- Time Period: Pre-WW1 (Spanish-American War)
- Institution: February 1919
- Country: United States
The Army of Puerto Rican Occupation Medal was established by the U.S. War Department on 4 February 1919 to recognize soldiers who performed occupation duty in Puerto Rico following the end of the Spanish–American War. Created more than twenty years after the events it commemorated, the medal acknowledged that many Army personnel had served in Puerto Rico after the fighting ceased but had not been eligible for the Spanish Campaign Medal, whose qualifying period ended with the formal cessation of hostilities.
The medal was awarded to officers and enlisted men of the United States Army who served in Puerto Rico between 14 August and 10 December 1898. These dates cover the period immediately after the signing of the armistice with Spain, when American forces occupied and administered the island before military operations officially concluded. Originally, only officers and enlisted men who were still serving in the Army after the creation of the award could receive the medal directly from the government. Veterans who had already left the service were required to obtain proof of eligibility and purchase the medal themselves.
Design
The bronze medal measures approximately 1¼ inches (32 mm) in diameter. The obverse bears the inscription “ARMY OF OCCUPATION OF PORTO RICO“—using the spelling officially adopted by the United States at the time—with the date “1898” below. At the center is a castle with two round corner towers, a stylized representation derived from Spanish heraldry and thought to reference the island’s historic coastal fortifications. The design is framed by a branch of tobacco on the left and a stalk of sugar cane on the right, symbolizing two of Puerto Rico’s principal agricultural products during the period.
The reverse follows the standard design used on several contemporary U.S. Army campaign medals. Around the edge appears the inscription “UNITED STATES ARMY“, while the words “FOR SERVICE” are placed beneath the central device.
The ribbon is distinctive and closely related to that of the Army of Cuban Occupation Medal. It consists of ultramarine blue and Old Glory red stripes separated by narrow golden-yellow stripes, with thin red edge stripes framing the design. The arrangement produces a balanced pattern of red, blue, yellow, red, yellow, blue, and red.
