Department of Commerce Silver Medal Department of Commerce Silver Medal The Department of Commerce Silver Medal is the second highest of three honor awards of the United States Department of Commerce. Since 1949, the Silver Medal is presented by the Secretary of Commerce for exceptional service. The award may be presented to an individual, group, or organization in the Commerce Department for noteworthy or superlative contributions which have a direct and lasting impact with the department. The annual Department of Commerce Gold and Silver Medal Awards ceremony is held each fall at the Ronald Reagan Amphitheater in Washington, D.C.. An individual and members of a
Silver Star the medal as the "Silver Star Medal". Since 21 December 2016, the Department of Defense (DoD) refers to the decoration as the Silver Star Medal. The Silver Star Medal is awarded for gallantry, so long as the action does not justify the award of one of the next higher valor awards: the Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross, or the Air Force Cross. The gallantry displayed must have taken place while in action against an enemy of the United States, while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force, or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged