Louisiana Veterans Honor Medal

The Louisiana Veterans Honor Medal is available to all eligible Louisiana veterans and to the families of those killed in action. The ribbon encodes the circumstance, which is unusual among state medals and is the reason families pursue it. Blue for an honorable discharge, purple for a Purple Heart recipient, black for a prisoner of war, yellow for those killed in action. Eligibility is residency plus service. The veteran must be a current Louisiana resident, or have been a Louisiana resident at entry into military service, or have been a Louisiana resident at death. Service in an active or reserve component counts. The veteran must have received an honorable discharge or died before separation, evidenced by a DD-214 or a DD-1300 report of casualty. Note that the residency test accepts any of three moments, so a veteran who enlisted from Louisiana and has lived elsewhere since qualifies, and so does one who moved to Louisiana after service. Only one medal is issued per veteran, so a family should decide who requests it. The path that matters most in practice is the posthumous one. Because residency at death qualifies, and because a DD-1300 is accepted, a family can obtain the medal for a veteran who has died, with the ribbon colour matching the circumstance. For a family of someone killed in action, the yellow ribbon is the specific recognition. Apply online or by mail with documentation to Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs, ATTN Honor Medal, PO Box 94095, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9095, or fax (225) 219-5590. Call (225) 219-3700. There is no fee mentioned in the department's materials, which distinguishes this from some states that charge for a comparable medal.