Vietnam Civil Actions Medal
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The Vietnam Civil Actions Medal is a decoration of South Vietnam which was first established in 1964. The decoration is a mid-level service award which was awarded to any member of the Vietnamese military who performed outstanding civic service to the state or who participated in civil service actions of significant benefit. The Vietnam Civil Actions Medal was awarded in two classes, with the first class intended for commissioned officers and the second for enlisted personnel. It was not possible to upgrade one class to another or to wear both classes simultaneously.
A unit award of the Vietnam Civil Actions Medal also existed, known as the Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation. The unit awards was also referred to as the Civil Actions Unit Award with Palm or as the Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation with Civil Actions Colors. The unit award of the Vietnam Civil Actions Medal was presented to all members of a military command who had participated in civic actions with such a degree that would normally warrant the presentation of the Vietnam Civil Actions Medal.
The unit award appeared as the ribbon for the Vietnam Civil Actions Medal (First Class), enclosed in a gold frame with a centered bronze palm. Regulations did permit the simultaneous presentation and display of both the full sized medal and unit award, since the two awards were considered separate decorations. The Vietnam Civil Actions Medal was one of the more commonly bestowed Vietnam medals presented to the forces of foreign militaries.
In the United States armed forces, the Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation was most often awarded to units of the United States Marine Corps which had participated in local police actions to suppress civil unrest in certain areas of South Vietnam. Other commonly awarded Vietnam Medals, received by U.S. forces, included the Vietnam Campaign Medal and the Vietnam Gallantry Cross.
In the modern age, the Vietnam Civil Actions Medal is an obsolete decoration since the awarding nation, the Republic of South Vietnam, no longer exists. The decoration is only available through private dealers of military insignia.
[edit] References
- [http://www.muxo.net/vietnam/medals/vcam.html VIETNAM CIVIL ACTIONS MEDAL
UNIT CITATION998]. Central American Mission. Retrieved on October 10, 2006.
