The Fleet Marine Force Combat Operation Insignia is a miniature inch bronze

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

emblem that may be authorized by the

Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...

for wear on specific campaign, expeditionary, and service medal ribbons issued to

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

sailors attached to and on duty with Fleet Marine Force (FMF) units during combat operations and sailors on duty with Navy units attached to and operating with Fleet Marine Force units while under Marine Corps operational control during combat operations. The device was instituted in 1953 with the Navy and Marine Corps Award Manual (NAVPERS 15,790, Revised 1953) dated 1953.

Criteria and wear

The Fleet Marine Force Combat Operation Insignia (FMFCOI) must be authorized by the Marine Corps unit commander in order to be worn by U.S. Navy sailors such as hospital corpsmen,

Religious program specialist Religious Program Specialist (RP) is a designated rating within the United States Navy. As an essential member of Professional United States Navy Chaplain Corps, Naval Chaplaincy, RPs fulfill a crucial function in administering religious minist ...

, and

chaplains A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a ho ...

assigned to Marine Corps units and

Seabees United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees, form the U.S. Naval Construction Forces (NCF). The Seabee nickname is a heterograph of the initial letters "CB" from the words "Construction Battalion". Dependi ...

assigned to naval units operating with Marine Corps units. The Marine Corps unit and sailor must have engaged in active combat action with an armed enemy during the sailor's service with the Marine Corps unit, or the sailor and the Navy unit must have engaged in active combat action with an armed enemy during the Navy unit's operating service with the Marine Corps unit. No more than one Marine Corps emblem may be worn on the ribbons. The FMFCOI is positioned in the center of both the suspension ribbon 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 ...

of the medal. Any other authorized ribbon device such as the inch

service star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or service period. T ...

campaign star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or service period. T ...

, are placed on either side of the FMF combat operation insignia, with the first star on the wearer's right of the insignia, the second star on the wearer's left of the insignia, and so on. The FMFCOI is or was authorized to be worn on the following medals - Currently awarded: *

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces, which was first created in 1961 by Executive Order of President John F. Kennedy. The medal is awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who, a ...

Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal The Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal (GWOT-EM) is a United States Armed Forces award created by George W. Bush on 12 March 2003, through Executive Order 13289. The medal recognizes those military service members who have deployed over ...

Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal The Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal is a United States Department of Defense service award and campaign medal. The medal was established by Executive Order on 30 March 2016 by U.S. President Barack Obama. The medal may be awarded to members o ...

Previously awarded: * Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal * European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal *

Korean Service Medal The Korean Service Medal (KSM) was a military award for service in the United States Armed Forces and was established November 8, 1950, by executive order of President Harry Truman. The Korean Service Medal is the primary US military award for ...

Vietnam Service Medal The Vietnam Service Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces established on 8 July 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The medal is awarded to recognize service during the Vietnam War by all members of the U.S. ...

Southwest Asia Service Medal The Southwest Asia Service Medal (SASM or SWASM) was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created by order of President George H.W. Bush on March 12, 1991. The award is intended to recognize those military service member ...

Kosovo Campaign Medal The Kosovo Campaign Medal (KCM) was a military award of the United States Armed Forces established by of President Bill Clinton on May 3, 2000. The medal recognizes military service performed in Kosovo from March 24, 1999 through December 31, 2013 ...

Afghanistan Campaign Medal The Afghanistan Campaign Medal (ACM) was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created by Executive Order 13363 of President George W. Bush on November 29, 2004, and became available for general distribution in June 2005. ...

Iraq Campaign Medal The Iraq Campaign Medal (ICM) was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created by Executive Order 13363 of U.S. President George W. Bush on 29 November 2004, and became available for general distribution in June 2005. ...

Notable recipients

Medal of Honor recipients

Navy chaplains

Vietnam War: * Vincent R. Capodanno

Navy hospital corpsmen

;World War II *

Robert Eugene Bush Robert Eugene Bush (October 4, 1926 – November 8, 2005), at age 18, was the youngest member of the United States Navy in World War II to receive the nation's highest military decoration for valor, the Medal of Honor. He was awarded the medal fo ...

* William D. Halyburton, Jr. * Fred F. Lester * Francis J. Pierce * George E. Wahlen * Jack Williams * John H. Willis ;Korean War *

Edward C. Benfold Edward Clyde Benfold (January 15, 1931 – September 5, 1952) was a United States Navy hospital corpsman third class who was killed in action while attached to a Marine Corps rifle company during the Battle of Bunker Hill (1952) in the Korean War ...

William R. Charette William Richard Charette (March 29, 1932 – March 18, 2012) was a United States Navy Master chief petty officer, master chief Hospital Corpsman, hospital corpsman who received the nation's highest military decoration for valor, the Medal of Honor ...

Richard D. Dewert Richard David De Wert (November 17, 1931 – April 5, 1951) was a United States Navy hospital corpsman who was killed in action during the Korean War while serving with a United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps rifle company. He was posthumously ...

* Francis C. Hammond * John E. Kilmer ;Vietnam War * Donald E. Ballard * Wayne M. Caron * Robert R. Ingram * David R. Ray * Stanley A. Packauski

References