Secretary of Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom The Secretary of Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom is a decoration established to acknowledge civilian employees of the United States Department of Defense ( DoD ) who are killed or wounded in the line of duty . Description . The United States Army ’ s Institute of Heraldry developed the medal . Medal . The eagle and shield exemplify the principles of freedom on which the United States was founded and the defense of these freedoms . The laurel is emblematic of honor and high achievement . Ribbon . Red , white , and blue are the national colors of the United States . The red stripes commemorate valor and sacrifice . The wide blue stripe represents strength . The white stripes symbolize liberty . The number of red stripes represents the four terrorist attacks using hijacked airplanes , and the single blue stripe represents the terrorist attack on the Pentagon on September 11 , 2001 . Certificate . A certificate signed by the Secretary of the Army will accompany the medal . Eligibility . The medal shall be awarded to any DoD civilian employee meeting the definition of “ employee ” under title 5 United States Code , Section 2105 , and who is eligible for an award under DoD 1400 . 25 - M , Subchapter 451 , “ Awards , ” including employees of non - appropriated fund activities , when killed or wounded by hostile action while serving under any competent authority of the Department under conditions for which a military member would be eligible for receipt of the Purple Heart . Additionally , the Secretary of Defense has discretionary authority to award this medal to non - Defense personnel who are otherwise qualified to be awarded the medal based on their involvement in DoD activities . Criteria . Eligibility criteria for the medal are aligned as closely as possible to those for the Purple Heart for members of the United States armed forces ; this medal differs from other medals in that it is not “ recommended . ” The employee is “ entitled ” to the medal if the employee is eligible under Section 4 and if the conditions or criteria in this paragraph are present . Hostile action may involve , but is not limited to , the use of conventional or nuclear weapons , chemical or biological agents , explosives , or missiles . The medal shall be awarded to employees who are killed or who sustain injury due to hostile action against the United States of America , or killed or wounded while rescuing or attempting to rescue any other employee or individual subjected to injuries sustained under such conditions . The wound for which the award is made must have required treatment by a medical officer , and records of medical treatment for wounds or injuries received in action must have been made a matter of official record . Limitations on awarding . The medal is authorized for the incident of death or the first wound suffered under the conditions indicated above . The medal itself may be awarded only once ; however , for subsequent events that would require the award of the medal , a device will be awarded to attach to the ribbon of the medal . Posthumous awards . The medal may be awarded posthumously and , when so awarded , may be presented to a representative of the deceased member ’ s family .