Good conduct loop



A good conduct loop (GCL) is an award device of the United States Army which denotes additional decorations of the Army Good Conduct Medal.

History
Good conduct loops were first created in 1941 and were based on the concept of the enlistment bar. Good Conduct Loops have remained the primary method of displaying multiple bestowals of the Army Good Conduct Medal, and may be said to show how many "hitches" a soldier has served.

Good conduct loops are attached to the ribbon and medal of the Good Conduct Medal. A Good Conduct Loop comprises a clasp with several inscribed loops. The second award of a Good Conduct Medal would display a bronze clasp with two loops, the third would show a bronze clasp with three loops, and so on. At six loops, the clasp changes to silver, and then at eleven loops the clasp changes to gold. Thus, a silver loop with two knots would denote the seventh award of the Good Conduct Medal while a gold loop with four knots would indicate the fourteenth award of the Good Conduct Medal.

The Army Good Conduct Medal is the only one of the service Good Conduct awards which uses Good Conduct Loops. The U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Coast Guard display additional Good Conduct awards with service stars, while the U.S. Air Force uses oak leaf clusters.