It's officially springtime, which means Boston's duck boats have defrosted and are ready to waddle and wade through the city.

Not to be combined with any other offer, discount or promotion. Visit the Boston Duck Tours website for details. Military.com provides discount information as a service to our members.

With just a little research, it became clear that the duck — officially called the "Honorable Discharge Emblem" — was one of the more fascinating military awards in history, and for two reasons.