Presidential Unit Citation
The Presidential Unit Citation is an award given to units of the United States Armed Forces and their allies who have distinguished themselves through outstanding heroic acts in combat against enemies since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the associated entry of the United States into the Second World War I have excelled. A prerequisite for an award to a military association is the determined demonstration of bravery and corps spirit while carrying out the respective assignment under extremely difficult and risky conditions. The degree of heroism required corresponds to that of the Distinguished Service Cross , which is awarded to individual people.
US Army and US Air Force PUC
This distinction, intended for associations of the Army and Air Force , was introduced as Distinguished Unit Citation on February 26, 1942 . Since November 3rd, 1966 it has had the name we know today. All members of the respective honored unit are allowed to wear the PUC, regardless of whether they were involved in the fighting or not. People who only join the unit awarded at a later date wear this strap buckle on their uniform only for the duration of their membership of the unit. It is blue and surrounded by a gold frame . On the regimental flag , the Army and Air Force PUC can be recognized by a blue band measuring 4 feet (~ 122 cm) × 2.75 inches (~ 7 cm). In most cases it is provided with the name of the battle in which the relevant association made a name for itself.
Introduced on February 6, 1942, this strap buckle is equivalent to the Navy Cross , which is the second highest distinction the Navy and Marine Corps give to the military. It is horizontally striped in the colors blue, yellow and red and does not have a gold frame, but has the same dimensions as the army and air force version.
On December 7, 2004, President George W. Bush awarded members of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-SOUTH / Task Force K-Bar, which operated in Afghanistan between October 2001 and March 2002, including the German Special Forces Command (KSK), the Navy Presidential Unit Citation for "extraordinary courage, ingenuity and aggressive fighting spirit in combat against a well-equipped, well-trained and insidious terrorist enemy".
On May 7, 2011, in Fort Campbell , President Barack Obama awarded the Navy Presidential Unit Citation to the elite unit of the Navy Seals who killed Osama bin Laden on May 1, 2011 . The elite soldiers of the Navy Seals had "one of the greatest military and intelligence operations in the history of our country," said Obama.
US Coast Guard PUC
The awarding of the US Coast Guard PUC to associations of the US Coast Guard depends on the type of service provided. In the course of the relief effort after Hurricane Katrina , George W. Bush presented a special version of this award to the Coast Guard for excellence in peacetime.
See also
Individual evidence
Web links
- Army Presidential Unit Citation - The Institute of Heraldry of the US Department of Defense (Engl.)
- Presidential Unit Citation in the Code of Federal Regulations