The Vermont Distinguished Service Medal is awarded to U.S.

veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces. A topic o ...

s from

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

who served in a combat theater. The medal was established in 1999, but is retroactively available to veterans of prior military service. The ''Vermont Distinguished Service Medal'' is a state award, presented by the Vermont Department of Veterans Affairs. U.S. military active duty regulations allow their members to accept but not wear state awards. In addition, activated National Guard members may not wear their state awards while serving in Title 10 (federal) status.

Eligibility

# Must have been a Vermont resident when entered military; or be a current Vermont resident; or be a member of a reserve or guard unit stationed in Vermont. # Received an honorable discharge, unless died prior to separation. # Must have served in a combat theater, as evidenced by receipt of combat related decorations.

Description

Following is the

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

narrative describing the Vermont Veterans Medal: The ribbons of the Vermont medals for veterans contain the four primary colors of the

coat of arms of Vermont The coat of arms of Vermont is the official armorial bearings of the U.S. state of Vermont. Most of the elements found in the coat of arms originate in the Great Seal of Vermont designed by Ira Allen. Whereas the Great Seal of Vermont is re ...

: red, yellow, blue and green. The alternating red and yellow at the center of the ribbon loosely parallels the design and colors of the National Defense Service Medal, which is presented to military members with service during a time of conflict. Field of azure blue encompasses the red and yellow, symbolizing the honor of military service. Next, fields of green represent Vermont, the Green Mountain State, which reminds us that service to our nation is also service to the citizens of our state. The edges of this ribbon are bordered in yellow. In the Vermont coat of arms, bundles of wheat are shown in yellow. In this ribbon, they represent the protection offered our state by nature's bounty. The medal is cast in silver, with the coat of arms of Vermont on the obverse and the Great Seal of Vermont on the reverse. Across the top is inscribed “Vermont National Defense,” uniting the interests of our state with our nation. The year “1777” is inscribed at the bottom, indicating the year of the

Battle of Bennington The Battle of Bennington was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, part of the Saratoga campaign, that took place on August 16, 1777, on the John Green farm in Walloomsac, New York, about from its namesake, Bennington, Vermont. An American ...

where Vermonters first took arms to defend their state in war, and the year of the founding of the

Vermont Republic The Vermont Republic, officially known at the time as the State of Vermont, was an independent state in New England that existed from January 15, 1777, to March 4, 1791. The state was founded in January 1777, when delegates from 28 towns met ...

Sources

* * * {{cite web , url=https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/20/083/01545 , title=The Vermont Statutes Online - 20 V.S.A. § 1545. Vermont distinguished service medals , publisher=legislature.vermont.gov Military in Vermont Awards and decorations of the National Guard (United States)