Outstanding Airman of the Year Ribbon
Encyclopedia
The Outstanding Airman of the Year Ribbon is a military award
of the United States Air Force
which was created on February 21, 1968 by order of Secretary of the Air Force Harold Brown
. The first presentation of the award was in June 1970. The Outstanding Airman of the Year Ribbon is the highest personal ribbon award of the United States Air Force.
The Outstanding Airman of the Year Ribbon is awarded to any enlisted member of the U.S. Air Force who is nominated by their Major Command, Field Operating Agency, or Direct Reporting Unit for competition in the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year Program.
Airmen selected as one of the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year are authorized to wear the Outstanding Airman badge
for one year, and are permanently awarded the ribbon with a bronze service star
. Any future awards of the ribbon are represented by oak leaf cluster
s.
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...
of 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...
which was created on February 21, 1968 by order of Secretary of the Air Force Harold Brown
Harold Brown (Secretary of Defense)
Harold Brown , American scientist, was U.S. Secretary of Defense from 1977 to 1981 in the cabinet of President Jimmy Carter. He had previously served in the Lyndon Johnson administration as Director of Defense Research and Engineering and Secretary of the Air Force.While Secretary of Defense, he...
. The first presentation of the award was in June 1970. The Outstanding Airman of the Year Ribbon is the highest personal ribbon award of the United States Air Force.
The Outstanding Airman of the Year Ribbon is awarded to any enlisted member of the U.S. Air Force who is nominated by their Major Command, Field Operating Agency, or Direct Reporting Unit for competition in the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year Program.
Airmen selected as one of the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year are authorized to wear the Outstanding Airman badge
Outstanding Airman badge
The Outstanding Airman Badge is a decoration of the United States Air Force that is a part of the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year program, which is a recognition program jointly run by the Air Force and the Air Force Association....
for one year, and are permanently awarded the ribbon with a bronze service star
Service star
A service star, also referred to as a battle star, campaign star, or engagement star, is an attachment to a United States military decoration which denotes participation in military campaigns or multiple bestowals of the same award. Service stars are typically issued for campaign medals, service...
. Any future awards of the ribbon are represented by oak leaf cluster
Oak leaf cluster
An oak leaf cluster is a common device which is placed on U.S. Army and Air Force awards and decorations to denote those who have received more than one bestowal of a particular decoration. The number of oak leaf clusters typically indicates the number of subsequent awards of the decoration...
s.
External links
- 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year Program
- Complete listing of all recipients since the Award's inception