Navy Cross the anchors. The service ribbon is navy blue with a center stripe of white identical to the suspension ribbon of the medal. The blue alludes to naval service; the white represents the purity of selflessness. The Secretary of the Navy has only occasional opportunities to confirm that the Navy Cross has been awarded to a non-U.S. recipient. Slightly more than 100 such honors have been extended to men who were not citizens of the United States. Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States military's second-highest decoration awarded for valor in combat. The Navy Cross is awarded primarily to
Naval Reserve Medal associated National Naval Volunteers, and local naval militia units of the period. To be awarded the decoration, a service member was required to perform ten years of continuous service in one of the aforementioned components in either an active duty, drilling reservist, or inactive status. An additional award of the NRM is denoted by a service star. The United States Marine Corps equivalent to the award is the Marine Corps Reserve Ribbon. The Naval Reserve Medal originally held precedence just below that of the Navy Good Conduct Medal which, in turn, held precedence just below unit awards. Sometime after 1958,