Air Medal The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States Military . The medal was created in 1942 and is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight . Criteria . The Air Medal was established by , signed by Franklin D . Roosevelt , on 11 May 1942 . The Air Medal was awarded retroactive to 8 September 1939 . The medal is awarded to anyone who , while serving in any capacity in or with the Armed Forces of the United States , have distinguished themselves by meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight . During World War II the medal ' s award criteria varied widely depending on the theater of operations , the aircraft flown , and the missions accomplished . In Europe some bomber crewmembers received it for five sorties ; elsewhere , the Pacific and CBI much higher criteria were used . The Distinguished Flying Cross would be given to a commissioned officer where the Air Medal would be awarded to an enlisted man . The Air Medal may be awarded to recognize single acts of merit or heroism , or for meritorious service . Award of the Air Medal is primarily intended to recognize those personnel who are on current crew member or non - crew member flying status which requires them to participate in aerial flight on a regular and frequent basis in the performance of their primary duties . However , it may also be awarded to certain other individuals whose combat duties require regular and frequent flying in other than a passenger status , or individuals who perform a particularly noteworthy act while performing the function of a crew member but who are not on flying status . These individuals must make a discernible contribution to the operational land combat mission or to the mission of the aircraft in flight . Examples of personnel whose combat duties require them to fly include those in the attack elements of units involved in air - land assaults against an armed enemy and those directly involved in airborne command and control of combat operations . Also to include personnel performing " Dustoff " Medevac operations . Awards will not be made to individuals who use air transportation solely for the purpose of moving from point to point in a combat zone . Subsequent awards of the Air Medal are denoted in the U . S . Army by award numerals displayed on the medal and ribbon . The Army originally used oak leaf clusters , however it changed to numerals during the Vietnam War when the number of Air Medals awarded became too large to be annotated on a single ribbon . The Army and the Air Force also awards the Air Medal with the " V " Device for acts of heroism . The Secretary of the Air Force approved the " V " device for Air Medals awarded for heroism effective 21 Oct 2004 . This applies to all Air Force members ( Active Duty , Air Force Reserve , Air National Guard ) , retirees , and veterans . It is not authorized for wear on the medal for an earlier date . The Air Force does not utilize numerals on the Air Medal . Subsequent awards are annotated with the traditional oak leaf clusters . Enlisted members are also awarded three points toward promotion . Variants . The U . S . Navy and U . S . Marine Corps have two types of Air Medal awards : " Individual " for singular meritorious acts and " Strike / Flight " for participation in sustained aerial flight operations . As of September 27 , 2006 , gold numerals are used to denote the number of " Individual " Air Medals . This is a return to the standard used before November 22 , 1989 . In the interval between November 22 , 1989 and September 27 , 2006 , bronze , gold , and silver 5 / 16 inch star s denoted the number of " Individual " Air Medals awarded . A bronze star was used to denote a first award and gold stars were used for the second through the fifth awards , seventh through tenth awards , and so on . Silver stars were used in lieu of five gold stars , and denote the sixth and eleventh ( and so on ) awards . For " Individual " Air Medals , the Combat " V " may be authorized . Bronze Strike / Flight numerals denote the number of Strike / Flight awards . The United States Coast Guard also awards the Air Medal but not the Strike / Flight Award . Gold and silver 5 / 16 inch star s are authorized for wear to denote additional Air Medal awards . The gold star denotes the second through fifth award of the Air Medal . The Coast Guard is not authorized any other military device for the Air Medal . During World War II , the Air Medal was also awarded to members of the Civil Air Patrol that had been participants in that organization ' s anti - submarine patrol program . Design . The medal ' s design is prescribed by law . Description : A Bronze compass rose 1 11 / 16 inches circumscribing diameter and charged with an eagle volant carrying two lightning flashes in its talons . A fleur - de - lis at the top point holds the suspension ring . The points of the compass rose on the reverse are modeled with the central portion plain for engraving the name of the recipient . Ribbon : The ribbon is 1 3 / 8 inches wide and consists of the following stripes : Components : The following are authorized components of the Air Medal and the applicable specifications for each : Designer : Walker Hancock . Hancock had competed for the medal design as a civilian , but prior to the award of the competition had been inducted into the army .