The Coast Guard Recruiting Service Ribbon was created by the Commandant of the United States Coast Guard on November 2, 1995. These US military medals were made retroactive to January 1, 1980.  These medals of America are presented to any member of the Coast Guard who completes a standard two year tour as a Coast Guard Recruiter.  The Coast Guard also issues a Recruiter Badge as a temporary decoration worn while a service member is presently serving as a Coast Guard Recruiter.  These Coast Guard ribbons have no corresponding military medals.

Additional awards of the Coast Guard Recruiting Service Ribbon are denoted by Service Stars.  These military ribbons are worn below the Coast Guard Sea Service Ribbon and above the Coast Guard Restricted Duty Ribbon in the general order of precedence established by the Coast Guard for the display of all military medals and ribbons.  These Coast Guard awards are available in military ribbons and lapel pins, and are traditionally worn in the form of slide-on military ribbons.  Nowadays however, more and more military service personnel are realizing the value to their career goals of always having their uniform decorations looking their best, and have turned to the slimmer and trimmer thin military medals and mini medals and the ultra thin ribbon racks to provide them with the smartest looking military award displays available anywhere.