Award for Heroism

Award for Heroism
Type	Medal
Awarded for	"Acts of courage or outstanding performance under unusually difficult or dangerous circumstances"
Presented by	United States Department of State
Eligibility	Foreign Service, Civil Service, US Military
Status	Currently awarded
Ribbon
Precedence
Next (higher)	Secretary’s Award
Next (lower)	Thomas Jefferson Star for Foreign Service Award for Valor (obsolete)

The Award for Heroism is an award of the United States Department of State. It is presented to employees of State, USAID and Marine guards assigned to diplomatic and consular facilities in recognition of acts of courage or outstanding performance under unusually difficult or dangerous circumstances, whether or not in connection with the performance of assigned duties.^[1]

The award consists of a silver medal set and a certificate signed by an assistant secretary, an official of equivalent rank or the Chief of Mission. Due to the location and dangerous nature of their work, the majority of the recipients have been Foreign Service Special Agents of the Diplomatic Security Service.

The Award for Heroism is a replacement for the former Award for Valor. The basic difference between the two medals is that the Valor Award was issued in 10K gold whereas the Heroism Award is issued in sterling silver. The ribbon reflects this; the designs are almost identical, but the color scheme indicates the precious metal issued with the respective awards.