COL. ARMSTRONG.” The exergue reads: “SEPTEMBER . 8 . / 1756.”

The reverse portrays the Philadelphia Corporation’s coat of arms surrounded by the inscription “THE GIFT OF THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA“.

The Society of the Army of the Potomac Medal

The Society of the Army of the Potomac was a military society founded in 1869 from officers and enlisted men of the Army of the Potomac.

The Society of the Army of the Potomac was a military society founded in 1869 from officers and enlisted men who served with the Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War.

When the Society of the Army of the Potomac was founded, Lieutenant General Philip Sheridan was elected as its first president. A total of 12 vice presidents were also elected, representing 10 corps which served with the army as well as the artillery and the general staff.

As the Society did not provide for hereditary membership, it gradually diminished as the veterans of the Civil War died off during the early twentieth century. It held its last annual reunion in 1927.

The Society of the Army of the Potomac Medal Design

The elaborate insignia was made of gold and manufactured by Bailey, Banks and Biddle jewelers of Philadelphia. It has a top piece of crossed cavalry sabers, a blue and white ribbon, a pair of crossed cannons below the ribbon, and a planchet in the form of a six-armed cross enameled in red with the badges of six of the corps assigned to the army. In the center of the cross is a seal with a crescent moon, a star, and a cipher of the letters A and P.

The New Market Cross of Honor

The New Market Cross of Honor is a military decoration issued to cadets of the Virginia Military Institute for their service to the Confederacy.

The New Market Cross of Honor is a military decoration that was issued by the Alumni Association of VMI to cadets of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) for their service to the Confederacy during the American Civil War. All the cadets had been previously listed on the Confederate Roll of Honor.

The medal was issued in 1904 and presented to the 294 members who marched into combat at the Battle of New Market, which was fought on May 15, 1864 in Virginia during the Valley Campaigns of 1864. A makeshift Confederate army of 4,100 men turned the tide of the battle for the Confederacy, defeating Union Major General Franz Sigel and his Army of the Shenandoah. A notable participant of this battle (and a reci[ient of the medal) was Moses Jacob Ezekiel.

The cadets, numbering 257, were organized into a battalion of four companies of infantry and one of artillery. Ten cadets died as a result of the battle while 45 were wounded and survived. In the case of those killed in battle or no longer living, the medal was given to surviving family members.

The cross was also presented to Eliza Catherine Clinedinst Crim, a New Market resident who had nursed injured cadets after the battle. When she died in 1931, cadets served as her pallbearers and her grave marker said “Mother of the New Market Corps“.

Separately, VMI has awarded a “New Market Medal” to distinguished alumni since 1962.

The New Market Cross of Honor Design

The copper medal measures 1.5″ x 2″ overall. The hanger reads “For Valor“. The drop has the state seal of Virginia and the words: “VMI Cadet Battalion New Market May 15 1864“. The back is marked “V.M.I. Alumni Ass’n” and the name of the recipient.

The Inter Allied Victory Medal (United States)

The American Victory Medal was designed by James Earle Fraser and awarded to military personnel for service between 1917 and 1918.

The Allied Victory Medal was recommended by an inter-allied committee in March 1919. Fourteen victorius countries finally awarded the medal after World War I, and each allied nation would design a ‘Victory Medal’ for award to their own nationals. Certain features were to be shared: a winged figure of Victory on the obverse and the same ribbon.

The American Victory Medal was awarded to military personnel for service between April 6, 1917, and November 11, 1918 with the American Expeditionary Forces in European Russia (November 12, 1918 to August 5, 1919) or the American Expeditionary Forces Siberia (November 23, 1918 to April 1, 1920).

Although originally intended to be established by an act of Congress, the bill authorizing the medal never passed and it had to be established by the military departments through general orders. The War Department published orders in April 1919, and the Navy on June 1919.

The Victory Medal was authorized with a large variety of devices to denote specific accomplishments, such as the Citation Star, Navy Commendation Star and several Battle Clasps.

The U.S. Inter-Allied Victory Medal Design

The Victory Medal measures 36 millimetres (1.4 in) in diameter and was designed by William McMillan. The design and ribbon was also adopted by Belgium, Brazil, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Romania, Siam, Union of South Africa and the USA. Each allied nation would design a ‘Victory Medal’ for award to their own nationals, all issues having certain common features, including a winged figure of victory on the obverse and the same ribbon.

The obverse of the medal features a winged Victory holding a shield and sword on the front. The reverse bears “The Great War For Civilization” in capital letters curved along the top of the medal. Along the bottom of the back are six stars, three on either side of the center column of seven staffs wrapped in a cord. On left side of the staff it lists one World War I Allied country per line: France, Italy, Serbia, Japan, Montenegro, Russia, and Greece. On the right side of the staff the Allied country names read Great Britain, Belgium, Brazil, Portugal, Rumania(spelled with a U), andChina.

The 39 millimeters (1.5 in) wide watered ribbon has an iridescent color scheme, with the violet moving through to a central red stripe where both schemes meet. It attaches to the medal through a ring suspender. The recipient’s name, rank, service number and unit were impressed on the edge of the medal. The name of the regiment or corps was omitted on medals awarded to Army officers.

All the Inter-Allied Victory Medal Variations

Although each country designed its own version of the Inter-Allied Victory Medal, all of them shared some common elements, such as a winged victory figure on the obverse and a similar ribbon with rainbow colors symbolizing unity among the Allies. Here are the versions for all countries:

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The 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor

The 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor is a decoration presented by Pres. George W. Bush that honors public safety officers killed in 9/11.

The 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor is a decoration in the United States presented by President George W. Bush and created specifically to honor the 442 public safety officers who were killed in the line of duty during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and the empty wing of The Pentagon.

The Medals were presented by the President to the families of the fallen officers at The White House on September 9, 2005. During the ceremony nearly 4 years after the devastating terrorist attacks, President Bush would honor the lives of the public safety officers who died in the line of duty as well as comfort the families who were left behind and accepted the medals in remembrance of their deceased relatives. Around 1,200 family members and friends showed up at the ceremony to honor their friends and relatives who died on September 11.

Although not every name could be listed in President Bush’s brief speech, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales read all 442 names out loud so that all who gathered could honor every individual who gave his or her life on one of the most tragic days in American history.

The 442 public service officers included 343 New York City Fire Department members, 50 Port Authority police officers and assistants, 23 NYPD officers, 3 state court officers, and members of the Secret Service, FBI, and private ambulance workers.

The 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor Design

The medal intentionally resembles the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor and the military’s Medal of Honor. It’s a gilt, light blue-enameled, five-pointed, upside-down star surrounded by a wreath of laurel.

In the obverse, the center has a dark blue-enameled pentagon representing The Pentagon, with a gilt disc bearing the twin towers of the World Trade Center, the American eagle holding the shield of the United States and laurel, and the date “9. 11. 01”.

The Medal is suspended on a gilt disc bearing a letter “H” (for Heroism) inside a keystone, (representing the Keystone State of Pennsylvania) surrounded by a wreath of laurels, which is in turn suspended on a neck ribbon, blue with gold and light blue edge stripes and a white center stripe.