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How to Determine the Order of Ribbon Precedence

The order of precedence of military ribbons are how the awarded ribbons are to be worn on a military uniform. Each branch of the military has their own ribbons that can be awarded. The ribbons are to be worn based on their category and then even further into sub categories if more than one branch of the military has awarded a ribbon, such as the air force cross to an army soldier. There are many ribbons that can be awarded and the order of precedence must be followed. There are many ways for determining order of precedence.

Instructions

- 1
  Determine which category the medals fall into. The Army lists ten categories: U.S. military decorations, U.S. unit awards, U.S. non-military decorations, U.S. service (campaign) medals, and service and training ribbons, U.S. Merchant Marine awards, U.S. non-military unit awards, Foreign military decorations, Foreign unit awards, Non-U.S. service awards and State awards for ARNG soldiers.
- 2
  Select the highest order of precedence ribbon from the highest category. Each category has many medals that fall into that category. The Army Uniform Regulation lists the order of each ribbon within each category, which is included in resources of this article on pages 266-267.
- 3
  Organize the ribbons from the wearers right to left. No more than four awards are to be placed in any row. 1/8" space between rows is allowable but no space is preferred. The design of the ribbons will be based on the size and design of the uniform to which they are attached.
- 4
  Use a Ribbon Checker website, such as the one by Duke University, if still struggling to find the order of precedence. Select the medals that have been awarded. The website will then provide a graphic diagram on how the medals should be ordered and a basic design pattern to follow.

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