The Coast and Geodetic Survey Distinguished Service Medal is a decoration of the

United States Coast and Geodetic Survey The United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (abbreviated USC&GS), known from 1807 to 1836 as the Survey of the Coast and from 1836 until 1878 as the United States Coast Survey, was the first scientific agency of the United States Government. It ...

presented to personnel of the Coast and Geodetic Survey for service during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the national emergency preceding it, or its aftermath.

History

personnel were eligible for the

awards and decorations of the United States Department of Commerce An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award ...

and the awards and decorations of other

uniformed services Uniformed services is an abstract term that are generally bodies of people in employment of a state who wear a distinct uniform that differentiates them from the public and private sector. Their purpose is to maintain the peace, security, safety, ...

with which they served. However, although the Coast and Geodetic Survey traced its history to 1807, it had no awards of its own until 21 July 1945, when President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

signed

Executive order In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of ...

9590, authorizing six awards in recognition of Coast and Geodetic Survey service during

, the national emergency preceding it, or its aftermath:Office of the Federal Register (OFR): Executive Orders: Executive Order 9590—Establishing certain awards for the Coast and Geodetic Survey, 21 July 1945 Accessed 13 November 2023
/ref>
/ref>[https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/09590.html National Archives: Federal Register: Executive Order 9590—Establishing certain awards for the Coast and Geodetic Survey] The Coast and Geodetic Survey Distinguished Service Medal was one of the six awards. For budgetary reasons, Executive Order 9590 established the award as a ribbon only, but it also authorized the

United States Secretary of Commerce The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...

to "provide and issue an appropriate medal, with suitable appurtenances, to the recipient of any ribbon at such time as he may determine, and when necessary funds are available therefore." However, it was not until the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washi ...

passed the

Merchant Marine Decorations and Medals Act A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as industr ...

in 1988 that the Coast and Geodetic Survey's successor organization, the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditi ...

(NOAA), took action to create a medal for the award. Later in 1988, via

NOAA Corps The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, known informally as the NOAA Corps, is one of eight federal uniformed services of the United States, and operates under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administ ...

Bulletin 880401, NOAA authorized medals to supplement the ribbons previously awarded. Among them was the Coast and Geodetic Survey Distinguished Service Medal.

Criteria

The Coast and Geodetic Survey Distinguished Service Medal was awarded to any member of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey who distinguished himself by outstanding conduct or service in the line of duty under the jurisdiction of the

between 8 September 1939 and 28 April 1952. Any

commissioned officer 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, or a warrant officer. However, absent conte ...

of the

United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, known informally as the NOAA Corps, is one of eight federal uniformed services of the United States, and operates under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administ ...

and any

ship's officer The deck department is an organisational team on board naval and merchant ships. The department and its manning requirements, including the responsibilities of each rank are regulated within the STCW Convention, applicable only to the merchant fl ...

or member of the crew of any Coast and Geodetic Survey ship was eligible for the Coast and Geodetic Survey Distinguished Service Medal. Coast and Geodetic Survey personnel were not eligible for the medal for service they performed during periods in which they were under other jurisdiction, such as that of the

United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, ...

or the

United States Department of the Navy The United States Department of the Navy (DoN) is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the United States of America. It was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, at the urging of Secretary ...

. A recipient was authorized to receive only one Coast and Geodetic Survey Distinguished Service Medal ribbon during his career, but was authorized to wear a ribbon device in lieu of an additional ribbon to indicate additional awards of the medal.

Appearance

Medal

The obverse of the medal depicts a

globe A globe is a spherical model of Earth, of some other celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but unlike maps, they do not distort the surface that they portray except to scale it down. A model glo ...

superimposed over two crossed

anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek ...

s, with a

bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same nich ...

with its wings spread perched atop the globe, the same image depicted on the seal of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. The reverse of the medal is blank. The medal is identical to the

Coast and Geodetic Survey Meritorious Service Medal The Coast and Geodetic Survey Meritorious Service Medal is a decoration of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey presented to personnel of the Coast and Geodetic Survey for service during World War II, the national emergency preceding it, ...

Coast and Geodetic Survey Good Conduct Medal The Coast and Geodetic Survey Good Conduct Medal is a decoration of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey presented to personnel of the Coast and Geodetic Survey for exemplary service during World War II, the national emergency preceding ...

Coast and Geodetic Survey Defense Service Medal The Coast and Geodetic Survey Defense Service Medal is a decoration of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey presented to personnel of the Coast and Geodetic Survey for service during the national emergency prior to the entry of the United ...

Coast and Geodetic Survey Atlantic War Zone Medal The Coast and Geodetic Survey Atlantic War Zone Medal is a decoration of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey presented to personnel of the Coast and Geodetic Survey for service during World War II or its immediate aftermath. History Un ...

, and

Coast and Geodetic Survey Pacific War Zone Medal The Coast and Geodetic Survey Pacific War Zone Medal is a decoration of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey presented to personnel of the Coast and Geodetic Survey for service during World War II or its immediate aftermath. History Uni ...

, all of which also were authorized by NOAA Corps Bulletin 880401 in 1988.

Ribbon

The ribbon consists of two broad bue bands separated by a white band, with a narrow red stripe in the center of the white band and narrow white stripes on the ribbon′s left and right edges. Because all six medals authorized in 1988 are identical, only the ribbons authorized in 1945 that the medals are suspended from distinguish the medals from one another.

References