United States: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps) 'Junior Officer of the Year Award Medal'

The corded riband fitted with a 9mm 'crimp brooch' mounting bar. This with the makers hallmark 'Graco-GI'. The mounting brooch retaining its long hinged pin and intricate drop lock clasp fittings as issued

The medal is awarded annually to a NOAA Corps officer, below the grade of lieutenant commander for; outstanding contributions to NOAA, outstanding performance, and/or the positive reflection cast by the recipient upon the NOAA Corps

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, known informally as the NOAA Corps, is one of eight federal uniformed services of the United States, and operates under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a scientific agency overseen by the Department of Commerce. The NOAA Corps is made up of scientifically and technically trained officers. The NOAA Corps and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps are the only U.S. uniformed services that consist only of commissioned officers, with no enlisted or warrant officer ranks. The NOAA Corps' primary mission is to monitor oceanic conditions, support major waterways, and monitor atmospheric conditions

The NOAA Corps traces its origins to the establishment of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps on May 22, 1917, which the service recognizes as its official birthday. The Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps became the Environmental Science Services Administration Corps (ESSA Corps) in 1965, which in turn became the NOAA Corps in 1970

The NOAA Corps is the smallest of the eight uniformed services of the United States government. It has over 300 commissioned officers, but no enlisted or warrant officer personnel. The NOAA Corps today employs professionals trained in engineering, earth sciences, oceanography, meteorology, fisheries science, and other related disciplines. NOAA Corps officers operate NOAA ships, fly NOAA aircraft, manage research projects, conduct diving operations, and serve in staff positions throughout NOAA, as well as in positions in the United States Merchant Marine, the United States Department of Defense, the United States Coast Guard, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the United States Department of State. Like its predecessors, the Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps and the ESSA Corps, the NOAA Corps provides a source of technically skilled officers which can be incorporated into the U.S. Armed Forces in times of war, and in peacetime supports defense requirements in addition to its non-military scientific projects

Very scarce seen medal to the smallest of the conventional 'Uniformed Services' of the United States of America

Condition: EF

Code: 23703