Certificate of Merit Medal

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The Certificate of Merit Medal was a military decoration of the United States Army that was issued between the years of 1905 to 1918. The Certificate of Merit Medal was a military decoration which replaced the much older "Certificate of Merit" which had first been issued by the U.S. Army in 1847.

The original Certificate of Merit was issued to 539 Army soldiers during the Mexican War. The first certificates were only authorized for Privates and it was not until 1854 that the Certificate of Merit was awarded to NCOs the rank of Sergeant and above. The Certificate of Merit was never authorized for officers.

In 1892, the criteria for the Certificate of Merit was changed and now was presented to:

"Any enlisted members of the Army for distinguished service whether in action or otherwise, of valuable character to the United States, as, for example, extraordinary exertion in the preservation of human life, or in the preservation of public property, or rescuing public property from destruction by fire or other-wise, or any hazardous service by which the Government is saved loss in men and material."

There were 205 Certificates of Merit awarded under the new authority for decoration. In 1905, the name of the decoration was changed to the Certificate of Merit Medal and authorized for wear on a United States military uniform. The first recipient of the Certificate of Merit medal was First Lt. William Baker, who had received an original Certificate of Merit as an Corporal during the Spanish-American War.

The Certificate of Merit was considered a single decoration for one-time issuance only. It was declared obsolete and removed from U.S. award precedence charts on July 9, 1918 following the creation of the Distinguished Service Cross.

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