The campaign and commemorative medals of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps frame an interesting evolution in our country’s military development and willingness to use this power on a worldwide basis. It traces their roots from our own Civil War to assuming the stature of the world’s superpower. This work provides an in-depth overview of not only the history and development of each campaign medal but also the historical significance of the events surrounding the establishment of each medal. Informative and insightful glimpses of some of the main characters in this history, like Dewey, Sampson. DeLong, Butler, Hanneken, Peary, and Byrd are threaded through this work. The book traces the events and their corresponding medals through our current involvement in the Bosnia peacekeeping mission. 88 pp | over 180 color and b/w photographs