25-490: The National Defense Service Medal ( NDSM ) was a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It was awarded to every member of the U.S. Armed Forces who served during any one of four specified periods of armed conflict or national emergency from June 27, 1950 through December 31, 2022. Combat or "in theater" service is not a requirement for
50-525: Is a military service medal of the Indian Armed Forces . The Special Service Medal is awarded under active service conditions for minor operations or operations of short duration. Clasps are awarded with the medal indicating the particular operation for which it is awarded. For subsequent operations where the clasp is approved, only the Clasp denoting the particular operation is awarded. The name of
75-605: Is an award to individuals who participated in designated wars, campaigns, or expeditions, or who have fulfilled specific service requirements in a creditable manner. Service medals are sometimes also campaign medals . Two of the service medals issued by the United States Armed Forces are the National Defense Service Medal (further granting suspended at the end of 2022) and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal . The National Defense Service Medal
100-484: Is normally issued to anyone who was called to active service during specific time periods. The Global War on Terrorism Service Medal is awarded to any active duty member of the United States military providing support for anti-terrorism operations for 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive days unless killed or wounded in the line of duty. The term "support" is interpreted very broadly. The Special Service Medal
125-651: Is the Medal of Honor , which was established in 1862, and the oldest awarded non-combat decoration is the Army's Distinguished Service Medal , established in 1918. The Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Army Good Conduct Medals were established in 1869, 1896, 1923 and 1941 respectively. The Selected Marine Corps Reserve Medal was established in 1925. As the NDSM has been awarded to all military personnel during four wartime periods spanning 43 years, it has millions of recipients and
150-531: Is the most widely awarded medal in the history of the United States Armed Forces. The National Defense Service Medal is authorized for all active duty and Selected Reserve United States military personnel, regardless of length of service, with no requirement for overseas or combat service, for the following time periods: The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is awarded to anyone who has served on active duty, or as an active reservist, in
175-575: Is the oldest service medal (as opposed to decorations for particular achievements such as valor or meritorious service and Good Conduct Medals ) awarded by all branches of the United States Armed Forces . The only two older awarded service medals are the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal , established in 1919, and the Navy Expeditionary Medal , established in 1936. The oldest awarded combat decoration
200-459: The Coat of Arms of the United States (on the reverse), was used to symbolize the defense of the United States. The combination of oak and palm leaves around the shield signify strength and preparedness. Eligibility for the NDSM was expanded by executive orders issued in 1966 ( EO 11265 ), 1991 ( EO 12776 ) and 2003 ( EO 13293 ). Executive Order 11265, dated January 11, 1966, extended eligibility for
225-414: The order of precedence of service medals. There is no time requirement for the medal's issuance, meaning that someone who joins the United States Armed Forces for simply a few days, and then receives an entry-level discharge, would technically be entitled to the NDSM; in practice, however, military clerks will not add the NDSM on a DD Form 214 if the service member performed duty for less than 90 days from
250-559: The Korean War (1950–1954), Vietnam War (1961–1974), Gulf War (1990–1995), and the Global War on Terrorism (2001–2022). The NDSM was established by Executive Order 10448 , issued by President Dwight Eisenhower , on April 22, 1953. While no document is known which explains the rationale for the award, it was apparently established to recognize all service members who served during the Korean War, to include those who did not serve in
275-526: The Korean and Vietnam eras), wore an oak leaf cluster on the ribbon, rather than a star (as was done by the other branches of service). Recipients of three NDSMs are uncommon, having served for at least 27 years (1974 to 2001) or 36 years (1954 to 1990) to qualify for a third medal. A recipient of the maximum of four NDSMs would have a career exceeding 47 years, inclusive of the years 1954 to 2001 (broken service would qualify). Awards and decorations of
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#1732780676079300-481: The NDSM and no active duty service is required. Inactive Ready Reserve and Retired Reserve are not eligible to be awarded the NDSM unless called to active duty. The medal is authorized to cadets and midshipmen at the military service academies after they are sworn into service, as well as pre-commission officer candidates/trainees at the Officer Candidate Schools or Officer Training Schools of
325-540: The NDSM to service members "who served during any period after December 31, 1960, which the Secretary of Defense designates as being a period for which active military service merits special recognition." The closing date of this period of eligibility was later set at August 14, 1974 by a letter from the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, subject: Termination of Eligibility for
350-467: The NDSM. A design developed by T. H. Jones was submitted to the U.S. Army Assistant Chief of Staff for Personnel (G1) on 26 May 1953. A committee appointed by the Department of Defense, which included representatives of all services, met on 27 May 1953 and 3 June 1953 and selected Jones' design for final approval. An eagle holding a sword and an olive branch (on the obverse), together with the shield of
375-639: The National Defense Service Medal, dated June 30, 1974. The NDSM was again authorized by a memorandum, dated 20 February 1991, from Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney for active service on or after 2 August 1990 with no termination date established. Executive Order 12776 of October 8, 1991 extended eligibility for the NDSM to members of the Reserve Components during the period of the Gulf War . This eligibility period
400-707: The Persian Gulf War, members of the Reserve Components, to include the National Guard , were initially awarded the NDSM when called to active duty service, but this was later expanded to include all members of the Reserve or National Guard in good standing in the Selected Reserve during the eligibility period. For service in the Global War on Terrorism, Selected Reserve and National Guard members need only to have been in good standing to receive
425-500: The United States Armed Forces during any of four specified time periods. Originally, reserve component service during the Korean and Vietnam periods of eligibility, other than those Reserve Component personnel in a full-time status or on active duty greater than 89 days, did not qualify for award of the NDSM. This was changed by Executive Order 13293, signed on 28 March 2003, to include Selected Reserve personnel (i.e. drilling reservists) during all periods of eligibility. For service in
450-3474: The United States military Various medals, service ribbons , ribbon devices , and specific badges recognize military service and personal accomplishments of members of the U.S. Armed Forces . Such awards are a means to outwardly display the highlights of a service member's career. The precedence of particular awards will vary slightly among the different branches of service. All awards and decorations may be awarded to any service member unless otherwise designated by name or notation. [REDACTED] Medal of Honor [REDACTED] Distinguished Service Cross (Army) [REDACTED] Navy Cross [REDACTED] Air Force Cross [REDACTED] Coast Guard Cross [REDACTED] Defense Distinguished Service Medal [REDACTED] Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal [REDACTED] Navy Distinguished Service Medal [REDACTED] Distinguished Service Medal (Air and Space Forces) [REDACTED] Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal [REDACTED] Silver Star Medal [REDACTED] Defense Superior Service Medal [REDACTED] Distinguished Flying Cross [REDACTED] Soldier's Medal [REDACTED] Navy and Marine Corps Medal [REDACTED] Airman's Medal [REDACTED] Coast Guard Medal [REDACTED] Bronze Star Medal [REDACTED] Purple Heart [REDACTED] Defense Meritorious Service Medal [REDACTED] Joint Service Commendation Medal [REDACTED] Army Commendation Medal [REDACTED] Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal [REDACTED] Air and Space Commendation Medal [REDACTED] Coast Guard Commendation Medal [REDACTED] Joint Service Achievement Medal [REDACTED] Army Achievement Medal [REDACTED] Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal [REDACTED] Air and Space Achievement Medal [REDACTED] Coast Guard Achievement Medal [REDACTED] Navy Combat Action Ribbon [REDACTED] Combat Action Medal (Air and Space Forces) [REDACTED] Coast Guard Combat Action Ribbon Also see: Army combat badges [REDACTED] Presidential Unit Citation (Army) [REDACTED] Presidential Unit Citation (Navy and Marine Corps) [REDACTED] Presidential Unit Citation (Air and Space Forces) [REDACTED] Presidential Unit Citation (Coast Guard) [REDACTED] DHS Outstanding Unit Award [REDACTED] Valorous Unit Award (Army) [REDACTED] Navy Unit Commendation [REDACTED] Gallant Unit Citation (Air and Space Forces) [REDACTED] Coast Guard Unit Commendation [REDACTED] Army Meritorious Unit Commendation [REDACTED] Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation [REDACTED] Meritorious Unit Award (Air and Space Forces) [REDACTED] Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation Service medal A service medal
475-538: The award. The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) was first intended to be a "blanket campaign medal" awarded to service members who served honorably during a designated time period of when a " national emergency " had been declared during a time of war or conflict. It may also be issued to active military members for any other period that the Secretary of Defense designates. To date, the NDSM has been awarded for four specific time periods, which roughly correspond to
500-429: The completion of their initial entry training. This accounts for the medal's omission from many "uncharacterized" and "entry level" separation documents. Veterans who have this medal so omitted may apply to the military service departments to have the NDSM added to records via a DD Form 215 . Additional awards of the National Defense Service Medal are authorized for members of the military who served in more than one of
525-469: The eligible time periods. Each additional award is denoted by a 3 ⁄ 16 -inch bronze service star attached to the ribbon. A second award of the medal is not granted for reenlisting during the same time period or transferring between branches of service. Starting in 1966, when the NDSM was authorized for service in the Vietnam era, members of the U.S. Army who had received two NDSMs (i.e. for both
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#1732780676079550-575: The reserve components to include the National Guard). As EO 13293 amended the EO which established the NDSM, this made Selected Reserve personnel from all previous eligibility periods eligible for the NDSM, to include those who served during the Korean and Vietnam eras. On August 30, 2022, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued a memorandum stating that issue of the NDSM would be suspended after December 31, 2022. The National Defense Service Medal
575-405: The various U.S. Armed Forces; but is not granted to discharged or retired military personnel who did not serve in one of the above time periods; nor is it authorized for Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets and midshipmen at colleges and universities who enlisted in the inactive reserve (i.e., Obligated Reserve Section or ORS) during qualifying periods. The NDSM ranks fourth out of twenty-nine in
600-484: The war zone. (Service members who served in the war zone received the Korean Service Medal , established by President Harry S Truman in 1950.) Originally, awards of the NDSM were restricted to personnel serving on active duty and were retroactive to June 27, 1950 - the date the Korean War began. The Heraldic Division, Quartermaster General’s Office, of the U.S. Army was requested to provide designs for
625-531: Was later defined as from August 2, 1990 to November 30, 1995. A memorandum from the Office of the Deputy Secretary of Defense, dated April 26, 2002, authorized the reinstatement of the NDSM for all active duty personnel retroactive to September 11, 2001. Executive Order 13293, dated March 28, 2003, amended EO 10448 to extend eligibility to all Selected Reserve personnel (i.e. actively drilling members of
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