Department of Commerce Gold Medal

BACK DEVICE(s)

Description:

1. Authorized by NOAA Corps Regulations NCB 3-93 Section12607 B
2. Eligibility Requirements - The highest honorary award granted by the Secretary.
   Awarded to an individual, group, or Commerce organization for extraordinary
   achievements in support of the critical objectives of the Department with a significant
   beneficial effect on the Nation or the world. To warrant a Gold Medal, a contribution
   must meet at least one of the following criteria:
   1. Achievement of critical program goals far surpassing expectations, marked by
      unusual creativity, energy, or persistence, contributing significantly to the
      welfare of the Nation;
   2.  Unusually outstanding leadership or management that results in dramatic
      improvement in productivity, program effectiveness, or quality of the
      Department's service to the Nation;
   3.  Scientific or technological breakthroughs that resolve longstanding problems or
      radically advance the state-of-the-art;
3. Issuance and Manner of Wear
   1.  Appropriate service record entries will be made at CPC after receipt of proper
      documentation.
   2. The Department of Commerce presents a medallion and a certificate. CPC
      provides a large medal, miniature medal, and ribbon bars.
   3.  Attachments to Medals and Ribbon Bars
      1. A 5/16-inch silver-colored “O” worn on the large medal suspension ribbon
         and ribbon bar denotes a group or organizational award.
      2. A 5/16-inch gold-colored star worn on the large medal suspension ribbon
         and ribbon bar denotes each subsequent award.
      3. A 1/8-inch gold-colored star worn on the miniature medal suspension
         ribbon denotes each subsequent award.

Background:

1. The Department of Commerce Gold Medal is round, with a gold plated matte finish, and is 40 mm (1.6 in) wide.
2. The obverse of the medal bears a modified version of the obverse of the Great Seal of the United States. Around the edge are the words DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE above and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA below.
3. The reverse is blank when worn from a suspension ribbon.
4. The medal is suspended from a navy blue ribbon 35 mm (1.4 in) wide. At the edges are two stripes of white 1.6 mm (0.063 in) wide. In the center is a 4 mm (0.16 in) wide cardinal red stripe bisected by a 1.6 mm white stripe.