Secretary of Defense Medal for Valor
| Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Valor | |
|---|---|
|
Medal of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Valor | |
Awarded by  Office of the Secretary of Defense | |
| 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 | 17 September 2015 |
| Total awarded | 14[2][3][4][1] |
| Precedence | |
| Equivalent | Distinguished Service Cross[4] |
| Related | Secretary of the Army Award for Valor |
 Ribbon bar of the medal | |
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]
Eligibility
The act of bravery is eligible for recognition if the act is:
- Related to a Department of Defense employee or activity
- The Department of Defense in some way benefits from the act
- The employee is saved by an individual or the employee saves an individual from danger.[5]
Appearance
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.
Recipients
- Eric M. Jones, for actions at the Pentagon on 11 September 2001[2]
- Steve A. DeChiaro, for actions at the Pentagon on 11 September 2001[2]
- Dr Andrew Rathmell, for actions in Baquba, Iraq 21 January 2004[3]
- Alan Johnston, for actions al-Kasik, Iraq 7 August 2004[4]
- James M. Feltis III, for action on 11 January 2005 (armed suspect)[6]
- John Kinnard, for actions on 11 January 2005 (armed suspect)[6]
- David Queen, for actions on 11 January 2005 (armed suspect)[6]
- William Caouette, for actions on 11 January 2005 (armed suspect)[6]
- Jeffery Amos, for the actions during the 2010 Pentagon shooting 4 March 2010[1]
- Marvin Carraway, Jr., for the actions during the 2010 Pentagon shooting 4 March 2010[1]
- Dexter Jones, for the actions during the 2010 Pentagon shooting 4 March 2010[1]
- Colin Richards, for the actions during the 2010 Pentagon shooting 4 March 2010[1]
- David Jensen, for the actions on 10 September 2012 on Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan[7]
- Anthony Sadler, for his actions on 21 August 2015 stopping a gunman during the 2015 Thalys train attack[8]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "OSD Medal for Valor Presented to PFPA Officers" (PDF). Pentagon Force Protection Agency Office of Public Affairs. 25 June 2010. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Sept. 11 Heroes to Receive Medal of Valor". Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs). US Department of Defense. 12 July 2002. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
- 1 2 "VALOR UNDER FIRE BRITISH CIVILIAN AWARDED US BRAVERY MEDAL". Coalition Provisional Authority. 29 April 2004. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
- 1 2 3 Cooper, Mechele (23 May 2010). "Mainer joins elite crew of Medal for Valor recipient". Kennebec Journal. Maine Today Media Inc. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
- ↑ "Office of the Secretary of Defense Honorary Awards Guide" (doc). Labor and Management Employee Relations Division Human Resources Directorate. October 2008. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
- 1 2 3 4 "Press Advisory: Pentagon Police Dedicate Roll Call Room To Fallen Officer". Defense.gov. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
- ↑ "WP Resident Receives Highest Civilian Award for Valor". ThePilot.com. Retrieved 2014-04-17.
- ↑ "Secretary Carter to Present Medals to French Train Attack Heroes". U.S. Department of Defense. 2015-09-17.