The West Virginia National Guard Minuteman Ribbon was established by the Adjutant General of the West Virginia National Guard (WVNG) through West Virginia Permanent Orders (WV Army National Guard / WV Air National Guard – Joint Series) Number 9 issued on 15 October 1990.
Designed to reward successful recruiting efforts necessary for the WVNG to maintain the requisite force levels to fulfill its Federal, State, and Community missions, the WVNG Minuteman Ribbon is awarded to any member of the WVNG who is solely responsible for the enlistment of five individuals during any period of 180 consecutive days.
The individuals may enlist in either the Army or Air National Guard, and two of the five may be current service members who are re-enlisting. At the time it was created, however, the Minuteman Ribbon was originally designated as the West Virginia Army Guard Minuteman Ribbon and was awarded only to WVARNG personnel; it is unclear when the changes were made to the name and to the ribbon requirements.