Air Force Combat Action Medal

The Air Force Combat Action Medal (AFCAM) is a relatively new medal issued by the United States Air Force. It was first awarded on June 12, 2007 for actions from September 11, 2001 to a date to be determined and may be awarded posthumously.

Criteria
For an airman to wear the AFCAM, a narrative explanation of the airman's involvement in combat activities must be submitted by a person with first-hand knowledge of the incident to the first O-6 (Colonel) in their operational chain of command on an AF Form 3994. The application will be processed through the chain of command and eventually be approved or disapproved by the Commander of Air Force Forces (COMAFFOR). Combat conditions defined:

For the purposes of this award, the combat conditions are met when: Or
 * Individual(s) deliberately go outside the defended perimeter to conduct official duties - either ground or air, and
 * Come under enemy attack by lethal weapons while performing those duties, and
 * Are at risk of grave danger.
 * Individual(s) are defending the base (on the defended perimeter), and
 * Come under fire and engage the enemy with direct and lethal fire, and
 * Are at risk of grave danger; also meet the intent of combat conditions for the award.

Additionally, personnel in ground operations who actively engage the enemy with direct and lethal fire may qualify even if no direct fire is taken—as long as there was risk of grave danger and other criteria are met. Central to the integrity of this combat recognition is the adherence to these combat conditions prerequisites.

The AFCAM has no patch or badge equivalent for wear on the Airman Battle Uniform and other functional uniforms that are worn for daily duties and deployments. It is worn after the Air Force Achievement Medal and before the Presidential Unit Citation. Additional awards are denoted with 5/16 inch gold star devices.

Design
In conjunction with the Army Institute of Heraldry, the medal was designed by Susan Gamble, a professional artist and Master Designer for the U.S. Mint. Her husband, Mike Gamble, is an Air Force colonel, and she was quoted by the Washington Post as saying, "It was just a real pleasure to give this back to the Air Force that's been part of my life." She based the medal on an insignia painted on an aircraft piloted in World War I by General Billy Mitchell, generally known as the father of the Air Force.

A laurel wreath surrounds an eagle emblem executed in a simple, linear Art Deco style. The eagle faces right, over the right talon clutching arrows, to reflect that this is a combat medal. The left talon clutches an olive branch. The ribbon's diagonal stripe at first could not be manufactured in the United States; but military medals cannot be manufactured outside the U.S. This design problem was resolved when a mill in Bally, Pennsylvania, Bally Ribbon Mills, bought a new loom specifically to weave the diagonal stripe. A Rhode Island firm, Ira Green Inc. in Providence, made the metal parts.

The medal is the only Federal award of the United States military to have a diagonally patterned ribbon, much like various British awards (such as the Distinguished Flying Cross).

Recipients
The first recipients of the medal awarded on June 12, 2007, were:


 * Maj. Steven A. Raspet of Fountain Valley, California
 * Capt. Allison K. Black of North Point, New York
 * Senior Master Sgt. Ramon Colon-Lopez of Bridgeport, Connecticut
 * Master Sgt. Charlie Peterson of Detroit, Michigan
 * Master Sgt. Byron P. Allen of Birmingham, Alabama
 * Staff Sgt. Daniel L. Paxton of Abingdon, Virginia

The first posthumous recipient of the medal was A1C Elizabeth Jacobson.

7th recipient for actions on 15,June 2007 Camp Bucca, Iraq Staff Sgt. Earnest L. Johnson III of Buchanan, Michigan 27 August 2007

News

 * Airmen to see combat medal in April, 1/26/2007, Air Force Print News
 * CSAF to award first AF Combat Action Medals, 6/8/2007, Air Force Link