war or peace, or by civilian personnel in direct support National Guard decorations, approval by the Awards of the and/or the National Guard of . Board is required, and the recommendation must include The award may be recommended by any member of the a proposed citation as well as the dates of the service National Guard and forwarded through channels to performed. Each decoration is to be accompanied by a Headquarters, . Each certificate and the Adjutant General or his representative recommendation must include a suggested citation, makes the presentation. Additional awards of the eyewitness accounts of the event, dates of performance Commendation Medal are designated by a bronze Oak and supporting documents. If the recommendation is Leaf Cluster. Recommendations for posthumous awards approved the Awards Board reviews it and if accepted of the decoration are encouraged. The Guam on merit it is announced in orders published by the Commendation Medal corresponds to the United States Territorial Adjutant General. Posthumous awards are Army and Air Force Commendation Medals. authorized. Subsequent awards will be recognized with a bronze Oak Leaf Cluster. Each award will be accompanied by a certificate and presented in a suitable ceremony. The Distinguished Service Medal of Guam corresponds to the Distinguished Service Medals of the United States Army and .

Figure 4: The Guam National Guard Organization Medal

Figure 3: The Guam Commendaton Medal. The Guam National Guard Organization Medal

The Guam Commendation Medal This medal (Figure 4) is awarded to members of the Guam National Guard who enlisted or were appointed The junior decoration of the Guam National Guard is during the period July 21, 1981 and July 20, 1982. The the Guam Commendation Medal (Figure 3.) The pendant Adjutant General has designated that period as the celebrates the Chomorro Chief Quipuha I. Its purpose "Charter Year" and individuals who affiliated with the is to recognize "meritorious service and outstanding Guard during that period "Charter Members." Award of achievement." Duty may be performed during war or the medal was announced in general orders of the peacetime. Outstanding contributions by civilians in Territorial Adjutant General. The medal is accompanied direct support of the National Guard can be considered by a certificate and a bronze clasp with CHARTER when awarding the Commendation Medal. As with other MEMBER" is worn on the suspension ribbon.

Vol. 55, No. 1 29 Figure 6: The Guam National Guard Recruiting Ribbon.

The Counterdrug Service Ribbon

The Counterdrug Service Ribbon (Figure 7) is given to members of the National Guard and civilian law enforcement personnel who have acted in support of National Guard field operations. A star is worn on the ribbon to denote a second award of the ribbon.

Figure 7: The Counterdrug Service Ribbon.

Guam National Guard Certificates

The Guam National Guard awards three certificates to Figure 5: The Faithful Service Medal of Guam. recognize administrative achievement by National Guard personnel:

The Faithful Service Medal of Guam Certificate of Commendation: This certificate recognizes "meritorious and outstanding service and achievement" of a lesser degree than required for an award of the Guam The Faithful Service Medal of Guam (Figure 5) is Commendation Medal. awarded to members of the Guam National Guard who have completed six years of honorable service, including Certificate of Appreciation: The purpose of this active and inactive duty; the service need not be certificate is to recognize military and civilian personnel continuous. Service with any other component will not for service and/or accomplishment in war or peace in count toward the qualifying service for this medal. A support of the Guam National Guard. This service is series of longevity bars indicating total years of service deemed of a lesser degree than that required for the award are worn on the suspension ribbon of the medal. These of the Certificate of Commendation. bars are in three-year increments, NINE YEARS to THIRTY YEARS. A numeral is worn on the ribbon bar Certificate of Extension: This certificate is awarded to to denote the number of years of total National Guard enlisted members of the National Guard who have service. The medal is presented by the applicable Army completed an initial term of enlistment and for each or Air Force unit commander. extension thereafter. All certificates are presented by the appropriate authority and are announced in general The Guam National Guard Recruiting Ribbon orders of the appropriate command.

This ribbon (Figure 6) was established to provide The Governor’s Medal recognition to members of the National Guard who have recruited five personnel in either the Army or Air National During Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm the Guard components. Subsequent awards are denoted by citizens of Guam were full participants with their an Oak Leaf Cluster worn on the ribbon.

30 JOMSA Guam National Guard regulations should be revised to reflect a more appropriate equivalency for the Guam Cross of Valor.

Colonel David Riano, JAGC, Guam National Guard, is acknowledged for providing information concerning the Guard’s participation in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In addition, through his efforts, the Guam National Guard provided me with examples of the decorations, medals and ribbons. The illustrations in this article are by Photograph Reflections of Grass Valley, California.

Bibliography

Faust, Karl I., Campaigning in the Philippines: 1st California Infantry and California Heavy Artillery Edition. San Francisco: The Hicks-Judd Co., 1899. Appendix E, Guam Pamphlet 672-1, March 1, 1995. Guam Regulations 900-48, May 17, 1984. Regulations 672-1, May 17, 1984. History of the Guam National Guard, 1995.

Figure 8: Obverse of the Governor’s Medal.

National Guard providing the 731st Military Police Company in support of these efforts. In recognition of their contribution an award called The Governor’s Medal (Figures 8 and 9) was struck and bestowed upon the members of the organization by Governor Joseph F. Ada. The award appears to be a private striking created by the Governor and Frank E Blas, the Lieutenant Governor. No mention of the medal appears in the National Guard regulations previously cited. Evidence suggests that members of the military establishment whose home of record was Guam were also eligible for the Governor’s Medal.

Conclusion

In the case of Guam National Guard decorations the order of precedence is as follows: the Guam Cross of Valor, the Distinguished Service Medal of Guam, and the Guam Commendation Medal. However, an inconsistency occurs in the regulations in terms of the equivalency of the decorations to United States decorations: the Guam Cross of Valor is listed as equivalent to the United States Bronze Star while the Distinguished Service Medal of Guam is listed as equivalent to the United States Distinguished Service Medal. It would appear that the Figure 9: Reverse of the Governor’s Medal

Vol. 55, No. 1 31