5/16 inch star

A $5/16$ inch star is a miniature metal device worn by members of the seven uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons issued by the Department of the Navy, Coast Guard, Public Health Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to denote subsequent decorations and awards. It is gold or silver in appearance, $5/16$ inches in height. A gold star represents one additional award, while a silver star is worn in lieu of five gold stars.

The silver $5/16$ inch star may be confused with the Silver Star medal, which is an individual decoration for gallantry in action.

Wear and examples
$5/16$ inch stars are worn with one point of the star pointing up. Up to five gold or silver stars can be worn on a service ribbon of a decoration or award. There are no higher degrees of $5/16$ inch stars authorized after five silver $5/16$ inch stars. On miniature medals, a special $5/16$ inch star is worn on the medal's suspension ribbon in lieu of a $5/16$ inch star. If the number of authorized $5/16$ inch stars exceeds five, a second ribbon is authorized for wear and is worn after the first ribbon. The second ribbon counts as one additional award, after which more stars may be added to the second ribbon. If future awards reduce the number of stars worn on the first ribbon due to gold $1/8$ inch stars being replaced by a silver $5/16$ inch star, the second ribbon is removed and the appropriate number of devices is placed on the first ribbon. The sequence of gold and silver $5/16$ inch stars for the first through twenty-sixth awards of a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal would be as follows:

Decorations and awards
When authorized, $5/16$ inch stars may be worn on United States Navy, Coast Guard, Public Health Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration decorations and awards issued to service members of the following seven uniformed services: the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Public Health Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Except for the awards specified above, the Army and Air Force use oak leaf clusters to indicate subsequent awards. Bronze oak leaf clusters are equivalent to gold $5/16$ inch stars, while silver oak leaf clusters are equivalent to silver $5/16$ inch stars.