| Office of the Secretary of the Defense Medal for Valor | |
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Medal of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Valor |
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| Awarded by Office of the Secretary of Defense |
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| Country | United States |
| Type | Civilian valor award |
| Eligibility | Department of Defense civilian employees, and private individuals |
| Awarded for | An act of heroism or sacrifice, with voluntary risk of personal safety in the face of danger either on or off the job.[1] |
| Status | Currently awarded |
| Statistics | |
| First awarded | 15 July 2002[2] |
| Last awarded | 25 June 2010 |
| Total awarded | 8[2][3][4][1] |
| Precedence | |
| Equivalent | Distinguished Service Cross[4] |
| Related | Secretary of the Army Award for Valor |
Ribbon bar of the medal |
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The Office of the Secretary of the Defense Medal for Valor is the highest civilian award for valor presented by the Department of Defense.[2] Created in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the medal recognizes government employees and private citizens who perform an act of heroism or sacrifice, with voluntary risk to their personal safety in the face of danger.[1]
Contents |
The act of bravery is eligible for recognition if the act is:
The medal of the award is gold in color and 35 mm in diameter. The obverse depicts a five pointed star on top of a laurel wreath. At the top of the medal is inscribed "VALOR". The reverse of the medal has a small laurel wreath under a rectangular plate for engraving the recipient's name. The words “AWARDED TO” are inscribed above and parallel to the name plate. Below the plate are the words “FOR EXHIBITING BRAVERY”. The medal is suspended from a ribbon 35 mm in width in ultramarine blue. On either side of the ribbon are two stripes of old glory red, inside the red are two thin stripes of white.