Basic Training Honor Graduate Ribbon

The Basic Training Honor Graduate Ribbon is a military award of the United States Air Force and Coast Guard which recognizes top recruits who graduate at the top of their training classes upon completion of basic training.

Air Force
The Air Force Basic Military Training Honor Graduate Ribbon was established in April 1976 by order of the Air Force Chief of Staff, General David Charles Jones. The ribbon is awarded to graduates of Air Force basic training who have obtained an honor graduate designation and demonstrate excellence in all areas of academic and military training.

An airman must achieve at least a 90% on his/her physical fitness level during the final AFBMT physical fitness test. The AFBMT physical fitness test has four parts: 1.5 mile run time (60%), number of sit ups in a minute (10%), number of push ups in a minute (10%), and waist measurement (20%). If the trainee fails to reach a  score of at least  90%, the airman is ineligible no matter how well he or she performed in other areas of basic training. Additionally, the airman must average over a 90 percent on all the written examinations, and never fail a graded inspection (graded inspections are conducted randomly after week #3). As well, the airman must never receive a negative mark in a written evaluation. Current regulations limit the number of selectees to no more than ten percent of the flight.

The Air Force Basic Military Training Honor Graduate Ribbon is a one time award and may not be presented retroactively. Those awarded are entitled to wear the Air Force Basic Training Honor Graduate Ribbon for the rest of their Air Force career.

Coast Guard
The Coast Guard Basic Training Honor Graduate Ribbon was first created on March 3, 1984 with the first presentation in April of that same year to then Seaman apprentice Scott Woodard. The Basic Training Honor Graduate Ribbon is presented to the service member who graduates top of their basic training instruction class.

Retroactive presentations of the Basic Training Honor Graduate Ribbon may be awarded upon application from the service member to the United States Coast Guard. In such cases, the award will be presented for basic training graduation prior to 1984, only with supporting documentation and a written request from the service member.