United States Navy & Marine Corps Medal for Heroism
A superb example of the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, the highest non-combat decoration for heroism awarded by the United States Department of the Navy to members of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. Established by Congress on 7 August 1942, with retroactive authority back to December 1941, the medal recognises acts of life-threatening bravery carried out without direct conflict against an enemy — typically rescue attempts, shipboard emergencies, aviation incidents, fires, explosions, or other situations demanding exceptional courage at great personal risk.
The decoration is struck in bronze in the distinctive octagonal form used for several U.S. heroism medals. The obverse shows an American eagle poised above a globe and fouled anchor, symbolising the worldwide responsibilities of the naval services, with the word “HEROISM” inscribed beneath. The reverse carries the official inscription and space for naming on issued examples. It is fitted with the correct three-colour ribbon of navy blue, old gold and apple red, representing loyalty, excellence and sacrifice.
As the senior non-combat heroism award of the sea services, the Navy and Marine Corps Medal sits above the Bronze Star Medal and directly below the Distinguished Flying Cross in the order of precedence. It is the direct equivalent of the U.S. Army’s Soldier’s Medal, the Air Force and Space Force Airman’s Medal, and the Coast Guard Medal. During the mid-20th century it was often awarded instead of the older Gold and Silver Lifesaving Medals for sea rescues involving significant personal danger, reflecting its status and the evolving hierarchy of military decorations.
Awarded from the Second World War onward, the medal remains one of the most respected U.S. decorations for personal bravery. Collectors value it for both its symbolism and its association with some of the most dramatic non-combat incidents in naval and Marine Corps history.
A clean and attractive example of this important American heroism award.
AJMS Medals