Army of Puerto Rican Occupation Medal

Army of Puerto Rican Occupation Medal

Criteria:

The Army of Puerto Rican Occupation Medal is granted to members of the U.S. Army that have accomplished military occupation duty in Puerto Rico following the close of the Spanish-American War. For those service personnel who served both during and subsequent to the Spanish-American War, the Spanish Campaign Medal was also authorized. The designated dates for the Army of Puerto Rican Occupation Medal were from August 14 through December 10, 1898. The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps had no equivalent to the Army of Puerto Rican Occupation Medal. The medal was commemorative by nature although was authorized for wear on active military uniforms. A similar decoration, the Army of Cuban Occupation Medal was established for occupation service in Cuba after the Spanish-American War. The Army of Puerto Rican Occupation medal originated by an act of the U.S. War Department on February 4, 1919.