The Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal () was a

military decoration Military awards and decorations are distinctions given as a mark of honor for military heroism, meritorious or outstanding service or achievement. A decoration is often a medal consisting of a ribbon and a medallion. Civil decorations award ...

awarded by

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...

, first established on January 7, 1953. It was awarded in two classes and was most commonly bestowed during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. The medal was frequently presented to members of foreign militaries, including

military advisor Military advisors or combat advisors are military Military personnel, personnel deployed to advise on military matters. The term is often used for soldiers sent to foreign countries to aid such countries' militaries with their military education ...

s from the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

. The Armed Forces Honor Medal was granted to military personnel who made significant contributions to the formation and organization of the Vietnamese military in

, as well as to those involved in the training of Vietnamese military units. It was intended to recognize non-combat achievements. The first-class medal was awarded to

commissioned officers An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent c ...

, while the second-class medal was given to

warrant officers Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...

and

enlisted personnel An enlisted rank (also known as an enlisted grade or enlisted rate) is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or warrant officers, except in United States ...

. The first-class medallion was gold, and the second-class medallion was silver. The suspension and

service ribbon A medal ribbon, service ribbon or ribbon bar is a small ribbon, mounted on a small metal bar equipped with an attaching device, which is generally issued for wear in place of a medal when it is not appropriate to wear the actual medal. Each cou ...

s for the two classes were distinguished by a gold and red pattern for the first class, and by two red patterns on either side for the second class. Both ribbons featured three central vertical stripes of light blue. Today, the medal is no longer awarded and can only be obtained through private dealers specializing in military insignia.

Notable recipients

Charles Alvin Beckwith Charles Alvin Beckwith (22 January 1929 – 13 June 1994) was a career Special Forces (United States Army), United States Army Special Forces officer best remembered for creating Delta Force, the premier counter terrorism, counterterrorism ...

* Basil L. Plumley *

William C. Westmoreland William Childs Westmoreland (26 March 1914 – 18 July 2005) was a United States Army general, most notably the commander of United States forces during the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1968. He served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army f ...

J. Paul Reason Joseph Paul Reason (born March 22, 1941, in Washington, D.C.) was Commander in Chief, United States Atlantic Fleet from 1996 to 1999. Earlier in his career, as a commander, he was naval aide to the President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, fr ...

* George W. Casey, Sr. *

Barry McCaffrey Barry Richard McCaffrey (born 17 November 1942) is a retired United States Army general and current news commentator, professor and business consultant who served in President Bill Clinton's Cabinet as the Director of the Office of National Dru ...

John Shalikashvili John Malchase David Shalikashvili ( ka, ჯონ მალხაზ დავით შალიკაშვილი, tr, ; 27 June 1936 – 23 July 2011) was a United States Army general who served as Supreme Allied Commander Europe from 1992 ...

* H. Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. *

Creighton Abrams Creighton Williams Abrams Jr. (15 September 1914 – 4 September 1974) was a United States Army General (United States), general who commanded military operations in the Vietnam War from 1968 to 1972. He was then Chief of Staff of the United Sta ...

William J. Crowe William James Crowe Jr. (January 2, 1925 – October 18, 2007) was a United States Navy admiral and diplomat who served as the 11th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, and as the ambassado ...

* Jay L. Johnson *

Frederick C. Blesse Frederick Corbin "Boots" Blesse (August 22, 1921 – October 31, 2012) was a United States Air Force major general and flying ace. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1945. He flew two combat tours during the Korean War, compl ...

William Francis Buckley William Francis Buckley (May 30, 1928 – June 3, 1985) was a United States Army officer in the United States Army Special Forces, and a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) station chief in Beirut from 1984 until his kidnapping and killing in 19 ...

Jon R. Cavaiani Jonathan Robert Cavaiani (2 August 1943 – 29 July 2014) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in the Vietnam War. Biography Cavaiani was born ...

Joseph W. Dailey Joseph W. Dailey (February 17, 1917 – July 5, 2007) was a United States Marine who served as the 5th sergeant major of the Marine Corps from August 1, 1969, until he retired from active duty on January 31, 1973. Dailey was the oldest living fo ...

Paris Davis Paris D. Davis (born 13 May 1939) is a retired United States Army officer who received the Medal of Honor on 3 March 2023 for his actions on 18 June 1965 during the Vietnam War, while he was a Captain (United States O-3), captain with the 5th Spe ...

Wesley L. Fox Wesley Lee Fox (September 30, 1931 – November 24, 2017) was a highly decorated United States Marine Corps Colonel (United States), colonel with 43 years of service. Fox was a combat veteran – receiving the Medal of Honor for his heroic ...

George Patton IV George Smith Patton IV (December 24, 1923 – June 27, 2004) was a major general in the United States Army and the son of World War II General George S. Patton Jr. He served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Career Patton was educate ...

Wilbur F. Simlik Wilbur Frank Simlik (June 19, 1921 – February 12, 2014) was a highly decorated major general in the United States Marine Corps. A veteran of World War II, he distinguished himself as platoon leader of the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, during th ...

Ormond R. Simpson Ormond Ralph Simpson (16 March 191521 November 1998) was a highly decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of lieutenant general, who held a number of important assignments throughout his career. He is most noted as com ...

Bernard E. Trainor Bernard E. Trainor (September 2, 1928 – June 2, 2018) was an American journalist and a United States Marine Corps lieutenant general. He served in the Marine Corps for 39 years in both staff and command capacities. After retiring from the Mari ...

* Frederick C. Weyand * Herbert L. Wilkerson * Wallace P. Franz

References

External links

*
Military Orders, Decorations, and Medals of the Republic of Vietnam
{{ARVN Military awards and decorations of Vietnam