Airman's Medal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Airman's Medal | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Awarded by United States Air Force | |
| Type | Medal |
| Awarded for | "[Distinguishing oneself] by heroism not involving actual conflict with an enemy." |
| Status | Currently awarded |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Same | Army - Soldier's Medal Navy - Navy and Marine Corps Medal |
| Next (lower) | Bronze Star |
The Airman’s Medal is a military decoration of the United States Air Force and is awarded to those service members who distinguish themselves by heroic actions, usually at the voluntary risk of life, but not involving actual combat.
The Airman’s Medal was first created in 1960 and the first recipient of the decoration was Captain John Burger, USAF, who was retroactively awarded the Airman’s Medal for actions performed in 1959.
The U.S. Army equivalent of the Airman’s Medal is the Soldier's Medal. Between 1947 and 1959, U.S. Air Force members were eligible for the Soldier’s Medal since the separate Airman’s Medal had not yet been established. The Navy and Marine Corps Medal is also generally considered to be an equivalent decoration.
