Should you be able to wear medals/awards from other services?

When I joined the Navy after leaving the Army, according to the personnel guys at boot camp at least, my Army marksmanship badge for rifle equaled the Navy Rifle Marksmanship ribbon, so that's what I wore by their direction (obviously they didn't have an equivalent for Grenade, lol). They wouldn't go as far as granting Sharpshooter or Expert, but they gave Marksman. I imagine, however, that I'll have to re-qualify when I go back in the Army (Reserves).

1SG John Millan I grumbled every time I put on dress uniforms that there were no service stripes. The counter argument is that they have longevity ribbons. Just not the same though. Nothing like a large row of service stripes on the sleeve. Grey hair is also a tell tale sign...

I can only comment on Navy uniform regs, but my reading of those is that you can wear almost any medal or ribbon awarded by one of the other services, including the Reserves - the exceptions being the Army Service Ribbon, the Army NCO Professional Development Ribbon, the Valorous Unit Award (I don't really get that one), and several Air Force and Coast Guard medals and ribbons, mostly relating to marksmanship. (Equivalent Navy ribbons to be substituted.)

Other service badges are only allowed to be worn on the Navy uniform if they are identical in design to a Navy award; for instance you can wear your Army Basic Parachutist Badge because it's identical to the Navy Basic Parachutist Badge. But a CIB cannot be worn - though I've seen it done a couple of times - and a Combat Action Ribbon worn instead.

My Army son recently left an overseas Navy command, and in addition to receiving an Army Overseas Service ribbon and the GWOT Expeditionary Medal, they awarded him a Navy Achievement Medal as he departed. I had to give him a hard time about that. I said, "I was in the Navy for twenty-one years and never got a NAM. What's up with that?"

Lots of (read; MOST) "Joint" operations with the Coast Guard are when the Coasties are attached to other services - it's not an "official" "joint" command. Ergo, you get the command's branch of an award, not a joint-award. Major pain in the butt.

I went to Kuwait/Iraq with the Coast Guard - we were attached to a Naval Coastal Warfare Unit, OPCON to an Army Transportation Battalion, and were working for a independently assigned Marine Corps Security unit. It was confusing as hell - especially when we started getting loads of Air Force folks coming through our AOR...

Really goofy situation. We were assigned to a naval weapon station that ultimately became a joint base. On most days, we worked for the Army Transportation Corps. On some days we worked for Navy Sealift Command, and others still we worked for somebody in the Air Force (I"m not sure who....I just know that we had to be on station protecting their jet fuel), and finally, we did orientation training for the Marine Corps beachmasters.

I inquired about why we couldn't be awarded joint service medals, and was told it had something to do with the way our recall orders were worded. It didn't make any sense to me, but orders are orders...

That said, the Army went out of its way to take care of us. Wish I could say the same for the other services. We did a ton of extra above beyond not because I have to work for the Navy & the Air Force both, but despite even their folks recommending several of us for awards, neither command ever got behind recognizing our efforts.

A couple of us did eventually get letters from the Air Force thanking us for our "exceptional commitment", but nothing that would have helped our promotional profiles. The Navy really bent me because they went so far to call our command to have us come over for the awards presentation, and then called back to say the CO had changed his mind about giving us a medal. Never seen anything like that in my career.....still ticks me off sometimes simply because medals and awards are calculated into final scores for advancement for Coast Guard enlisted members. Those medals would have helped everybody who received one come advancement time.

I think for medals above the "Achievement Medal" level and campaign awards, those should all transfer over. However, beyond that, it is not really 1:1. For example, Navy & AF uses ribbon for weapons qual. But Marines & Army use badges. Army uses combat badge, while everyone else uses a ribbon of some sort.

I'm going to the coast guard here in a few months, doing an inter-service transfer.

I heard I cant wear my marine corps awards on my coast guard uniform is that true?

The Marine Corps Awards Manual (SECNAVINST 1650.1g) says the following:

Naval personnel are eligible to receive noncombat awards, Meritorious Service Medal (MM) and below, tendered by other U.S. Armed Forces and the Coast Guard if permanently assigned to the other service. Following concurrence of the CNO or CMC, naval personnel may receive combat awards and awards above the MM. Concurrence will not be granted to accept awards from other U.S. Armed Forces for acts that have already been recognized by a DON award.

1SG John Millan - Not the case. Some are expressly forbidden from wear. EXAMPLE: The Air Force Longevity Service Ribbon is not authorized on Army uniform as service stripes take their place. Additionally, marksmanship badges from one service are not allowed to be worn on the uniform of any other service.