| United States Air Force Combat Action Medal | |
|---|---|
USAF Combat Action Medal |
|
| Awarded by United States Air Force | |
| Type | Individual award medal |
| Eligibility | United States Air Force personnel in the grades of E-1 through O-6 |
| Awarded for | Actively engaging in ground or air combat with the enemy |
| Status | Currently awarded |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 15 March 2007 |
| First awarded | 12 June 2007 |
| Posthumous awards |
Yes |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Air Force Achievement Medal |
| Equivalent | Navy/USMC: Combat Action Ribbon |
| Next (lower) | Presidential Unit Citation |
| Related | Army Combat Action Badge |
Ribbon bar of the medal |
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The Air Force Combat Action Medal (AFCAM)[1] is a relatively new medal issued by the United States Air Force. It was first awarded on June 12, 2007 for actions from September 11, 2001 to a date to be determined and may be awarded posthumously.
Contents |
For an airman to wear the AFCAM, a narrative explanation on an AF Form 3994 of the airman's involvement in combat activities must be submitted by a person with first-hand knowledge of the incident to the first O-6 (Colonel) in their operational chain of command. The application will be processed through the chain of command and eventually be approved or disapproved by the Commander of Air Force forces (COMAFFOR).[2]Combat conditions defined:
For the purposes of this award, the combat conditions are met when:
Or
Additionally, personnel in ground operations who actively engage the enemy with direct and lethal fire may qualify even if no direct fire is taken--as long as there was risk of grave danger and other criteria are met. Central to the integrity of this combat recognition is the adherence to these combat conditions prerequisites.
The AFCAM does not earn points under the Weighted Airman Promotion System. It is worn before the Air Force Achievement Medal and after the Presidential Unit Citation.
In conjunction with the Army Institute of Heraldry, the medal was designed by Susan Gamble, a professional artist and Master Designer for the U.S. Mint. Her husband, Mike Gamble, is an Air Force colonel, and she was quoted by the Washington Post as saying, "It was just a real pleasure to give this back to the Air Force that's been part of my life." She based the medal on an insignia painted on an aircraft piloted in World War I by General Billy Mitchell, generally known as the father of the Air Force.[3]
A laurel wreath surrounds an eagle emblem executed in a simple, linear Art Deco style. The eagle faces right, over the right talon clutching arrows, to reflect that this is a combat medal. The left talon clutches an olive branch. The ribbon's diagonal stripe at first could not be manufactured in the United States; but military medals cannot be manufactured outside the U.S. This design problem was resolved when a mill in Bally, Pennsylvania, Bally Ribbon Mills, bought a new loom specifically to weave the diagonal stripe. A Rhode Island firm, Ira Green Inc. in Providence, made the metal parts.[3]
The medal is the only award of the United States military to have a diagonally patterned ribbon, much like various British awards (such as the Distinguished Flying Cross).
The first recipients of the medal awarded on June 12, 2007, were:[3][4]
The first posthumous recipient of the medal was A1C Elizabeth Jacobson.
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