Both Uses of

bronze
in
In Cold Blood

I had a good record in the Army, good as anybody; they gave me the Bronze Star.
Chpt 2 *

bronze = made of a brownish metal

He couldn't risk losing the Bronze Medal earned in Korea, or his high-school diploma (issued by the Leavenworth County Board of Education as a result of his having, while in prison, resumed his long-recessed studies).†
Chpt 2

Definitions:

(1) (bronze as in: bronze won't corrode in salt water)
a brownish-colored metal with red or yellow hues that is made of copper and (usually) tin

Bronze metals in the Olympics and many other contests are awarded for third place.

With the discovery of bronze (about 3,000 BC), people could make tools and weapons that were harder and more durable than those made of copper and stone that preceded bronze.
(2) (bronze as in: a bronze tan)
a reddish-brown or yellowish-brown color like that of one of the metals with the same name -- often used to refer to a suntan or a dark glowing complexion
(3) (bronze as in: her bronze is on display)
something made of the brownish metal with the same name -- such as a sculpture (statue) or a third place medal