BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The use of "good
conduct" medals in America actually originated in Great Britain, which
instituted an Army
Long Service and Good Conduct Medal
in 1830 to be awarded to certain discharged enlisted soldiers. The following
year, in August of 1831, the British govern-ment established a Naval
Long Service Medal.
The Order in Council that created the Naval Long Service Medal also specified
that it was to be awarded to petty officers or seamen, or to non-commissioned
officers and privates of Marines who, "having served above twenty-one years
and behaved invariably well and be, in the captain's opinion, in every
way deserving." This initiative set the precedent for awarding good conduct
medals to enlisted members of the British Armed Forces for a set period
of honorable and sober service.
American good
conduct medals started out as a simple piece of paper: a Navy discharge
document given to a sailor by his captain upon the expiration of his enlistment.
Its purpose was to show that the sailor had served his enlistment and had
received the wages he was due. If a sailor wanted to re-enlist, he was
required to produce this discharge certificate to prove his experience.
More formal recognition for good conduct in the United States Navy started
in 1865 when all enlisted men in the grade of petty officer or below who
received an honorable discharge were authorized to wear a fouled anchor
two and a half inches in length on the left sleeve of the jacket (or frock)
above the elbow. If the uniform was blue, the anchor was to be white; if
the uniform was white, the anchor was to be blue. This was known as the
honorable
discharge badge In 1870 Commodore
Melancthon
Smith, Chief of the Bureau of Equipment
and Recruiting, suggested that a medal be issued to accompany the discharge
certificate and that it be used in lieu of the anchor worn on the sleeve.
At Commodore Smith's suggestion, this medal took the shape of a nickel
Maltese cross 31mm in diameter. In the center of the front side it had
a circular medallion with the words, FIDELITY
ZEAL OBEDIENCEaround
the edge, and the letters U.S.N.
in the center.
By linking the
medal with a discharge certificate, the Navy's first Good Conduct "badges"
served quite a different purpose than those issued to members of the Royal
Navy. American sailors were issued one such medal for each discharge with
good conduct, and the medal (along with the sailor's discharge papers)
had to be shown to the recruiting officer to prove the quality of his previous
enlistment, obtain any re-enlistment bonus, and to receive credit for continuous
service. In time the Navy Good conduct Medal ceased to be a discharge record
and its design has changed over the years. The other branches of the Armed
Forces later established good conduct medals of their own, and in recent
years similar medals have been established for the reserve components of
the Armed Forces. The period of
time an enlisted member must serve to quality for a good conduct medal
has varied over time, usually based on the nature of the individual's enlistment
and other circumstances. There are, however, provisions for awarding a
Good Conduct Medal for service below the minimum number of years normally
required. For example, the Marine Corps authorizes award of its Good Conduct
Medal for less than three years of service for individuals who are killed
in action or who die as a result of wounds received in action, or who die
in the line of duty where the death occurred against an enemy and who otherwise
meet the requirements for the medal. Requirements for the first award of
the Army Good Conduct Medal for wartime service is generally shorter (usually
one year) than in peacetime.
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