How do DD‑214 and other separation documents list Bronze Star awards and device annotations?
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Executive summary
DD‑214 and similar separation documents record a veteran’s decorations and awards in a specific block labeled for “Decorations, medals, badges, citations and campaign ribbons” (Block 13 on DD‑214); whether a Bronze Star appears there depends on whether the award was authorized and entered into the service record at separation, and omissions can be corrected later through record‑correction procedures such as DD‑215 or NPRC requests [1] [2] [3]. Contemporary guidance and veterans’ resources warn that the DD‑214 is the canonical list for display and benefits, while also acknowledging that some historically awarded items (for example awards tied to Combat Infantry/Medic Badges in World War II) might not always be reflected and may require documentary proof to amend the record [4] [5] [2].
1. Where the Bronze Star would appear on separation paperwork
The DD‑214 uses a dedicated block to list “Decorations, medals, badges, citations and campaign ribbons awarded or authorized,” and that is where a Bronze Star Medal — if recorded at the time of separation — will be printed by name among other honors (Block 13) [1]. Other separation documents equivalent to the DD‑214 carry similar conventions; repositories such as the National Archives and NPRC treat the DD‑214 (or official replacements) as the record veterans and next‑of‑kin use to prove awards for certificates and benefits [6] [3].
2. Devices and annotations: what the sources show and where gaps remain
The reviewed sources confirm that DD‑214s list awards by title in the decorations block but do not provide a comprehensive, source‑backed description of how devices (for example a “V” for valor, oak leaf clusters, service stars, or other attachments) are annotated on the printed DD‑214 itself in modern practice; the publicly available DD‑214 guidance emphasizes the block’s role for listing decorations but the materials supplied here stop short of showing standard notation for every device type [1]. Separate guidance on ribbon devices exists in military regulations and in specific medal guidance (illustrated indirectly by sources that explain bronze service stars for repeat awards on campaign medals), but those device‑specific notations are not fully documented in the supplied separation‑form materials [7].
3. Historical quirk: Bronze Star and related badges in WWII and later corrections
Historic practice sometimes produced retrospective Bronze Star awards based on possession of qualifying badges — for example, World War II personnel who held the Combat Infantry Badge or Combat Medic Badge were, in many cases, recognized as entitled to the Bronze Star retroactively — but that retroactivity didn’t always require an amended DD‑214 at issuance, and guidance notes that veterans’ files could be updated without a DD‑215 depending on circumstances [5] [4]. When a decoration is missing or incorrectly recorded, veterans and next‑of‑kin can seek review and correction; NPRC and related personnel offices accept documentation to add awards or to issue an amended separation document (DD‑215) if warranted [2] [3].
4. Practical implications for veterans and claimants
Because agencies and benefits processors rely on the DD‑214 and Official Military Personnel File, veterans commonly are advised to treat what’s printed on the DD‑214 as the authoritative list for displays and claims, but to pursue formal corrections through record review when awards are absent or misstated; the National Archives and VA provide mechanisms and instructions for requesting copies and initiating corrections, and the history forums and unit guidance likewise encourage submission of supporting orders and award citations to substantiate changes [4] [2] [3] [8].
5. Sources, ambiguities and where further documentation is needed
The primary sources here — a DD‑214 how‑to guide, National Archives/NPRC guidance, veterans’ replacement‑medal web pages and unit history notes — collectively establish that Bronze Stars should be named in the DD‑214 decorations block and that missing entries can be corrected, but they do not provide a complete, authoritative table showing the exact textual conventions for listing each possible device on the DD‑214; resolving device‑annotation specifics requires consulting service‑level awards manuals or current DoD/branch instructions and the veteran’s award citation/orders [1] [6] [2]. Readers seeking verification of a particular document or device notation should obtain the veteran’s DD‑214 and award citation from NPRC or the issuing service for definitive proof [3] [6].