ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Awards and decorations of the United States military

The United States military is made up of a bunch of different people who work together to protect the country. These people can do really amazing things to help keep us safe, like being brave or doing their job really well.

When someone in the military does something really great, they can get an award or decoration to show that they did something special. Awards and decorations are like a special prize that someone gets for doing something really cool.

There are lots of different types of awards and decorations, and each one means something different. Some awards are for being really brave in a dangerous situation, while others are for doing a great job at a specific task like fixing a broken airplane.

The awards and decorations that someone gets are usually decided by their boss or the people in charge of their unit. Sometimes these awards are given out in a big ceremony with lots of people watching, and other times they are given out quietly and privately.

No matter what kind of award or decoration someone gets, it's something to be really proud of. It means they did something really great and helped to make the country a little bit safer.