Written by Ian Johnson.

The following medals were awarded to American soldiers during World War Two. Not every medal available
has been listed, as some medals were awarded for non-combative reasons or even to civilians, such as the
Legion of Merit. Some medals are awarded automatically, such as the Purple Heart for receiving a wound by
enemy action.

The medals have been listed by category: those awarded for heroism and those given automatically when
the criteria have been met. Medals awarded for heroism have been listed in order of importance.

Following the listings is a system for awarding medals to soldiers in a wargame campaign.

Medal of Honor

The Congress of the United States established the Army Medal of Honor on July 12, 1862.
It is the highest medal awarded to soldiers of the United States Army. The award is made
by the President in the name of Congress for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity
involving risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. In
many cases the award is posthumous. It may only be awarded once per soldier.

The award is also referred to as the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Army Distinguished Service Cross

The President authorized the Army Distinguished Service Cross on January 2, 1918. It is
awarded to persons who distinguished themselves by extraordinary heroism in connection
with military operations against an armed enemy.

In the precedence of awards it ranks under only the Medal of Honor. It may be awarded
posthumously or to allied military forces. Additional awards are indicated by bronze oak
leaf clusters.

Silver Star

The Silver Star was authorised as a medal on August 8, 1932. The decoration itself is
bronze and is set with a Silver Star that is a facsimile of the Silver Star previously worn on
the campaign ribbon. Subsequent awards to members of the Army were indicated by oak
leaf cluster.
Bronze Star
The Bronze Star was authorized on February 4, 1944 and awarded to those who
distinguished themselves by heroism or meritorious achievement. The award was not
given for any participation in aerial flight.

The Purple Heart

On September 19, 1942 it was decided that the Purple Heart would be awarded to all
personnel killed or wounded by enemy action.

Good Conduct Medal

The Army Good Conduct Medal was authorized on June 28, 1941. Originally it was for
enlisted men only required three years of honorable service, but the time period was
lowered to one year in 1943 for the duration of the war. A bronze clasp having the
appearance of a series of knots indicates additional awards.
In campaign games, just to add a bit of colour to the game and develop your soldiers further, medals can be
awarded to individual soldiers. This way you will start to get attached to the soldiers as they flesh out, and
maybe, you will think twice about having them make a frontal assault on a bunker system.

To win medals, a number of points have to be gained per battle - the more points the higher the medal that
can be won. Depending on the actions of a character as to how any points he will gain.

Once a battle is over and potential medals have been rolled for, all points gained in the mission are lost.
Points are lost even if a medal can’t be rolled for; points do not carry over from battle to battle.

The following charts are a general guideline: if a character performs a stupid (oops, heroic) action not listed
here, match it up to a similar action.

Act Points
Character throws self on live grenade to save others 12
Character saves wounded comrade under fire. 10
Character destroys enemy armour or fortification alone. 8
Character rallies retreating comrades under fire. 6
Character engaged in hand to hand combat. 3
Character covers the withdrawal of soldiers / unit under fire. 3

Situation Points
Character was wounded at the time 6
Character was seen performing act by an officer* 4
Character was seen performing the act by an NCO* 2
Character was killed while performing the act 7
Character was wounded due to action + wound level**
Was the action necessary for a positive outcome to the battle? 3
Was the soldier out numbered? + the ratio***
Did the action involve fire from enemy MGs? 3
Did the action involve an enemy heavy weapon? 6
Did open ground have to be crossed to perform the action whilst under fire? 6
Did obstacles have to be negotiated while under fire? 6

* Only one of these options can be used at any one time.

** Light wound is worth 1 point, Serious wound is worth 3 points.
*** + 2:1 is worth 2 points, 3:1 is worth 3 points etc.

These points are totaled and compare with the value of the various medals. A Character is eligible for any
medal whose value is less than his point total.

Medal Points Value

Medal of Honor 18
Distinguished Service Cross 15
Silver Star 10
Bronze Star 8

To get a medal, the players totals a characters points, and rolls 2d6, adding 1 to the roll for each point the
character is above the required amount. The medal is awarded is the result is 11 or more. If the character
fails to get this medal, perform the procedure again for the next lowest medal, until he gains a medal or there
are no awards left for him to get.
Example: Corporal Jones has come back from a hard mission. During the mission, he rescued the wounded
Private Ryan while coming under enemy fire (10 points). Having rescued Ryan, Cpl. Jones then ran forward
and destroyed an enemy bunker with hand grenades (8 points). When the order is given for withdrawal, Cpl.
Jones provides covering fire, so his boys can get out safely (3 points). All of this was seen by his platoon
commander (4 points).

Totaling the points up we have 25 points - Jones could get the Medal of Honor for his actions. The Medal of
Honor is worth 18 points - Jones has 7 points over this amount. I roll 2d6 - if I get 4 or more, Jones will get
his medal (dice roll + extra points: must be 11 or more). I roll a 10 - Jones is the proud owner of the Medal of
Honor. If I had rolled 3 or less on the dice, Jones would have missed the Medal of Honor, so I would try for
the Distinguished Service Cross (worth 15 points); as Jones has 10 more points than is needed for this
medal, he will automatically get it.

Having awarded Cpl. Jones with his medal, all points are now lost.

Any American soldier automatically receives the Purple Heart if he is wounded due to enemy action.

The Good Conduct medal is a tricky one for game purposes. First of all the soldier has to have done the time
needed to win the medal in the campaign setting. Next you need to think of a way to determine if the soldier
has forfilled the “good conduct” requirements. Short of making a huge checklist of imaginary acts for each
soldier, I suggest rolling 1d6. If a 1 or 2 is rolled then the soldier has been charged in the past and isn’t
eligible for that campaign year. Only enlisted soldiers (i.e. non-officers) can receive the Good Conduct
Medal.

Overall Notes
Should one of your soldiers win the Medal of Honor, then that soldier is shipped back to the U.S. to meet the
President and receive his medal and then perform a bit of public relations. For campaign purposes, this
means the figure will be out of the game for 1d6+2 months.

I have tried to include all the medals available and to cover as many ways in which they can be won. If I have
made any mistakes or if you have any suggestions/questions, please send and email to me at:
ij_downunder@hotmail.com