This RibbonChecker web application was designed to fill the information gaps between web-based commercial ribbon rack building tools, Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary regulations, and America’s military heraldry traditions.
The original purpose of RibbonChecker was solely to serve the many Coast Guard Auxiliarists who had prior military service.
Soon, RibbonChecker’s mission was expanded to encompass all Coast Guard members who had prior service in other U.S. Armed Forces, or in other uniformed federal service. We even found interest with early- and mid-career regular Coast Guard members who had no prior service; after all, having a correct ribbon rack is a source of military pride and an inspection checklist item for regular, reserve and Auxiliary members.
Subsequent research revealed that there was no single reliable and authoritative tool for helping all Coast Guard members to correctly build their ribbon racks. With nearly 300 federal service ribbons that can conceivably be earned in the Coast Guard and other federal services, it was clear that members with prior federal service could get foiled in their attempts to build inspection-worthy ribbon racks.
RibbonChecker’s goal is to give all Coast Guard members — including inspecting officers — a tool that works equally well at home, office or dockside. With new federal service ribbons issued or renamed at a rate of a few per year, we realized that printed documentation could not keep up. A web application makes using and updating a snap.
The Auxiliary invites all of our Coast Guard shipmates and the public to use RibbonChecker and offer comments for improvement.
Paratus semper et optimus semper apparebit.
Credits
The USCG Auxiliary’s RibbonChecker web application was developed in 2024-25 by Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 114-06-06 in North Orange County, California. Development was actively encouraged by Auxiliary Division 6 in Orange County, District 11SR in the Pacific Southwest, and H-Directorate of Coast Guard Auxiliary’s national staff.
Many ribbon illustrations were created for Wikipedia. Like all illustrations of U.S. government decorations, these are in the public domain.
Many thanks are owed to those who beta tested this tool, especially Capt. Robert Hanley, USCGR (ret.); members of U.S. Coast Guard Flotilla 114-06-06 in Orange County, California; and other members of Auxiliary Division 114-6. Their comments were most helpful in the long research and debugging process.
Additional valuable testing was conducted by both retired and active Coast Guard members.
The campaign streamer featured at the top of this web site was awarded to Coast Guard predecessor services for operations against West Indian pirates in the 1820s and ’30s.