The Medal of Honor is the highest and most prestigious military decoration for valor in action against an enemy while serving in the Armed Forces of The United States. To date, only 3,526 Medals of Honor have been awarded to service members across all branches. It is the only military decoration worn on the neck, presented by the President in the name of the U.S. Congress.
However, receiving a medal for your service is not automatic. In most cases, you may have to apply to receive your decoration to add to your award shadowboxes. You may also need to apply to replace lost or damaged medals. Loved ones may also get curious about the awards that veterans in their families once earned.
If you aren’t sure of the US military veteran awards you qualify for, here is a guide on the steps you can take to apply and verify your awards.
Fill Out The DD-214
Many veterans are unsure of the military medals achieved within their many years of service. What’s more, family members of a veteran may remain completely unaware of the accomplishments of their loved one’s service. The first step to finding out medals and ribbons you can add to your military shadowboxes is filing the DD-214, also known as discharge papers.
You will outline vital information regarding the veteran’s service, including a record of service years, military education, primary specialty, last duty of assignment, decorations, medals, badges, and campaign ribbons. If your DD-214 is destroyed or lost, you can request a new copy through the Veteran’s Affairs office.
Family members of veterans may mail an SF-180 form to the National Personnel Records Center or reach out to the local VA office for assistance. Generally, military services will work replacement medal requests for veterans at no cost. For a next-of-kin request for pre-1956 service, the process and cost may differ among the service branches. Military service after 1957 will attract no charge for next of kin requests across all branches.
Make Use of the Resources Available at Your Branch
Once you receive your DD-214, you can then seek help through your respective service branch for your awards, decorations, and medals. If you notice mistakes in the form, you can fill a DD-149 to request a correction. You can request your local veterans’ services to help you in filling out the form.
In addition to making your award shadowboxes, U.S. Shadows can help conduct extensive research on the veteran’s service to obtain all the various awards and recognition. Discharge papers alone may not reveal all decorations entitled to honor an individual. The extensive research of dates and time served can help you earn all authorized awards that you can display on your army shadowboxes.
Most DD-214 forms abbreviate military awards and medals. You may need to learn the different abbreviations to know the medals that you are searching for to add to your award shadowboxes. You can reach out to your local veteran council to help you decipher the medals you should apply for.
Award shadowboxes are a beautiful way to honor your veteran’s service to the nation. To identify the medals and ribbons to include in the military award display boxes, you must first fill in the DD-214 form. For more information on how to locate missing ribbons and awards to complete your shadowbox, reach out to U.S. Shadows.
