Marksmanship Medal

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The Marksmanship Medal is a decoration of the United States Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard and is the highest award one may receive for weapons qualification. The Marksmanship Medal is the equivalent of the Expert Qualification Badge in the U.S. Army and United States Marines.

The Marksmanship Medal is awarded for qualifying as an expert marksman on either the 9 millimeter handgun or the M16 automatic rifle. To qualify at the expert level, a superior score must be obtained on an approved weapons qualification course. The standard weapons qualification course normally consists of several courses of fire from one handed kneeling, double handed standing, and (in the case of the M-16), firing from a crouched position. A superior score, qualifying for the Marksmanship Medal, is typically 285 points out of a 300 point scale. This varies slightly depending on the awarding authority and the military command which is running a particular qualification course.

Those qualifying as an expert marksman are presented the Marksmanship Medal which is awarded as two separate decorations for both rifle or pistol qualifications. Those having qualified on both pistol and rifle may receive both medals for simultaneous wear. The Marksmanship Medal is worn as a full sized medal, on a dress uniform, but when worn on a duty uniform the award is displayed as the standard Marksmanship Ribbon with Expert Device.

In the U.S. Navy, the Marksmanship Medal is considered a successor decoration to the Distinguished Marksman Ribbon. Both the Coast Guard and Navy Marksmanship Medals were first issued in 1969.

See also: Awards and decorations of the United States military