An Enlistment Bar is an obsolete decoration of the United States military which was previously awarded as an attachment to the Good Conduct Medal

Good Conduct Medal

The Good Conduct Medal is one of the oldest military awards of the United States military. The Navy Good Conduct Medal was first issued in 1869, followed by a Marine version in 1896. The Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal was issued in 1923 and the Army Good Conduct Medal in 1941. The Air Force was...

. The U.S. Navy, United States Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

, and United States Coast Guard

United States Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...

 were the only services to ever use enlistment bars. An enlistment bar was similar in appearance to a campaign clasp. The Good Conduct Loop

Good Conduct Loop

A Good Conduct Loop is an award of the United States Army which denotes additional decorations of the Army Good Conduct Medal. Good Conduct Loops were first created in 1941 and were based on the concept of the enlistment bar...

 was also a similar decoration, used by the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

.

Navy

The Navy first began issuing enlistment bars in 1884. The bar was pinned to the front of the Good Conduct Medal and listed a sailor’s duty assignment at the time of the issuance of the Good Conduct Medal. On the reverse of the enlistment bar was the sailor’s date of discharge. In 1931, the enlistment bar was revamped to display, on the front side only, the sailor’s date of discharge for the period of Good Conduct service.

During the Second World War, enlistment bars were changed again to where the first enlistment bar would denote a subsequent decoration of the Good Conduct Medal. Such bars were inscribed to read “SECOND AWARD”, “THIRD AWARD” and so on.

In 1950, the Navy declared enlistment bars to be obsolete and began issuing service stars to denote multiple awards of the Good Conduct Medal.

Marine Corps

The Marine Corps issued enlistment bars for subsequent awards of the Good Conduct Medal, with the front of the bar displaying the number of the subsequent enlistment and the reverse of the bar displaying the dates of the enlistment for which the Good Conduct Medal was authorized.

The Marine Corps discontinued enlistment bars in 1953 and began to use service stars to denote multiple awards of the Good Conduct Medal.

Coast Guard

Coast Guard enlistment bars were engraved in the same manner as those issued for the Navy Good Conduct Medal. The enlistment bars originally displayed duty assignments on front, with date of discharge on the reverse. During the Second World War, the Coast Guard followed suit with the Navy and began issuing enlistment bars engraved with the number of a subsequent Good Conduct award. The Coast Guard maintained this system until 1966, at which time enlistment bars were declared obsolete and replaced by service stars.