The Marine Corps Security Guard Ribbon is a Marine Corps military award that was established by order of Secretary of the Navy John Howard Dalton on July 15, 1997. The award recognizes those Marine Corps personnel who have served as U.S. Embassy Security Guards and is retroactive to January 28, 1949. Additional awards of the Marine Corps Security Guard Ribbon are denoted by service stars except for those awards which are retroactively presented, in which case the Marine Corps Security Guard Ribbon is a one time only decoration.