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"V" Device
Type	Ribbon device
Status	Currently in use

The "V" Device is a miniature bronze 1⁄4 inch letter "V" with serifs that is authorized to be worn on certain medals and ribbons awarded to members of the United States Army and Air Force. The Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard's gold colored version of the "V" is referred to as the Combat Distinguishing Device or Combat "V". The criteria for wear of the "V" device differ between the services.

Criteria and wear

The criteria vary between the services:

• Army – the "V" is worn solely to denote "participation in acts of heroism involving conflict with an armed enemy".
• Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard – the "V" is worn to denote combat heroism or to recognize individuals who are "exposed to personal hazard during direct participation in combat operations".
• Air Force – the "V" is worn on the Bronze Star Medal to denote heroism in combat, on the Commendation Medal and Achievement Medal to denote heroism or being "placed in harms' way" during contingency deployment operations, and on the Outstanding Unit Award and Organizational Excellence Award to indicate the unit participated in direct combat support actions.

The "V" device must be specifically authorized in the award citation for wear on the award. Although a service member may be cited for heroism in combat many times and be awarded several awards authorizing the device, only one "V" may be worn on the same award. If for example, a soldier or airman is awarded a Bronze Star Medal on three occasions, twice for heroism, he would wear two bronze Oak Leaf Clusters and one "V" Device on the suspension and service ribbon of the medal. Similarly, in the Navy, Marines, or Coast Guard, a service member would wear two gold 5⁄16 Inch Stars and one Combat "V" on the ribbons. When worn on service ribbons, the Army and Air Force positions the "V" to the right of bronze and or silver oak leaf clusters from the wearer's perspective while the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, positions the Combat "V" in the center position on the ribbon with the gold and or silver 5⁄16 stars.

In regard to the Medal of Honor, the Department of Defense, Manual of Military Decorations and Awards, 2010 currently specifies, "for each succeeding act that would otherwise justify award of the Medal of Honor, the individual receiving the subsequent award is authorized to wear an additional Medal of Honor ribbon and/or a "V" device on the Medal of Honor suspension ribbon."

Examples of "V" devices worn on service ribbons

The following are examples of the bronze "V" Device, either worn alone or in conjunction with oak leaf clusters on Army, Air Force, or Department of Defense service ribbons. For the Navy and Marine Corps, placement of the gold Combat "V" is in the center of the ribbon when worn with 5⁄16 inch stars.

	One Legion of Merit with Combat "V"
	Two Distinguished Flying Crosses with "V" Device
	Three Bronze Star Medals with Combat "V" (Combat "V" is positioned in center between stars)
	Four Joint Service Commendation Medals with "V" Device
	Five Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals with Combat "V"
	One Outstanding Unit Award with "V" Device

Decorations and awards

The "V" device may be worn on the following decorations and unit awards:

History

In 1944, the Army authorized the "V" Device as an attachment to be worn on the Bronze Star Medal. The "V" device was first worn to denote an award for valor in 1945. The Secretary of the Navy authorized the Combat "V" for the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star Medal on February 13, 1946. The device is currently authorized for certain decorations and awards to denote valor in combat, combat participation, or combat support participation.

In 1996, the "V" device garnered public attention after the suicide of Admiral Jeremy Boorda, who was the Chief of Naval Operations of the Department of the Navy. The news media reported that his death by suicide may have been caused by a Navy investigation into whether he was wearing this device on the service ribbons of his uniform without authorization. Admiral Boorda had been wearing a Combat "V" on two decorations he was awarded during the Vietnam War as a weapons officer and executive officer aboard two naval ships off the coast of Vietnam. Although there were indications these devices were authorized to be worn on his Navy Commendation and Achievement Medals, the Department of the Navy Board For Correction of Naval Records determined after his death that both of the devices were not authorized to be worn.

In 2011, updated regulations concerning the Medal of Honor specified that the "V" Device (or Combat "V"), instead of the oak leaf cluster and 5/16 inch star would be used to denote additional citations in the rare event of a second Medal of Honor recipient. This is the first use of the "V" device for a Medal of Honor. As there has not been a living repeat Medal of Honor recipient since the era of World War I, the use of the "V" device in this fashion has yet to be implemented in practice.

Notable recipients

See also

• Awards and decorations of the United States military
• United States military award devices

References

1. ^ "Department of Defense Manual 1348.33, Volume 3" (PDF). Defense Technical Information Center. 23 November 2010. p. 51. Retrieved 16 October 2012. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
2. ^ Army Regulation 600-8-22
3. ^ Air Force Instruction 36-2803
4. ^ SECNAVINST 1650.1H
5. ^ Coast Guard Commandant Instruction 1650.25D
6. Burgess, Lisa. "Pentagon reviewing 'V' device for consistency". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
7. "Department of Defense Manual 1348.33, Volume 1" (PDF). Defense Technical Information Center. 12 October 2011. p. 34. Retrieved 7 October 2012. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
8. DoD Awards Manaual 1348.33, V3, P.16 (2), Nov. 23, 2010
9. Board for Correction of Naval Records

• Devices and accouterments of United States military awards
• 1945 establishments in the United States