The Merchant Marine “Pyramid of Honor” came to be in 1942 with the award of Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal; however, this medal was not originally construed as the pinnacle of a system of Merchant Marine awards and decorations, rather a wartime decoration particular to the Second World War. Thus, federal awards and decorations created for members of the American Merchant Marine may be grouped into three phases: Early War (1942-1943), Late War (1944-1946), and Recognition (1988). Otherwise, ribbons and a medal were granted for Merchant Marine participation in the Korean conflict, for service in Vietnamese waters, and later for the Gulf War. The last medal created was a general honorific awarded by the head of the Federal agency responsible for overseeing United States maritime policy and interests.
It is important to note wartime awards were specific to civilians on ships chartered by the U. S. Government with the War Shipping Administration as General Agent, and civilian mariners with the U. S. Army. Although the American Merchant Marine counts its members among individuals working in fisheries, on (railroad) ferries, barges, lakes, and other brown-water and Intracoastal locations, the strict definition for awards and decorations between 1942 and 1946 meant blue-water seamen, only. Postwar, with the government taking a less active role in shipping, awards fell by the wayside until a renovation in interest came in the late 1980s.
As a discussion point, the American Merchant Marine is an idea, not an agency, nor a quasi-governmental organization. American ships have been subsidized by the Federal government, both in their construction and management, but shipping companies (for the most part), have been private concerns and their employees, private citizens. People who worked on these ships are civilians. An interesting situation grew during the Second World War: all ocean-going American ships – subsidized or not – were pressed into wartime service. Merchant seamen remained on these ships and served in support of the war effort. They became auxiliaries to the military, but not uniformed members of the Armed Services; some officers, who had U.S. Naval Reserve commissions were taken by the U.S. Navy to serve on Naval vessels, but most remained with their ships. To honor the sacrifices endured by these individuals, first the U.S. Maritime Commission, and then the War Shipping Administration – as authorized by U.S. Congress – created a series of personal decorations and unit awards during and immediately after the war for merchant seamen. These initial awards were modeled using the military medal vocabulary at the time – an early attempt at creating a merit medal for unlicensed was recast becoming instead a medal for wounds like the “Purple Heart.” In later years, successor Federal agencies created additional awards for merchant seamen (later called Merchant Mariners) to further honor the unique role they played in times of crisis. Often, these awards have a military analogue as shown in the chart below. The newest creations: the “Outstanding Achievement Medal,” deviates from the military model, and underscores the civilian nature of the American Merchant Marine; its awards span humanitarian activities to industry accomplishment. Thus far, Merchant Mariners are the only group of civilians honored by the United States government who have such an elaborate Pyramid of Honor.
Merchant Mariners are legislated as veterans – medals did not make them as such, their sacrifices under fire did.
| Merchant Marine Decoration* | Institution Date | Military Analogue | Institution Date |
| Distinguished Service Medal | 4/11/1942 | U. S. Navy Distinguished Service Medal | 2/4/1919 |
| Meritorious Service Medal | 8/29/1944 | Legion of Merit Medal (Legionnaire) | 10/29/1942 |
| Gallant Ship Award Plaque & Ribbon | 8/29/1944 | U. S. Army Meritorious Unit Plaque | 8/23/1944 |
| Mariner’s Medal | 5/10/1943 | Purple Heart Medal | 2/22/1932 |
| Combat Bar | 5/10/1943 | U. S. Army Combat Infantryman Badge | 11/15/1943 |
| Defense Bar | 8/29/1944 | American Defense Ribbon | 6/28/1941 |
| Atlantic Service Bar | 5/10/1943 | European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Ribbon | 11/6/1942 |
| Mediterranean-Middle East Service Bar | 5/10/1943 | European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Ribbon | 11/6/1942 |
| Pacific Service Bar | 5/10/1943 | Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Ribbon | 11/6/1942 |
| Victory Medal | 8/8/1946 | Victory Ribbon | 7/6/1945 |
| Korean Service Bar | 7/24/1956 | Korean Service Medal | 11/8/1950 |
| Vietnam Service Bar | 7/8/1965 | Vietnam Service Medal | 7/8/1965 |
| Merchant Marine Expeditionary Medal** | 1990 | Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal | 12/4/1961 |
| Merchant Marine Medal for Outstanding Achievement | 2002 | U. S. Secretary of Navy Commendation for Achievement | 5/1/1961 |
* “Bar” in the listing above means ribbon. Until 1992, many ribbon “bars” had no corresponding medal.
** Awarded 22 May 1991 (Maritime Day)