Miniature medals, or mini-medals as they are often called, are authorized for wear by honorably discharged veterans or military retirees and active military personnel on active, guard or reserve status. Miniature medals are replicas of regular size medals made to a scale of one-half the size of the original, except for the Medal of Honor for which there is no miniature.
In wearing miniature medals, it is important to ensure you are authorized to wear the medals before you place them on your uniform or civilian attire. As always, check your records. It is also important that military personnel consult their service’s uniform regulations to ensure the awards are properly worn and displayed. For example, in the U.S. Army, only miniature decorations and service medals are authorized for wear on the mess and evening mess uniforms. Personnel will not wear full-size medals, service and training ribbons, or U.S. and foreign unit award emblems with miniature medals. Only the dress miniature-size combat and special skill badges are worn with miniature medals.
Each branch of service has a uniform regulation. Generally speaking, minis are reserved for formal attire or evening wear. The Army uniform regulation, AR 670-1 states “Retired personnel and former members of the Army may wear all categories of medals described in this regulation on appropriate civilian clothing. This includes clothes designed for veteran and patriotic organizations on Veteran’s Day, Memorial Day, and Armed Forces Day, as well as at formal occasions of ceremony and social functions of a military nature. Personnel may wear either full-sized or miniature medals. Personnel who wear medals on civilian clothes should place the medals on the clothing in approximately the same location and in the same manner as for the Army uniform, so they look similar to medals worn on the Army uniform.”
It's important to note that there are plenty of opportunities to wear miniature medals as a military veteran or retiree, but that means complying with your service’s uniform regulations. For the most part, miniature medals are never worn on casual clothing like t-shirts or polo shirts, and they should never be affixed to baseball hats or garrison capsof veteran service organizations. Remember, you earned them so treat them and what they represent respectfully.
Wear them proudly in a coat and tie and check your service’s uniform regs for how to align them on your jacket’s pocket or lapel.
Veterans and retirees can wear miniature medals to military balls, funerals, veteran-centric events, national holidays, military specific days, memorials, parades, military conventions, and to speaking engagements, to name a few. Most of those occasions require a coat and tie if you plan to wear your mini medals.