Texas Cavalry Service Medal

The Texas Cavalry Service Medal is a military decoration of the Texas National Guard which was created by an act of the United States Congress on April 16, 1924. The decoration was intended to recognize the service of the Texas cavalry which had performed Mexican border patrol duty during the years of the First World War.

Federal decoration
The Texas Cavalry Service Medal was awarded to members of the two cavalry brigades of the Texas Army National Guard which were not federalized for service in 1917 and 1918, rendering the men of those two units ineligible for the World War I Victory Medal. Qualifying dates of the Texas Cavalry Service Medal were from December 8, 1917 to November 11, 1918. Only 840 medals were awarded for this time period.

Since the Texas Cavalry Service Medal was created by Congress to commemorate federal service, the award has a dual status as both a federal military decoration and an award of the National Guard. For this reason, the Texas Cavalry Service Medal was authorized for wear on active duty United States military uniforms, yet did not appear as an authorized decoration in Army regulations.

State decoration
State Bill 955, an amendment to Texas Government Code § 431.134, was passed by the Texas Legislature and signed by Governor Perry on June 17, 2005 and was effective on September 1, 2005. This medal is a State award, unlike the original medal, which was a Federal award. The Texas Cavalry Medal is awarded to personnel who served on or after September 11, 2001, in the 124th Cavalry, Texas Army National Guard and who served in a hostile fire zone as designated by the United States Secretary of Defense. . As passed, the medal is considered a separate award from the original Texas Cavalry Service Medal. This medal is a one time award and there is no provision for subsequent awards. The first 182 cavalry troopers eligible for the award completed their tour of duty in Iraq on February 11, 2005. Carrying the same unit heraldry as the 1st Squadron, 124th Cavalry Regiment, members of the Texas National Guard's Brigade Reconnaissance Troops mobilized for Operation Iraqi Freedom III were also eligible for this award.

Order of precedence for this new award has it falling between the Texas Combat Service Ribbon and the Texas Faithful Service Medal.

State Bill 955 also introduced the Texas Combat Service Ribbon and the Texas Purple Heart Medal.