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

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

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

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the national emergency preceding it, or its aftermath.

History

personnel were eligible for the awards and decorations of the United States Department of Commerce 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 foster the equality, security, saf ...

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. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

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 the ...

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 Meritorious 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, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

passed the Merchant Marine Decorations and Medals Act in 1988 that the Coast and Geodetic Survey's successor organization, the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) is an American scientific and regulatory agency charged with Weather forecasting, forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, Hydrography, charting the seas, ...

(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 (informally the NOAA Corps) is one of eight federal uniformed services of the United States, and operates under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (N ...

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

Criteria

The Coast and Geodetic Survey Meritorious Service Medal was awarded to any member of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey who rendered service of a meritorious character in the line of duty under the jurisdiction of the

between 8 September 1939 and 28 April 1952, but not of such an outstanding character as to warrant an award of the

Coast and Geodetic Survey Distinguished Service Medal The Coast and Geodetic Survey Distinguished 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, ...

. 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 (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent ...

of the

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

and any ship's officer or member of the crew of any Coast and Geodetic Survey ship was eligible for the Coast and Geodetic Survey Meritorious 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, als ...

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 United States Department of Defense. It was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, at the urging of Secretary of War James McHenr ...

. A recipient was authorized to receive only one Coast and Geodetic Survey Meritorious 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 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 ', which itself comes from the Greek (). Anch ...

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 niche ...

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 Good Conduct Medal, Coast and Geodetic Survey Defense Service Medal, Coast and Geodetic Survey Atlantic War Zone Medal, and Coast and Geodetic Survey Pacific War Zone Medal, all of which also were authorized by NOAA Corps Bulletin 880401 in 1988.

Ribbon

The ribbon consists of two broad red bands separated by a white band, with a very narrow blue 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