The Grand Army of the Frontier
Awards & Decorations
The Grand Army of the Frontier had its humble
beginnings within the Single Action Shooting Society, better known as SASS. Many SASS
Clubs across the country and around the globe use a Badge as to show Membership within the
organization. but a Badge somehow looks out of place on a Military uniform. As such, the
GAF uses a Medal as its Membership symbol. The Medal distinguishes the GAF from other
groups springing from a mutual love of Cowboy Action Shooting and/or reenacting. In the
future, this Medal shall hopefully come to be respected by all who view it, knowing the
Individual wearing it is Honorable, Loyal and Devoted to Preserving the Traditions of the
Victorian Era Military…
The Grand Army of the Frontier Medal incorporates many elements of military heraldry
within its design. From the simple scrolled pin attachment, a ribbon in the design of the
National Ensign connects to the main Medal. The Medal itself closely replicates original
Victorian Era medals since it is stamped using an original die to strike the
metal. A bald eagle crouches upon bound reeds and a shield. A star with five clubbed
points is rotated slightly to have two point at the top. Each of the star's rays has one
of five symbols on it: a hunting horn for the Infantry, crossed swords for the Cavalry,
crossed cannon for the Artillery, crossed rifles for the Marines and an anchor for the
Navy. The central Seal has the words GRAND ARMY OF THE FRONTIER surrounding a
cannon behind an anchor behind a crossed rifle and sword. A very unique and distinctive
design which truly captures the essence of what the GAF stands for...
The GAF Medal should be worn on any formal clothing, whether a Full Dress
Military uniform or not. In accordance with the Uniform Regulations of the period
concerning the wearing of Badges and Insignia of Military Societies, the Medal should be
worn with the top of the scroll bar even with the top of the third button down from the
neck opening of the Soldier's blouse. For a Uniform with a single row of buttons, the
Medal should be placed 2.5" TO THE WEARER'S LEFT of the third button, while for a
Uniform with a double row of buttons, the Medal should be placed 0.5" TO THE WEARER'S
RIGHT of the third button. If a Soldier will wear the GAF Medal with other medals, it is
suggested the GAF Medal be placed in its assigned spot and the other medals attached to
the right of the GAF Medal, as it is viewed from the front. For appearances sake, the
total medal count should be held to no more than three medals overall...
Prairie Flower Leather Co. makes these Medals to
our exacting specifications. These are hand cast brass and white bronze so they will patina with
age and wear unless you get the Brasso out and keep them shined!
PLEASE NOTE PURCHASING A MEDAL IS NOT A REQUIREMENT OF
GAF MEMBERSHIP!!!
Price $40 (Engrave your name on the back of the medal + $5.00 extra),
S&H is $4.60 via Priority Mail and overseas shipping
will run $20.00 for Global Priority which has insurance. If you want slower overseas shipping
contact us for a quote.
Payment accepted via Paypal, US moneyorders, personal checks (in country only) and US cash.
For latest pricing etc.
please contact:
Prairie Flower Leather Co.
47590 Sargent Ord Road
Ord, NE 68862
USA
Phone: 308-728-7046
Prairie Flower Leather Co. makes these Hat Badges to
our exacting specifications. These are hand cast brass and white bronze so they will patina with
age and wear unless you get the Brasso out and keep them shined!
Price $35, S&H is $4.60 via Priority Mail and overseas shipping
will run $20.00 for Global Priority which has insurance. If you want slower overseas shipping
contact us for a quote.
Payment accepted via Paypal, US moneyorders, personal checks (in country only) and US cash.
For latest pricing etc.
please contact:
Prairie Flower Leather Co.
47590 Sargent Ord Road
Ord NE 68862
USA
Phone: 308-728-7046
Prairie Flower Leather Co. makes these Collar Tabs to
our exacting specifications. These are hand cast brass and white bronze so they will patina with
age and wear unless you get the Brasso out and keep them shined!
Price $25, S&H is $4.60 via Priority Mail and overseas shipping
will run $20.00 for Global Priority which has insurance. If you want slower overseas shipping
contact us for a quote.
Payment accepted via Paypal, US moneyorders, personal checks (in country only) and US cash.
For latest pricing etc.
please contact:
Prairie Flower Leather Co.
47590 Sargent Ord Road
Ord NE 68862
USA
USA
Phone: 308-728-7046
The Grand Army of the Frontier (GAF) membership
includes those from various shooting sports, such as Cowboy Action Shooting, the
North-South Skirmish Association, Black Powder Cartridge Rifle, the reenactment and living
history communities, and those with only an interest in the 19th Century American
military. For those members with an interest in testing their marksmanship skills, the GAF
offers several optional and alternative means by which a Marksmanship Award may be earned,
depending on the interests and motivation of the member.
The preferred and recommended method to achieve a Marksmanship Award is to shoot a
specified course of fire that is essentially based on the Army qualifications from the
1880s, but at a reduced-sized target at reduced ranges to accommodate the modern shooter.
This course of fire may be completed either independently at any time convenient to the
member, or through competition in the semiannual GAF postal match, achieving a score of at
least 85% of the total possible score.
A second means of earning the Marksmanship Award is to achieve a score of at least 85% of
the total possible score, while shooting in any GAF, NSSA, BPCR or other Victorian-era
shooting competition and while wearing a military uniform during the match.
A third means, primarily for those members who are in Cowboy Action Shooting, is to have a
clean match with no misses or procedurals for an entire single day event. If a shooter
were to have a clean match of at least 10 stages over two days at a local, state or
regional SASS, NCOWS, or WASA match, this notable achievement would qualify for two
awards. The shooter must wear a military uniform, in accordance with their alias, during
the competition.
There is no limit on the number of Marksmanship Awards that can be earned in the course of
a year and they may be earned with any combination of methods described above, and with
different divisions of firearms.
As seen in the line drawing above, the GAF Marksmanship Award is a simple pin to be worn
on formal clothing, whether a Full Dress Military uniform or not. In accordance with the
Uniform Regulations of the period concerning the wearing of Badges and Insignia of
Military Societies, when not being worn with the GAF Medal, the Marksmanship Award should
be worn with the top of the pin even with the top of the third button down from the neck
opening of the Soldier's blouse. For a Uniform with a single row of buttons, the Award
should be placed 2.5" TO THE WEARER'S LEFT of the third button, while for a Uniform
with a double row of buttons, the Award should be placed 0.5" TO THE WEARER'S RIGHT
of the third button. If the Award is being worn in conjunction with the Medal, then the
Award should be place 0.5" directly above the Medal as worn...
Once a Soldier is Authorized to wear a Marksmanship Award, it should be purchased through S&S Firearms. The cost is $3.00 for
either the Silver Award (S&S Part Number MC18) or the Gold Award (S&S Part Number
02M12). The Silver Award recognizes those Soldiers who have achieved Marksmanship mastery
on 1 to 4 occasions, while the Gold Award recognizes those with 5 or more occurrences
under their belts...
To submit a Soldier for a Marksmanship Award, click HERE
to go to the Award Submission Form. To view a listing of Marksmanship Awardees, click HERE...
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The GAF shall recognize the efforts each Soldier may put forth falling
into one of several categories, such as:
- Giving a public lecture while in uniform
- Placing in a Category at State or higher match while in uniform
- Placing in a Costume Contest at a State or higher match while in uniform
- Improving Cowboy Action Shooting and/or Reenacting by Volunteer work
- Improving GAF through Volunteer effort or input
- Recruiting 10 new GAF Members
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The GAF's Star of Merit forms the physical representation of this
recognition. Akin to the current military systems of Award devices, the GAF Star of Merit
is simply a star device one can attach to the ribbon portion of the Medal to denote the
number of times a particular Award was given to a Soldier. To follow current military
rules, earning a fifth Star of Merit (or multiples ending in 5, such 5, 15, 25, et cetera)
means the device becomes a Silver star and with the tenth Star of Merit (or multiples
ending in 0, such 10, 20, 30, et cetera), the device becomes a Gold star. The higher
levels of Stars of Merit will be applied to the left of earlier Stars for display, as seen
in the image above. Additionally, the Soldier will need to purchase each Star as they are
Awarded. These Stars should be available at any local military surplus store or online HERE...
To submit a Soldier for a Star of Merit, click HERE
to go to the Award Submission Form. To view a listing of Star of Merit Awardees, click HERE...
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The GAF shall also recognize Veteran status through the Veteran's
Award. The Veteran's Award will be a "V" device attached to the ribbon of the
GAF Medal beneath any Stars of Merit. The criteria for this Award is as follows:
- Be on Active Duty currently, OR
- Served at least one enlistment on Active Duty, OR
- Served at least two enlistments in a Reserve Component, OR
- Have at least one Tour of Duty in Combat
A Soldier will need to purchase their Veteran's Award. This Award should be available
at any local military surplus store or online HERE... |
COMMANDER'S CITATION AWARD
It is a long-held military tradition
that a Commander always had the privilege of being able to recognize personnel for a
particularly noteworthy act or sustained outstanding performance. As such, the GAF
Commander retains this privilege in the form of the Commander's Citation Award (CCA). He
alone is the only person who can set the criteria for this Award and do NOT think
the CCA will be easy to earn. The physical form of the CCA is a Silver Oak Leaf Cluster.
It is to be attached to the Medal centered just below the attachment bar and above any
SoMs previously earned...
To view a listing of Commander's Citation Awardees, click HERE...