Honors and awards of the Order of the Arrow

It is important to distinguish between awards, honors, and membership levels in the Order of the Arrow – the honor camping society of the Boy Scouts of America. The Founder's Award, the Red Arrow Award, and the Distinguished Service Award are all awards. Any of the awards of the Order of the Arrow (OA) may be presented to an individual regardless of which membership level he or she has achieved. The Vigil Honor may only be presented to Brotherhood Members.

The Vigil Honor was first bestowed upon E. Urner Goodman by the Unami Lodge in 1915, and has since been conferred annually as a national recognition upon OA members for noteworthy service to others through the OA and Scouting. New Vigil Honor members are nominated, approved, and inducted annually in virtually all current OA lodges.

Lodges nominate Brotherhood members for the Vigil Honor according to specific national requirements, with nominations limited according to lodge size and a balance between youth and adult members. Those members whose lodges' nominations have been approved by the National OA office are inducted during a special ceremony, and are bestowed with a name of honor translated in both a Native American/American Indian language as well as English. Recipients also are given a different sash, similar to the Brotherhood sash but with a triangle with three small arrows in the middle of the main arrow. The National OA office issues a Vigil Honor certificate recognizing this honor with the honoree's given name and the Vigil Honor name in both translations.

Distinguished Service Award

The Distinguished Service Award (DSA) is a service recognition award for those who have rendered distinguished and outstanding service to the OA on a sectional, regional, or national basis over a period of years.

The first awards were presented at Camp Twin Echo, Pennsylvania, to E. Urner Goodman, Carroll A. Edson, and eight others at the 1940 national meeting. Between 1940 and the first national conference in 1948, the award was presented at national meetings as deserving individuals were found. Thereafter, the award presentation became a traditional part of the pageantry and ceremony of the national conference.

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