Cold War Victory Medal

Cold War Victory Medal
Cold War Victory Medal
Awarded by (1) United States National Guard (States of Alaska, Louisiana & Texas) (2) Commemorative medal for veterans and retirees by purchase from private vendors
Type	Medal
Eligibility	September 2, 1945 – December 26, 1991
Status	National Guard and commemorative medal for honorable service during Cold War
Statistics
First awarded	February 1, 2000
Last awarded	currently to those who served from September 2, 1945 – December 26, 1991
Precedence
Next (higher)	U.S. marksmanship, training and development awards (Note: Veterans may wear commemorative medal on public holidays. However, it is not authorized for wear on active duty uniform. The medal may be worn only on civilian attire and only after other authorized awards.) U.S. National Guard Alaska Air Medal Louisiana War Cross
Next (lower)	Alaska Commendation Medal Louisiana Emergency Service Medal

The Cold War Victory Medal is both an official medal of the National Guard and an unofficial military medal of the United States. It is awarded by the States of Louisiana and Texas, and in ribbon form only by the State of Alaska. In the medal's unofficial capacity it can be purchased, but not worn in uniform. It may be worn by any member of the United States military, or civilian employees of the federal government, who served in their positions honorably during the years of the Cold War, specifically September 2, 1945 to December 26, 1991.

In accordance with section 1084 of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 1998, Congress commended the members of the Armed Forces and civilian personnel who contributed to what the US government sees as their own historic victory in the Cold War, and authorized and instructed the then-Secretary of Defense, William Cohen, to prepare a certificate recognizing the Cold War service of qualifying members of the Armed Forces and civilian personnel of the Department of Defense and other government agencies. The certificate became known as the Cold War Recognition Certificate available by request of the individual by all members of the armed forces and qualified federal government civilian personnel who honorably served the United States anytime during the Cold War, which is defined as September 2, 1945 to December 26, 1991.

In October 2001, Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2002, which is signed into law on December 28, 2001 by President George W. Bush. In the NDAA approved by both houses and signed into law by the president, was a Sense of the Congress resolution that the Secretary of Defense should consider authorizing the issuance of a Campaign medal, to be known as the Cold War Service Medal, to each person who while a member of the Armed Forces served satisfactorily on active duty during the Cold War. The then-Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, did not create such a medal.