Did Pete Hegseth receive any awards or commendations during his National Guard service?

1. What multiple sources say: Bronze Stars and infantry badges

Contemporary news and defense biographies repeatedly state Hegseth earned Bronze Star decorations and infantry qualification badges for his deployments. The Department of Defense–linked profile and other accounts list “two Bronze Star Medals,” the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and the Expert Infantryman Badge among his decorations, indicating recognized combat/service performance and infantry qualifications ^{[1] [2]}.

2. Consistent items across bios: Army Commendation and service medals

Several profiles also include two Army Commendation Medals and broader service awards such as the National Defense Service Medal with a bronze service star. Those items appear in media summaries used during his nomination and in online biographical pages ^{[2] [3]}.

3. Where reporting diverges: counts and phrasing

Sources do not all agree on counts or exact phrasing. Some write that Hegseth “received a Bronze Star Medal” (singular) for Iraq service ^{[4] [7]}, while others explicitly state “two Bronze Stars” ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Ballotpedia and several biographical pages assert two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman’s Badge, but the text and emphasis vary across outlets ^{[3] [1]}.

4. What the official/DoD-adjacent record shows and its significance

A DoD-hosted article and Department-linked pages list his awards in summarized form, including two Bronze Stars and both infantry badges, which, if accurate, mark recognition for meritorious or valorous service in a combat zone and for infantry proficiency ^{[1] [2]}. The presence of the Expert Infantryman Badge and Combat Infantryman’s Badge denotes both demonstrated infantry skills and combat service ^{[1] [4]}.

5. Independent and third‑party summaries echo but sometimes embellish

Veteran-oriented sites, campaign biographies, and press coverage reiterate the same set of honors — Bronze Stars, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Army Commendation Medals — but occasional posts add context or interpret significance (e.g., noting the Bronze Star recognizes meritorious service in combat) without supplying primary-document citations ^{[5] [8] [9]}.

6. Missing from these sources: primary award paperwork and dates

Available sources give lists of awards but do not reproduce underlying award citations, orders, or exact award dates in the materials provided here. The raw service-record paperwork showing when and for what actions each decoration was issued is not included in these summaries (not found in current reporting).

7. Why these differences matter: public credibility and policy debate

Discrepancies in counts and phrasing matter because military awards are a key credential in political and media debates about experience. Media outlets and official sites appear to rely on shared biographical material; variations likely stem from condensed bios, editorial choices, or different updates over time ^{[2] [6]}. Readers should note that summaries citing multiple Bronze Stars and badges come from DoD-adjacent biographical posts and major outlets, which lends institutional weight even as specifics vary ^{[1] [2]}.

8. Bottom line for the question asked

Yes: multiple credible profiles and Department-related biographies report that Pete Hegseth received Bronze Star Medals (commonly reported as two), the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, and at least two Army Commendation Medals during his National Guard service ^{[1] [2] [3]}. The precise number of Bronze Stars and the detailed award citations are not reproduced in the available reporting here (not found in current reporting).