Over the course of its history, the United States military has created dozens of different medals to commemorate the battles, campaigns, and wars it fought in over the centuries. While personal and unit awards are earned through exemplary service or courage to individuals or units as a whole, the Armed Forces issues service medals to all the troops who served in the conflict or operation.
They commemorate and allow every Soldier, Sailor, Marine, Airman, Coast Guardsman, and Space Guardian to show they played a role in a particular action of great significance. And the Department of Defense will soon begin handing out a new (well not exactly “new,” but we’ll get into that) such medal for troops who deploy to the southern border as part of Joint Task Force Southern Border: The Mexican Border Defense Medal (MBDM).
A Brief History of Military Service Medals
It’s widely believed that the very first military service medal ever issued dates all the way back to 1650. After the English Army’s victory against the Scots at the Battle of Dunbar on September 3rd of that year, Oliver Cromwell commissioned a medal for all English soldiers who participated. The Dunbar Medal, which was worn on a simple neck cord, came in a gold version for officers, silver for enlisted soldiers.
In the decades and centuries after, other countries adopted the practice of fashioning and forging medals for specific clashes and campaigns. While personal awards of the US military date all the way back to the Badge of Military Merit (the inspiration/basis for the Purple Heart medal) that General George Washington awarded to three soldiers of the Continental Army on May 3rd of 1783, American service medals have a much shorter history.
On June 3rd, 1898 Congress ordered the creation of medals for “the officers and men of the ships of the Asiatic Squadron of the United States under command of Commodore George Dewey” (plus a special sword for Commodore Dewey himself) for their service during the Battle of Manila Bay on May 1st, 1898 during the early days of the Spanish-American War.
The Sailors and Marines who received the Battle of Manila Bay Medal (sometimes referred to as the Dewey Medal) were the first US servicemen to receive a decoration for their participation in a specific military action.
Next came the West Indies Naval Campaign Medal (also called the Sampson Medal after Admiral William Sampson), established in 1901 and awarded to all Sailors and Marines who took part in any of the naval battles in the West Indies during the Spanish-American War. This was also the first US military medal that could include attached devices, namely bars with the names of the specific engagement(s) each service member took part in.
From then on, the military continued to award troops service and campaign medals for large or notable operations, including retroactive ones. The Civil War Campaign Medal, for example, was created in 1905 but given the years of the conflict it commemorated (1861-1865) it’s technically considered America’s oldest military service medal.
Since then, the military has issued service awards for nearly every major campaign it’s been party to (the author himself is a recipient of the Global War on Terror Service Medal and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal) the most recent of them (until now) being the Air Force’s Remote Combat Effects Campaign Medal for Airmen who played a remote role in combat operations.
The Mexican Border Defense Medal (MBDM)
While initially touted as a new medal, on August 22nd Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth clarified via his X (formerly Twitter) account that it’s actually the revival of an old one.
The original Mexican Border Defense Medal dates back to July 9th, 1918. Issued to soldiers who participated in the Pancho Villa Expedition, an operation carried out in response to the eponymous Mexican revolutionary’s attack on Columbus, New Mexico in January of 1917 that killed 17 Americans.
The medal, established in 1918, was awarded to military personnel who served in areas around the border between January 1st, 1916, and April 6th, 1917 (during which time the author’s great grandfather served in the Army in southern Texas, though whether he qualified for this medal is unknown).
It’s now being revived to recognize those who’ve served on or near that same border, including those who served on vessels within 24 nautical miles of said border.
What Happens Next
Previously, troops deployed to our southern border were eligible for the Armed Forces Service Medal (AFSM), an award created by then-President Bill Clinton for military personnel who took part in an operation "deemed to be a significant activity and who encounter no foreign armed opposition or imminent hostile action."
The updated Mexican Border Defense Medal will replace that for those who deploy to the border. And troops who’ve previously received the former medal for service at the border can apply for the MBDM but only as a replacement for their AFSM. They cannot receive both for the same operation.
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