JULY 28, 2026 – Secretary of War Pete Hegseth recognized 50 U.S. service members — including for the first time, Marine Corps personnel — with the Mexican Border Defense Medal.
“From Day 1, operationally, this department, this building, these services rushed, surged down to the border to stop the invasion of our southern border, which is truly what it was,” Hegseth said.
The secretary noted that since January 2025, American troops from all services, and with a variety of skills, have been working first to gain and then maintain 100% operational control of America’s southern border and to stop both drug traffickers and the flow of illegal immigration.
“You have been dynamic, you have been creative, you have been aggressive, you have used the authorities you’ve been given [and] you work with your law enforcement partners,” Hegseth said, highlighting DOW’s partnerships with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security.
“That’s why, for over a year, there’s been effectively zero illegals crossing our border … especially on the national defense areas,” Hegseth said. “We decided our soil, our homeland, will be defended, and we will utilize our troops in those places to do it and give them maximum authorities to ensure that we stop the invasion of our southwest border.”
The Mexican Border Defense Medal was established in August 2025. However, the medal itself is not new; it is instead a replica of the Mexican Border Service Medal from 1918. Hegseth said the reuse and reissue of a medal from more than 100 years ago is similar to the department changing its name back to Department of War.
“It’s a restoration, it’s a reestablishment,” he said. “This … Mexican Border Defense Medal was established in 1918 to stop other incursions and invasions. And so, we’re not creating something new; we actually revived the exact same medal from 1918 to be given to all of you today — as a reflection that this service is an extension; we stand on the shoulders of other great Americans who defended this nation.”
The secretary said those receiving the medal represent the true 1%, and they represent others like them who also contributed.
“Every single soldier, Marine, and one sailor, seated here represents thousands of others who have done this mission on our southwest border and are doing it right now,” he said.
Their work, Hegseth said, keeps Americans safe from illegal immigration and from the poisons illegal drug cartels want to bring over the border, but are now no longer able to.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller also addressed the medal recipients, saying the border defense effort they participated in was history-making in how quickly and effectively it was implemented.
“I remember distinctly, in the hours after the inauguration, the airlift had already begun,” Miller said. “Massive assets were being mobilized and moved down to the southern border. There has never been in history, to my knowledge or awareness, a more radical day-and-night shift in the security posture of a country than what happened to that border between Jan. 20 and Jan. 21 … and that was led, and driven out, of the Department of War with an urgency and a speed and a ferocity that I have never witnessed before in any other policy area that I have ever worked on.”
Now, Miller said, thanks to service members who are defending the U.S southern border and the actions by the president, criminal cartels who want to bring illegal drugs into the United States are no longer able to operate.
“When you think about threats to the lives and security of the American people, there’s a reason why President [Donald J.] Trump designated the cartels operating just meters from you on the other side of that border as foreign terrorist organizations,” Miller said.
Now, he said, the drug cartels are considered the same as ISIS and al-Qaida, although they operate right across the U.S. southern border, rather than thousands of miles away.
“Those organizations not only export massive death in the form of narcotics to our country, but they also export sophisticated criminal enterprises whose objective is to destabilize our democracy and to end the rule of law in our country,” he added.
Miller said American service men and women at the border are actively involved in preventing criminal cartels from killing Americans with illegally imported drugs.
“Can anybody else ask to have a more noble cause in their life than to get to wake up in the morning and know that thousands of people that you will never meet or interact with are alive today, are with their families today, are going to be at Christmas in December, and are going to be able to enjoy their kids’ graduation or wedding and every other life milestone, because of the service and sacrifice that you made?”
Medal recipients included 14 Marines, one sailor and 35 soldiers.
Acting Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Christopher C. LaNeve said he’s proud to recognize the work American soldiers have done at the border.
“I’m grateful … that we’re recognizing the tremendous importance of your service during these operations, and I’m proud that our Army soldiers are being recognized with this medal,” he said.
LaNeve said more than 9,000 soldiers assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border executed 99,245 detections and monitoring operations, as well as 65 named operations, achieving a 97% interdiction effectiveness rate.
Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric M. Smith said Marines conducted over 18,000 patrols and processed nearly 10,000 individual detections. They also identified and repaired over 500 border wall breaches and completed reinforcements on over 200,000 meters of wall.
However, more than that, Smith said, is the dedication Marines bring to the mission.
“You were asked to deploy into a complex and demanding environment, and you did so without hesitation,” he said. “You were tasked with executing a mission that requires seamless integration, technical proficiency and unwavering dedication. … You demonstrated the Marine Corps’ ability to support any mission, in any [climate], in any place, with the same steadfast professionalism that has defined our legacy for more than 250 years.”
Following the medal presentation, Hegseth extended gratitude from President Trump.
“What you’ve done is incredibly meaningful to the soul of this nation, and we are grateful for the service that you’ve given,” he said. “On behalf of your commander in chief, on behalf of the nation, it is my honor to give you these Mexican Border Defense Medals and thank you for your service to this great republic.”
By C. Todd Lopez
Pentagon News