He has not claimed to have been awarded a Purple Heart or the Navy's Combat Action Ribbon. His record shows that he was awarded a Bronze Star and that he deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq.

The last time the service awarded a ship the Combat Action Ribbon was in 2016 when four Navy ships, also in the Red Sea, were forced to defend themselves from Houthi missiles off the coast of Yemen.

Per a plea agreement, then-Sgt. Maj. Charlie Clawson was reduced in rank after a Sept. 13 court-martial found him in violation of nine specifications of wearing awards or devices that he did not earn.

Cryptologic Technician 3rd Class Tylar Keenan aboard the USS Oscar Austin as the ship returns to Naval Station Rota, Spain, Jun. 10, 2025. The ship and its crew were awared the Combat Action ...

The Combat Action Ribbon, or CAR, is awarded to sailors and Marines who actively participated in ground or surface action, and the Navy has rarely given it to sailors since the 1991 Gulf War.

The last time the service awarded a ship the Combat Action Ribbon was in 2016 when four Navy ships, also in the Red Sea, were forced to defend themselves from Houthi missiles off the coast of Yemen.