The
World War I Victory Medal was the first inter-service award. This was followed by the
Purple Heart,
Silver Star Medal,
Legion of Merit,
Distinguished Flying Cross, and
Air Medal decorations. Prior to this time, several
older service medals had been issued both to the Army and Navy, but in different versions for each service. The World War I Victory Medal, Purple Heart, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Air Medal were thus the first medals which appeared identical, regardless of which service was bestowing the award. By the end of
World War II, several
World War II service medals had also been established for issuance to both Army and Navy personnel. The
United States Coast Guard also received such awards under the authority of the
Department of the Navy. After World War II, The
Korean Service Medal was the first inter-service non-decoration award which was awarded by all five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces; in 1947, the
United States Air Force had been established as a separate branch of service. Since 1956, and 2010, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and Silver Star Medal may also be awarded by the Coast Guard. In the 1960s and 1970s, the U.S. Armed Forces created the
Meritorious Service Medal, and several
campaign medals and
service awards, all of which may be awarded by any service branch. The
United States Department of Defense in the 1960s and 1970s, also began creating a series of peacetime meritorious awards which were eligible for presentation to any military member working in a joint command or under the authority of the
Secretary of Defense. The last such medal, the
Joint Service Achievement Medal decoration, was created in 1983. The only inter-service unit award, the
Joint Meritorious Unit Award was created in 1981. On April 5, 2011, President
Barack Obama amended Executive Order 12824 modifying the award eligibility of the
Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal to "any member of the Armed Forces of the United States" making it an inter-service award of the U.S. military. Recently, this decoration has been given to
Gen Craig R. McKinley (USAF) for his service as
Chief of the National Guard Bureau. The
Medal of Honor, originally a Navy award, is now technically an inter-service award, is issued in different versions for each branch of military service. There are presently three versions of the decoration in existence for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Marines receive the Navy version of the Medal of Honor while a Coast Guard version, which exists in theory, has never been bestowed (the one Coast Guard recipient of the Medal of Honor received the Navy version). The following are the various military medals of the United States which are considered inter-service awards and decorations. Medals are shown in categories, not in order of precedence for uniform wear. ==Medal of Honor==