NOTE: When selecting a bronze service star, please be aware of the sizes so that you purchase the size appropriate for the ribbon bar or suspension ribbon on which it will be affixed.
Large: 5/16 inch
Small: 3/16 inch
Miniature: 1/8 inch
Also known as Campaign or Battle Stars, bronze service stars are worn on service ribbons to denote an additional award of a medal or to indicate participation in a designated campaign. They are called Battle Stars when they are issued for wear with the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal to denote actual combat against the enemy under deadly situations in which death or serious injury from enemy action is a grave threat. Only combatant commanders can initiate the request for a Battle Star, and it must contain specified and detailed information about the combat. The approving authority for Battle Stars is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Battle Star approval provides the authority for the senior Army Commander in the theater of combat to approve credit for participation in the Global War on Terrorism.
Bronze service stars are worn with branch-specific medals and ribbons issued by the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force; no Coast Guard-specific medals are eligible for service stars. They are also used for medals issued across branches, such as the Prisoner of War Medal or the Humanitarian Service Medal.
The Department of Defense defines a service star as a “bronze or silver five-pointed star, 3/16 inch in diameter worn on the suspension ribbon to denote subsequent awards,” while the Army regulations detail the service stars use to denote Campaign participation. Navy regulations specify that a miniature (1/8-inch) service star is to be worn on the suspension ribbon of miniature medals.
A silver service star is worn in place of five bronze service stars. Army regulations specify that a silver service star is worn to the wearer’s right of a bronze service star and to the left of an arrowhead. Extra service stars are side by side, one point upward.
When selecting a bronze service star, please be aware of the sizes so that you purchase the size appropriate for the ribbon bar or suspension ribbon on which it will be affixed.
A silver service star is worn in place of five bronze service stars. Army regulations specify that a silver service star is worn to the wearer’s right of a bronze service star and to the left of an arrowhead. Extra service stars are side by side, one point upward.