Inter-service decorations of the United States military are military awards

Awards and decorations of the United States military

Awards and decorations of the United States Military are military decorations which recognize service and personal accomplishments while a member of the United States armed forces...

 that are issued by the United States armed forces

United States armed forces

The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...

 to members of all five branches of military service. Such medals are thus considered "inter-service" and are awarded under the same criteria to all military branches.

The first inter-service medal to be created was the World War I Victory Medal. This was followed by the Purple Heart

Purple Heart

The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...

 and the Silver Star

Silver Star

The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....

, established in 1932 by a General Order of the Department of the Army. In 1942, the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 authorized the issuance of these two medals to members of the Navy and United States Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

. Prior to this time, several older service medals

Obsolete military awards of the United States

Obsolete military awards of the United States are United States military awards which have been officially removed from U.S. military award precedence charts and are listed as "Obsolete Military Decorations" in military award publications and instructions....

 had been issued both to the Army and Navy, but in different versions for each service. The World War I Victory Medal, Silver Star, and Purple Heart were thus the first medals which appeared identical, regardless of which service was bestowing the award.

The next inter-service medals to be created were the Legion of Merit

Legion of Merit

The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...

 and the Air Medal

Air Medal

The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States. The award was created in 1942, and is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.-Criteria:...

. By the end of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, several Second World War campaign medals

United States service medals of the World Wars

United States service medals of the World Wars are U.S. military decorations which were created solely for service in the First World War and World War II...

 had also been established for issuance to both Army and Navy personnel. The United States Coast Guard

United States Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...

 also received such decorations under the authority of the Department of the Navy.

The Korean Service Medal

Korean Service Medal

The Korean Service Medal is an award of the United States military and was created in November 1950 by executive order of President Harry Truman. The Korean Service Medal is the primary United States medal for participation in the Korean War and is awarded to any U.S. service member, who...

 was the first inter-service decoration which was issued to all five branches of the U.S. military as, by the time frame of the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

, the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 had been established as a separate branch of service. In the 1960s and 1970s, the United States armed forces began creating several more campaign medal

Campaign medal

A campaign medal is a military decoration which is awarded to a member of the military who serves in a designated military operation or performs duty in a geographical theater...

s and service awards

Service medal

A service medal is a military award generally of the lowest degree. A service medal is awarded to a member of the military who joins the military, or is already serving, during a designated time period...

, all of which could be issued to every branch of the military.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the United States Department of Defense

United States Department of Defense

The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...

 began creating a series of peacetime meritorious awards which were eligible for presentation to any military member working in a joint command or under the authority of the Secretary of Defense. The last such medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, was created in 1983. The only inter-service unit decoration, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award

Joint Meritorious Unit Award

The Joint Meritorious Unit Award is a military award that was established on June 4, 1981 by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and was implemented by Department of Defense Directive 1348.27 dated July 22, 1982...

 was created in 1981.

The Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...

, while technically an inter-service decoration, is issued in different versions for each branch of military service. There are presently three versions in existence for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Marines receive the Navy version while a Coast Guard version, which exists in theory, has never been bestowed (the one Coast Guard recipient of the Medal of Honor received the Navy version).

The following are the various military medals of the United States which are considered inter-service. Medals are shown in categories, not in order of precedence for uniform wear.

Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...