Citation Star The Citation Star or Silver Citation Star is a Department of the Army device which was first established by the United States Congress on July 9 , 1918 ( Bulletin No . 43 , War Dept . 1918 ) . The " Citation Star " was a 3 / 16 " silver star " placed " on the suspension ribbon and service ribbon of the World War I Victory Medal to denote a Citation ( certificate ) for " Gallantry In Action " was awarded to a soldier or to a Marine attached to the Army ' s Second Division ( 2nd Infantry Division ) , American Expeditionary Forces after he was officially cited in orders ( General Order Number ) . The " Citation Star " is authorized retroactively to denote being cited for gallantry in action back to the American Civil War . General Jervey , Office of the Chief of Staff , in a letter dated February 26 , 1926 , wrote : The Secretary of War directs as follows - The following is the amended version of paragraph 187 of Army Regulation : " No more than one Medal of Honor or one Distinguished Service Cross or one Distinguished Service Medal shall be issued to any one person , but for each succeeding or act sufficient to justify the award of a Medal of Honor or Distinguished Service Cross or Distinguished Service Medal , respectively , a bronze oak leaf cluster , shall be issued in lieu thereof ; and for each citation of an officer or enlisted man for gallantry in action , published in orders from headquarters of a force commanded by a general officer , not warranting the issue of a Medal of Honor , Distinguished Service Cross or Distinguished Service Medal , he shall wear a silver star , 3 / 16 inch in diameter , as prescribed in Uniform Regulations . " In , Army Regulation 600 - 40 specified that the " Citation Star " would be worn above a campaign clasp on the suspension ribbon of the medal and to the wearer ' s right of the bronze service stars on the service ribbon . Authorized Army Citation Stars may be worn on the following service medals : On July 19 , 1932 the United States Secretary of War approved the Silver Star Medal to replace the Citation Star . Second and subsequent Citation Stars were replaced by oak leaf cluster devices for the Silver Star medal . During World War II , a 3 / 16 " silver star was worn in lieu of five bronze service star s . Navy Commendation Star . The Navy also authorized a 3 / 16 " silver star for those individuals commended by the Secretary of the Navy named the Navy Commendation Star ( Navy Letter of Commendation Star ) which also was to be placed on the World War I Victory Medal for each citation . The two silver star devices were not considered equivalent , however , and the Navy Commendation Star could not be converted to the Silver Star Medal . At the start of the Second World War , the Navy Commendation Star was declared obsolete and none were issued between 1941 and 1945 . Starting in the 1950s , the Department of the Navy began accepting applications from eligible World War I veterans who were authorized the Navy Commendation Star to be reissued the Navy Commendation Ribbon with Metal Pendant which was later renamed the Navy Commendation Medal ( Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal , 1994 ) in 1960 .