NATIONAL DEFENSE SERVICE MEDAL & RIBBON SET MILITARY GI ISSUE W/ORG BOX For Sale

NATIONAL DEFENSE SERVICE MEDAL & RIBBON SET MILITARY GI ISSUE W/ORG BOX
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NATIONAL DEFENSE SERVICE MEDAL & RIBBON SET MILITARY GI ISSUE W/ORG BOX:
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PLEASE FOLLOW OUR E BAY STORESEE ALL PICSSALE SEE OUR STOREPLEASE READ WHOLE ADDNational Defense Service MedalFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to navigationJump to searchNot to be confused withMedal of National Defense Service.National Defense Service MedalObverseTypeService medalAwarded forMilitary service during periods of national emergency or any other periods designated by theSecretary of Defense.DescriptionObverse:Shows a North Americanbald eagle, perched on a sword and palm. Above this, in a semicircle, is the inscription "National Defense".
Reverse:Shows a shield, taken from thecoat of arms of the United States; it is half encircled below with an open wreath, the right side of oak leaves and laurel leaves the left.
Ribbon:The ribbon has a wide yellow stripe in the center, flanked by narrow stripes of red, white, blue, white and wide red stripes.Presented bytheDepartment of Defense[1]EligibilityMember of the United States Armed Forces during qualifying periods of national emergencyCampaign(s)Korean War,Vietnam War,Persian Gulf War, and theGlobal War on TerrorismClaspsService starfor subsequent awardsStatusAwardedEstablishedExecutive Order 10448, April 22, 1953 (as amended byE.O. 11265, January 11, 1966;E.O. 12776, October 8, 1991;E.O. 13293, March 28, 2003.First awardedApril 22, 1953 – July 27, 1954 (retroactive to June 27, 1950)Last awardedApril 26, 2002 – present (retroactive to September 11, 2001)Service ribbonandcampaign streamerPrecedenceNext(higher)Army:Army of Occupation Medal
Air Force:Medal for Humane Action[2]
Navy:Navy Occupation Service Medal
Marine Corps:Navy Occupation Service Medal
Coast Guard:Navy Occupation Service MedalNext(lower)Korean Service MedalRelatedGlobal War on Terrorism Service Medal

TheNational Defense Service Medal(NDSM) is aservice awardof theUnited States Armed Forcesestablished by PresidentDwight D. Eisenhowerin 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four specified periods of armed conflict or national emergency from 1950 to the present. Combat or "in theater" service is not a requirement for the award.

Contents
  • 1History
    • 1.1Establishment
    • 1.2Design
    • 1.3Eligibility changes
    • 1.4Status
  • 2Periods of eligibility
  • 3Award criteria
  • 4Additional awards
  • 5See also
  • 6References
  • 7External links
History[edit]

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 theSecretary of Defensedesignates.

To date, the NDSM has been awarded for four specific time periods, which roughly correspond to the Korean (1950-1954), Vietnam (1961-1974), Gulf (1990-1995), and the Global War on Terrorism (2001 to 2022).

Establishment[edit]

The NDSM was established byExecutive Order 10448, issued by PresidentDwight 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 the war zone. (Service members who served in the war zone received theKorean Service Medal, established by PresidentHarry S Trumanin 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.

Design[edit]

The Heraldic Division, Quartermaster General’s Office, of the U.S. Army was requested to provide designs for 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 theCoat 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.[3]

Eligibility changes[edit]

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 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 the National Defense Service Medal, dated June 30, 1974.[3]

The NDSM was again authorized by a memorandum, dated 20 February 1991, from Secretary of DefenseRichard Cheneyfor active service on or after 2 August 1990 with no termination date established.[3]Executive Order 12776 of October 8, 1991 extended eligibility for the NDSM to members of the Reserve Components during the period of theGulf War. This eligibility period 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 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 DefenseLloyd Austin, issued a memorandum stating that the NDSM would no longer be awarded after December 31, 2022.[4]

Status[edit]

The National Defense Service Medal is the oldestservice medal(as opposed todecorationsfor particular achievements such as valor or meritorious service andGood Conduct Medals) awarded by all branches of theUnited States Armed Forces. The only two older awarded service medals are theMarine Corps Expeditionary Medal, established in 1919, and theNavy Expeditionary Medal, established in 1936. The oldest awarded combat decoration is theMedal of Honor, which was established in 1862, and the oldest awarded non-combat decoration is the Army'sDistinguished 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. TheSelected Marine Corps Reserve Medalwas 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 is the most widely awarded medal in the history of the United States Armed Forces.

Periods of eligibility[edit]

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:[5]

EraFromToKorean WarJune 27, 1950July 27, 1954Vietnam WarJanuary 1, 1961August 14, 1974Gulf WarAugust 2, 1990November 30, 1995Global War on TerrorismSeptember 11, 2001presentAward criteria[edit]

The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is awarded to anyone who has served on active duty, or as an active reservist, in the United States Armed Forces during any of four specified time periods.[6]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 includeSelected Reservepersonnel (i.e. drilling reservists) during all periods of eligibility.

For service in the Persian Gulf War, members of the Reserve Components, to include theNational 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 theSelected Reserveduring the eligibility period.[7]

For service in the Global War on Terrorism, Selected Reserve and National Guard members need only to have been in good standing to receive the NDSM and no active duty service is required.[8]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 theOfficer Candidate SchoolsorOfficer Training Schoolsof 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 forReserve Officer Training Corpscadets 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 theorder of precedenceof 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 aDD Form 214if the service member performed duty for less than 90 days from 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 aDD Form 215.[9]

Additional awards[edit]

Additional awards of the National Defense Service Medal are authorized for members of the military who served in more than one of the eligible time periods. Each additional award is denoted by a3⁄16-inch bronzeservice starattached 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.[10]

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 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. A member of the United States Naval Academy's class of 1956 is a likely four time recipient, having remained on active duty for five years after graduation before attending and graduating from Medical School. He joined the reserves prior to or during Desert Storm and remained in the reserves until retirement at the age of 70 in 2004 (upper age limits can be waived for medical personnel).[citation needed]

NDSM ribbons with3⁄16inch bronze starsFirst award:service ribbononlySecond award: one3⁄16-inch bronze starThird award: two3⁄16-inch bronze starsFourth award: three3⁄16-inch bronze starsFifth award: four3⁄16-inch bronze stars
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