physics

Marksmanship ribbon

Marksmanship ribbon is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Marksmanship ribbon rather than just read about it. In short: A marksmanship ribbon is a United States Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard and NOAA Commissioned Corps award that is issued to its members who pass a weapons qualification course and achieve an above-average score. Additionally, there are select state National Guard organizations that award marksmanship ribbons for high placement in state-level marksmanship competitions.

Key takeaways

Marksmanship ribbon belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Marksmanship ribbon to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Marksmanship ribbon from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A marksmanship ribbon is a United States Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard and NOAA Commissioned Corps award that is issued to its members who pass a weapons qualification course and achieve an above-average score. Additionally, there are select state National Guard organizations that award marksmanship ribbons for high placement in state-level marksmanship competitions.

U.S. Navy

The U.S. Navy has issued these two marksmanship awards since 1920: the Navy Pistol Marksmanship Ribbon which is currently awarded for qualification on the Glock 19, 9mm pistol, and the Navy Rifle Marksmanship Ribbon which is currently awarded for qualification on the M4 variant. The Navy issues the marksmanship ribbon in three levels of precedence: Expert, Sharpshooter, and Marksman. The basic ribbon is awarded for the Marksman level while the specific ribbon device is awarded for qualification as a Sharpshooter or Expert. Those receiving an Expert qualification receive the Marksmanship Medal and Marksmanship Ribbon.

Retired ribbons The Navy issued the Distinguished Marksman and Pistol Ribbon between 1942 and 1951 to recognize those who had earned a Distinguished Marksman or Pistol Shot Badge. In 1952 the Secretary of the Navy ordered that the ribbon be divided into two new awards: the Distinguished Marksman Ribbon, to denote distinguished marksmanship with a rifle, and the Distinguished Pistol Shot Ribbon, to denote distinguished marksmanship with a pistol.

U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force The U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force awards a single ribbon, known as the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon, for an expert qualification on either the M16 rifle, M4 carbine or the M9 or M17/18 pistol. The ribbon is issued in only one degree; however, a 3⁄16 inch bronze star may be worn on the ribbon for those who have qualified expert on both the service rifle and pistol. The ribbon was authorized by the Secretary of the Air Force on Aug. 28, 1962, and was awarded to all Air Force and Space Force members who qualified after Jan. 1, 1963. Prior to the conception of a ribbon, Air Force members were awarded with the United States Air Force Small Arms Marksmanship Certificate of Achievement (AF Form 1193 Jan 1961).

U.S. Coast Guard The U.S. Coast Guard Marksmanship Ribbons are issued under the same criteria as the U.S. Navy, but Coast Guardsmen use a .40 cal SIG Sauer P229R DAK pistol instead of the Navy's M9 pistol. The Coast Guard issues two ribbons, known as the Coast Guard Pistol Marksmanship Ribbon and the Coast Guard Rifle Marksmanship Ribbon. The ribbon device is awarded for qualification at the higher levels of sharpshooter and expert. Like the Navy, for those who receive an expert qualification, the Marksmanship Medal is awarded instead of the Marksmanship Ribbon.

NOAA Commissioned Corps The NOAA Commissioned Corps established a Rifle and Pistol Marksman ribbon April 17, 1990. The ribbon was awarded to any member of the NOAA Commissioned Corps who successfully completed training in any service-approved qualification course. No devices were authorized for wear on the NOAA ribbons to denote a specific level of qualification. The ribbon denoted qualification only.

U.S. National Guard

Once a year, thousands of U.S. Army and Air National Guard shooters (champion marksmanship teams from each state) compete against each other at the Winston P. Wilson Rifle and Pistol Championships. In the Missouri National Guard, the top twelve guardsmen selected to represent their state at the Winston P. Wilson matches are awarded the Governor's Twelve Ribbon which is worn on dress uniforms; any guardsman who earns the award more than once wear Hawthorn Cluster device(s) on top of the ribbon. In addition, these guardsman are awarded the Governor's Twelve Tab for wear on the combat uniform.

Similarly, the Adjutant General of Missouri awards the Adjutant General's Twenty Ribbon to soldiers and airmen who qualify among the top twenty competitors at the Missouri State Combat Matches conducted each year; specifically the top eight combat rifle shooters, the top eight pistol shooters, the top two light machine gun teams, and the top two scout/sniper teams. In addition to this ribbon, these guardsman are also awarded the Adjutant General's Twenty Combat Badge for wear on the combat uniform. Guardsmen are authorized to wear these ribbons as a permanent decoration on service dress uniforms, to the left of federal awards, when operating under Title 32 (state control) status. When federalized (Title 10), guardsman cannot wear these ribbons until they return to Title 32 status.

Additional Information The U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps provide weapons qualification badges instead of a marksmanship ribbon. For the services that award the marksmanship ribbon, re-qualification is not necessary once a service member has obtained the award, and the ribbon may be worn throughout an individual's career. In the Navy and Coast Guard, the marksmanship ribbon may be upgraded with a specific ribbon device if a higher qualification is achieved.

See also Marksmanship Device Marksmanship Medal Marksmanship Badge (United States) Awards and decorations of the United States military

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Marksmanship ribbon

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Marksmanship ribbon claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Marksmanship ribbon before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Marksmanship ribbon ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Marksmanship ribbon

In research: Marksmanship ribbon appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Marksmanship ribbon in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Marksmanship ribbon is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Awards and decorations of the United States Air Force, Awards and decorations of the United States Coast Guard, Awards and decorations of the United States Navy, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Marksmanship ribbon outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Marksmanship ribbon in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Marksmanship ribbon means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Marksmanship ribbon out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Marksmanship ribbon in simple terms?

Why does Marksmanship ribbon matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Marksmanship ribbon?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Marksmanship ribbon.