9 US Military Medals So Rare, Most Soldiers Have Never Seen Them

Awards Given to Fewer Than 1000 People

The United States has awarded millions of military decorations since the Civil War. Purple Hearts, Bronze Stars, and Good Conduct Medals fill shadow boxes in homes across the country.

But a handful of medals and badges are so exclusive that most veterans will never meet anyone who has one. Some went to fewer than two dozen people.

One has never been awarded at all. These nine decorations represent the rarest honors the American military has ever created.

The Coast Guard Cross

Congress created the Coast Guard Cross in 2010 as the service’s second-highest decoration for combat heroism, ranking just below the Medal of Honor.

The problem is that Coast Guardsmen rarely find themselves in the kind of sustained ground combat the award requires.

When the Coast Guard operates under the Navy during wartime, members become eligible for the Navy Cross instead. So the Coast Guard Cross sits in the regulations, waiting.

As of 2025, no one has ever received it, making it technically the rarest military decoration in American history.

The Four Chaplains Medal

On February 3, 1943, a German torpedo struck the Army transport ship Dorchester in the North Atlantic.

Four Army chaplains, a Methodist minister, a Jewish rabbi, a Catholic priest, and a Dutch Reformed minister, helped panicked soldiers find life jackets. When the supply ran out, all four gave up their own.

Survivors last saw them standing arm in arm on the sinking deck, praying together. Congress wanted to award them the Medal of Honor, but they hadn’t been in combat.

So in 1960, Congress created a special medal just for them. It was awarded once, to four men, and will never be given again.

The Tiffany Cross Medal of Honor

After World War I, the Navy decided it needed two versions of the Medal of Honor: one for combat and one for non-combat heroism. They hired Tiffany & Company to design the combat version.

The result was a gold cross with anchors on each arm and the word "VALOUR" on the ribbon bar. It looked impressive, but sailors didn’t like it.

Some thought it resembled the German Iron Cross. Admiral Richard Byrd requested the traditional star-shaped version instead.

By 1942, the Navy retired the Tiffany Cross entirely. Only about 22 recipients ever received one.

Double Medal of Honor Recipients

About 3,500 Americans have received the Medal of Honor since 1861. Just 19 earned it twice.

Thomas Custer, younger brother of George Armstrong Custer, was the first, capturing Confederate flags in two separate Civil War battles.

Five Marines received both the Army and Navy versions for the same action in World War I because they were fighting under Army command.

The last person to earn two Medals of Honor for separate actions was Smedley Butler, in 1914 and 1915. Regulations changed after World War I, and no one has matched this feat since 1918.

The Tomb Guard Identification Badge

Soldiers who guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery can earn one of the Army’s rarest badges. The requirements are brutal.

Candidates must serve nine months on the Honor Guard, pass five tests, memorize over 200 grave locations at Arlington, and learn 12 poems by heart.

They must maintain flawless uniforms with preparation taking up to eight hours before each shift. Since the badge was first issued in 1958, only 732 soldiers have earned it.

And unlike other awards, this one can be revoked for life if the holder ever disgraces the Tomb.

The Military Horseman Identification Badge

The Army’s newest badge was first awarded in 2017 to soldiers on the Caisson Platoon at Arlington National Cemetery. These soldiers handle the horses that pull flag-draped caskets during military funerals.

To earn the badge, soldiers must complete a nine-week horsemanship course, serve honorably for nine months, and participate in 100 full-honors funerals.

The badge features a horse modeled after Black Jack, the famous riderless horse that walked in President Kennedy’s funeral procession. Only a few dozen soldiers have earned it since its creation.

The Triple Combat Infantryman Badge

The Combat Infantryman Badge goes to soldiers who fight in ground combat while assigned to an infantry unit. A star on top indicates a second award in a different war.

Two stars mean three wars. Because the eligibility periods span World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the War on Terror, the 48-year gap between Korea and Afghanistan made it impossible for anyone to fight in three of those four conflicts.

All 325 recipients of the triple badge earned it in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. No one will ever earn this version again.

The Army Astronaut Device

The astronaut device is a gold shooting star and orbital ring that attaches to an Army aviator’s wings. It goes to soldiers who complete an operational space mission at least 50 miles above Earth.

Most Army aviators fly helicopters at a few thousand feet. The International Space Station orbits at 250 miles up.

As of late 2024, only two active or reserve Army officers have earned the device: Lieutenant Colonel Anne McClain in 2020 and Major Kathleen Rubins in 2024.

Both flew missions to the International Space Station while serving with NASA. The Army astronaut device is considered the rarest badge the service issues.

The Certificate of Merit Medal

The Army created the Certificate of Merit in 1847 to recognize enlisted soldiers for distinguished service. It came with an extra two dollars a month in pay, a significant sum at the time.

In 1905, the Army created an actual medal for holders of the certificate.

But in 1918, Congress established the Distinguished Service Cross and Distinguished Service Medal, making the Certificate of Merit redundant.

The Army discontinued it and allowed holders to exchange their medals for the new decorations. Today, original Certificate of Merit Medals are prized by collectors as rare pieces of military history.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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