WASHINGTON (April 22, 2015) The Good Conduct Badge was established by the Secretary of the Navy on April 26, 1869. The badge was a Maltese cross with a rope-ringed circular medallion at the center. Along the rim of the medallion were the words "Fidelity Zeal Obedience" and at the center, "U.S.N." Made of nickel and measuring about 31mm wide, the cross hung on a half-inch wide red, white and blue ribbon. On the back, the Sailor's name was script-engraved. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Eric Lockwood/Released)
Second only to the Navy Medal of Honor, the Good Conduct Medal is the oldest award the Navy has continuously presented to deserving Sailors. But it has undergone significant changes since it was first established on this day (April 26) in 1869. Before it became a medal, it was called a badge, and before that, it was an administrative statement that served as proof of capability to work and serve at sea, and discharged a Sailor from service. Prior to the Civil War, when a Sailor completed his enlistment, his commanding officer would certify his time, his trustworthiness at sea, and his proficiency with gunnery. If he wanted to go to sea again, his discharge acted as his references.
Back then, "good conduct" was as much about skill than just behavior. A Sailor would enter a recruiting station with his "Good Conduct" report and reenlist. Enlistments worked differently back then compared to today when recruits may have little to no experience sailing. The conversation might have gone like this: Recruiter, "Oh, I see you served under Capt. Joshua Barn - you served under Capt. Barney!" And he recommends you! -Well, everything seems to be in order. Can you start tomor-I mean, toda-I mean, right now? I see a ship about to put to sea at this very moment in need of an able hand!" Or something to that effect. The reference was transformed into a badge a few years after the Civil War.
WASHINGTON (April 22, 2015) Twenty-Seven years to the day after the certificate became a badge, the badge became the Good Conduct Medal April 26, 1896. In addition to this, by order of General Order 327, the time criterion was set at three years for a Sailor to earn it. A straight bar clasp was used to attach the circular medal to its maroon ribbon. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Eric Lockwood/Released)
"[The badge] was established by the Secretary of the Navy [on April 26, 1869] for award to any man holding a Continuous Service Certificate, who had distinguished himself for obedience, sobriety, and cleanliness," according to John Strandberg and Roger James Bender in
The Call of Duty: Military Awards and Decorations of the United States of America. Given the reputation of Sailors back then, one could be forgiven for believing the bit about sobriety made the badge difficult to obtain, but there are no statistics available today about what percentage of 19th century Sailors were actually presented the badge at discharge. The badge, which seemed a lot like a medal, was a Maltese cross with a rope-ringed circular medallion at the center. Along the rim of the medallion were the words "Fidelity Zeal Obedience" and at the center, "U.S.N." Made of nickel and measuring about 31mm wide, the cross hung on a half-inch wide red, white and blue ribbon. On the back, the Sailor's name was script-engraved. If and when a Sailor received three such awards after consecutive enlistments, he merited promotion to a Petty Officer.
WASHINGTON (April 22, 2015) On the back of the 1896 version of the medal was inscribed, among other things, the discharge date and continuous service number. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Eric Lockwood/Released)
The badge underwent some redesigns in 1880 and again in 1884. Then 27 years to the day after the certificate became a badge, the badge became the Good Conduct Medal in 1896. In addition to this, by order of General Order 327, the time criterion was set at three years for a Sailor to earn it. A straight bar clasp was used to attach the circular medal to its maroon ribbon. "Subsequent enlistments were recognized by the addition of a clasp attached to the suspension ribbon," relate Strandberg and Bender. "These clasps [?] were engraved on the front with the duty station or ship upon which the recipient served and the discharge date and continuous service number on the reverse."
Over the next several decades, the Navy changed the medal's appearance numerous times, but the criterion for receiving it seems to have remained the same. For a brief period during World War II, the Navy stopped awarding the medal to conserve metal and free the clerks from the paperwork they mandated. Instead, notations were made in the person's service jacket. Not until the 1950s did the Navy settle on something permanent. The clasps were done away with in favor of 3/16 inch bronze stars denoting multiple enlistments, names on awards were dropped for all but posthumous recipients, and the ribbon was changed to a solid red color.
Nowadays, the
rules for earning the medal are a little more complex, but generally if Sailors go three consecutive years with "a clear record (no convictions by court-martial, no non-judicial punishment (NJP), no lost time by reason of sickness-misconduct, no civil convictions for offenses involving moral turpitude)" they are eligible for the Good Conduct Medal.
Sources:
http://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/heritage/service-medals-and-campaign-credits/navy-good-conduct-medal.html The Call of Duty: Military Awards and Decorations of the United States of America