Louisiana Thanks Its Veterans With an Honor Medal, and Families Can Apply Too

*Louisiana Thanks Its Veterans With an Honor Medal, and Families Can Apply Too*

By Bayou Weekly

Louisiana gives a Veterans Honor Medal to honorably discharged veterans with Louisiana ties, and families of service members killed in action can apply on their behalf. Applications go to the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs online, by email, by fax or by mail, with a copy of the veteran's DD-214. Veterans Day on Wednesday is a good reason to send one in.

The medal comes from state law. Louisiana Revised Statute 36:784 directs the secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs to "establish and manage a Veterans' Honor Medal Program in order to recognize and honor all Louisiana veterans." The same law says eligibility is decided from military records such as the DD-214 discharge paper or a DD-201 service record, so the paperwork most veterans already keep in a drawer is what the state looks at.

On its Louisiana Veterans Honor Medal page, the department says the medal "was created to recognize and thank Louisiana veterans for their honorable military service," and that it is available to all honorably discharged Louisiana veterans and to the families of those killed in action.

Each medal hangs from a ribbon whose color tells part of the veteran's story. According to the department, a blue ribbon marks an honorable discharge, a purple ribbon is for Purple Heart recipients, a black ribbon is for prisoners of war and those missing in action, and a yellow ribbon honors those killed in action.

Who counts as a Louisiana veteran is spelled out on the department's application form. The veteran must be a current Louisiana resident, or have been a Louisiana resident when entering military service, or have been a Louisiana resident at the time of death. Wartime and peacetime service both count. The veteran must have received an honorable discharge or have died before separation, and members of the Louisiana National Guard and reserves are listed as eligible. The form also says "only one medal per Veteran/ per Family will be awarded," which means each veteran's medal is issued once, so relatives applying on a veteran's behalf should coordinate and send a single application.

Under that residency rule, a veteran who enlisted from Houma or Monroe and later retired to another state still qualifies, and so does a family whose loved one was living in Louisiana when he or she died.

Applying takes a few minutes once the discharge papers are in hand. The department's page offers an online application and a fillable PDF. The PDF can be emailed, faxed to (225) 219-5590 or mailed to the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs, Attn: Honor Medal, P.O. Box 94095, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9095. Anyone without a printer can ask for a paper application by calling (225) 219-3700.

The application asks for a copy of the DD-214 or other discharge papers. For service members killed while on active duty, families attach a DD-1300 casualty report or a death certificate. The form is direct about one point: send only copies of supporting documents, never originals, because the department will not return them.

Someone applying for a parent, grandparent or spouse fills out a second section with their own contact information and relationship to the veteran. That makes the medal a natural project for a family gathering this week, with a grandchild handling the form while the veteran finds the paperwork.

Veterans also choose how the medal arrives. The application gives three options: having it presented at a Veterans Honor Medal ceremony, having it mailed home, or picking it up at the local department parish service office. State law lists the same three choices, and adds that a ceremony presentation is made by the governor or a designee in an event run by the department. The law also sets a deadline: under R.S. 36:784(A)(8)(f), the department must deliver each medal within 45 days of receiving the application, unless the veteran chooses to receive it at a ceremony.

The department runs dozens of parish service offices around the state, along with veterans homes and veterans cemeteries, and its location finder searches by address, city or ZIP code. If you want a refresher on how parishes work in Louisiana, Bayou Weekly has explained that too.

Questions about a specific application go to the department at (225) 219-3700, and its general contact page lists other ways to reach the staff. The medal page also gives a toll-free line, 1-877-432-8982.

Bayou Weekly has covered other state laws that touch everyday life, from a new recreational alligator season to fishing limits. For veterans and their families, this one asks for little more than a form and a copy of a discharge paper.

Photo: Petty Officer 2nd Class William Colclough, U.S. Coast Guard, public domain (resized). A Veterans Day ceremony at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Nov. 11, 2010.