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Glite Dictionary
Air Medal

Air Medal

1 6.2
A United States military medal given for brave or very good actions during flying missions
  • noun
  • /ɛr ˈmɛdəl/
  • US
translation icon : Medalla del Aire
  • Flying no fewer than 20 combat missions over Germany at the controls of the famous B-17 bomber, he received six battle stars, the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Medal, and even the famous French decoration, the Croix de Guerre with Palm.
  • Bronze Air Medal
  • Air Medal, Vietnam Service
  • three Air Medals

Examples

  • By the time he left the Air Force, he'd flown eighty-nine missions and had earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal.

    Blog text (27)

  • The Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross? In a small pink satin jewel case back in Fort Cromwell.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • His military awards include the Bronze Star and the Air Medal, among others.

    Blog text (18)

  • You got the Air Medal, the Navy Medal.

    The Burial (2023)

  • - "..odds, "this Air Medal is awarded to Captain JS..."

    Catch-22 (1970)

  • Don't you want more unit citations and more oak-leaf clusters on your Air Medal?

    Catch-22 (1970)

  • On his final mission, his plane was hit several times, but he managed to get it back safely—one of the actions for which he received the Air Medal.

    Blog text (13)

  • He was also awarded the Air Medal before being discharged in 1945 and going on to use his GI Bill money to finance his way through acting school (which is where it is assumed he first learned how to make a radio out of a coconut).

    Blog text (15)

  • His military awards include the Bronze Star and the Air Medal, among others.

  • Ken's military awards include the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Air Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, and Vietnam Commendation Medal.

Synonyms

award
vsAir Medal
∞ 1.0

A prize given to someone for achievement or excellence

is a specific military decoration for meritorious action during aerial flight
medal
vsAir Medal
567 1.0

A flat round piece of metal given as an award or to remember an event

is a specific military decoration awarded for aerial achievement

Surface Forms

Air Medal singular
Air Medals plural

Morphology

air + medal

The compound 'Air Medal' is directly compositional: 'air' (relating to aviation or aerial activity) combined with 'medal' (an award) clearly signals an award for actions in the air. While it denotes a specific U.S. military decoration (a contextual detail), the core meaning is immediately inferable from the constituent words by a B1 learner who knows them.

Etymology

The Air Medal was started in World War II as a simple idea: a medal for brave service in the air. So today the Air Medal means an official military award given for 'achievement while flying'.