Four days after confirming that it was creating a new medal for troops deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border, the Department of Defense released the first look for the award.
The Pentagon released the first look at the new Mexican Border Defense Medal today. The release follows the establishment of the new award, outlined in an Aug. 13 memo by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The award goes to troops deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border supporting operations by Customs and Border Protection. The new medal replaces the Armed Forces Service Medal, which had been authorized for the same mission in 2019.
The Aug. 13 memo was posted on military social media accounts last week but the Pentagon only confirmed its authenticity on Aug. 18. No design details or images of the award were released at the time. Hegseth posted on X on Aug. 22 that the new Mexico Border Defense Medal would be the “same mold, same ribbon” as the 1918 Mexican Border Service Medal.
And the design shared by the Pentagon really is identical, with the same yellow and green-stripped ribbon and pattern on the actual metal. The Mexican Border Service Medal, which was issued to troops on the United States side of the border between 1916-1917. A similarly named Mexican Service Medal was issued for service members who took part in military operations inside Mexico between 1911-1919.
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/mexico-border-medal-design/
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