FIL served honorably in the Korean War.

What is the eagle medal next to his Bronze Star.

Thank you

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It is the National Defense Service Medal.

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S&W Armorer
Lost in the 50s

National Defense Service Medal

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Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

Thank you for the identification of the National Defense Service Medal

FIL also got a Purple Heart.

FIL did not tell me what he did to earn the Bronze Star till I was married to his daughter almost 30 years.
5 of 11 people he fought with did not make it back home

His CO said he wanted to put him in for a Silver Star -- but lots of Soldiers were worthy of a Silver Star and CO thought it would not go through.

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I was in the Coast Guard with a guy who'd graduated from the Academy in 1979 and, thus, had entered service at a cadet in 1975. Apparently the National Defense Medal was still in effect (Vietnam perhaps?) at that time, and he had been wearing it since then.

He called it, self-deprecatingly, his "Alive in Seventy Five" medal.

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Ukraine -- now more than ever

I entered the service (Army) in February 1975 and though it seemed like everyone and his dog had the National Defense Medal, I wasn't authorized one. I always thought it strange that I am a Viet Nam era veteran, but wasn't authorized the National Defense Medal. Then again, I never wanted anything I hadn't earned.

Regards,

Dave

In the 60s, when we were still living in "temporary" wooden barracks built for WW II, it was known as the "Fire Guard Medal" cause somebody was always awake as the fire guard.

Everybody gets one for being in the service. Their first medal.

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

Looks like your FIL served in Korea. President Eisenhower established in 1953 and it was retroactive back to 1950.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

There are four periods for the National Defense Service Medal (NDSM).
Korea 1950-54,Viet Nam 1961-74, Persian Gulf War 1990-95, Global War on Terrorism 2001 to Present.

I have two of them. Never really thought about them, since most of us had one.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

You missed out by a couple of months. Aug 14, 1974 was the last day for Vietnam era veterans to received the medal.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

Is this just an Army medal? I don't recall hearing about it in the USAF. Maybe no one ever explained it.

I believe it was for all branches of the service, but no one took any effort to tell you about it, and didn't issue any specific orders that you were authorized. I didn't know I was authorized the good conduct medal until many years later and looking over my DD214 it was listed. (Maybe they purposely didn't tell me).

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

It is for all branches of service. If you were on active duty during any of those timeframes mentioned previously, you rate the medal.

Valistar

All branches......even the Coasties!

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

If I remember correctly that National Defense medal was given to anyone who spent at least 2 years on active duty. I don't know if or when you had to serve.

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Why duck?? It's a 9mm!

When were you in?

The National Defense Service Medal is authorized for the following time periods:

War From To
Korean War June 27, 1950 July 27, 1954
Vietnam War January 1, 1961 August 14, 1974
Persian Gulf War August 2, 1990 November 30, 1995
Global War on Terrorism September 11, 2001 Present day

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

We got ours in 1965. We referred to them as "Alive in '65" from that day on.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

I was well within the envelope for the Vietnam War .


How do I get this medal? My grandchildren might want to have it when I pass on.


I think my only ribbons are for Good Conduct and Marksmanship. I may get out my old DD214 and see what they list.


BTW, I volunteered for Vietnam and they sent me to Newfoundland. Go figure...

Here's a site that tells you how-

Military Awards, Medals, & Decorations | Military.com

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

I got to go to both of those places. The former for two one year tours and the latter for two weeks as we did a Translant.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

National defense service medal or more commonly known as the Fire Watch Medal.
It is issued to those People that serve in time of War.

Lots of guys didn't recieve their medals that were listed on their
DD 214. The load I came home with arrived at SETAC about
midnight. By the time they bused us to Ft. Lewis it was 2am.
This was the 1st of Feb.-we were shivering from cold and rain.
They did get us some DXed field jackets. We didn't get the fabled
Steak dinner, got a bologna & cheese and cup coffee. They weren't ready for us, we were off schedule according to them. They had to get people out of bed to process us out. They were
out of medals, among other things. After running us around all
the next day (Sunday) out processing, they told us if we didn't
want to stay overnight for final separation, we could report to
nearest base to home to finalize. Most of us took off for home
and didn't worry about medals.

Nephew is a Marine - they had them on their uniforms on graduation day at Parris Island, so I don't think there is a lengthy in-service period to be issued.

In the navy of the late 60's, we called it the gedunk medal.

Fixed it for ya!

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Ukraine -- now more than ever

Ya, you guys need medals too!

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

For those of us who never had the honor of serving ..... will any of you explain more about when the Bronze Star is awarded and what the other items are in the case with it?

My uncle Mike was in the USAF from 66 - 72 including time in Vietnam and Germany but you couldn't pay him to talk about any of it.

We called it the gedunk medal.

Wrong. It's for service during war time


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The Bronze Star can be awarded under two distinct circumstances. In conjunction with a "V" device, it is awarded for an act of heroism or bravery in a combat situation. Without the "V" it is awarded for non-combat exceptional performance of duty to exceed that of a Commendation Medal. Each military medal has specific requirements which can vary from one service to the next. Some services are more lenient in awards than others, this is well documented. For a long time the Navy and Marine Corps didn't commonly award enlisted for performance of duty to the same extent of the Army or Air Force, the AF being the most generous. For example, during the Vietnam war, the awarding authority for the Navy Achievement Medal was the Sec of the Navy, today it can be the unit or ship's commanding officer. Criteria for awards change over time and from service to service. Every award comes with a citation which specifically spells out the performance for which the award is made. In the case of classified action the citation can be pure BS to hide the real action. Hope this convoluted explanation helps.
The blue ribbon with the white strip is a Korean Service Ribbon. The solid blue ribbon with the gold metal border is Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon.

The Bronze Star was also retroactively authorized for those who received a Combat Infantryman Badge in WWII. Not sure when that happened, as my Dad was in from '35 - '67, so well before '67, as I remember it in his ribbons since I was a child.

Received most of my awards and decorations in a package delivered by the US Postal Service several months after returning home from Vietnam. Read through the orders and award citations and couldn't figure out what most of them were for (other than the Purple Heart, which somehow managed to make an impression on me at the time, and more than once).

For the most part awards ceremonies were only held for staff officers, career senior NCO's, and anytime some congressman was around searching for some facts that had been lost (accompanied by reporters and photographers, of course).

Most all of us just received "the package" sometime later. Of course, mine included the 'fire guard' medal (National Defense Service Medal).

Being in the infantry, we were a bit arrogant about most awards and decorations. Those of us who held the Combat Infantryman Badge seldom wore any other decoration on our uniforms. Seemed to say it all, been there, done that, went out in the bush and traded bullets with the enemy face to face.

Both US and foreign awards were authorized, and many of us received various decorations. In relative order, US awards ranked above any foreign order. Just about anyone who completed minimum active duty (3 months or six months, as I recall) during the relevant periods was authorized the National Defense Service Medal. Just about anyone who completed an enlistment period without being court-martialed was authorized the Good Conduct Medal.

Combat theater awards (US Army) might include:

1. Army Commendation Medal. When awarded with "V" device this indicated valor in combat. Otherwise the ACM was routinely awarded to just about anyone who completed a tour of duty in the combat zone without digging their cleats into the commander's scrotum.

2. Bronze Star Medal. When awarded with "V" device this indicated distinguished valor in combat. Otherwise the BS was truly BS, awarded for 'meritorious service', which again indicated completing a tour without being a pain in someone's posterior.

3. Silver Star. Truly valorous service in serious combat involving serious risk of life and/or limb. No flies or odor on a Silver Star recipient. Serious stuff.

4. Presidential Unit Citation. Awarded to entire units, and applicable to everyone who ever serves in said units. First award was to the 101st Airborne Division, and I received that citation a generation later, just for being assigned to the 101st Division.

5. Presidential Unit Commendation. Again, a blanket award passing on to everyone who ever wears the same unit patch. Got one or two this way.

6. Vietnam Campaign Medal. Awarded by the government of the Republic of Vietnam to every military service member serving in theater during a recognized "campaign".

There are others, higher and lower, more or less prestigious. My point here is that there were many criteria involved (not the least of which was the political element), and most awards were part of a "package" based upon rank, assignment, and time of service.

The only ones I pay much attention to are (US Army) Combat Infantryman Badge, (US Navy and Marine Corps) Combat Action Ribbon, and Bronze Star with V-device or higher. Pretty much everything else was generated by the "package" award system of the period.

Others may feel differently, and I may be offending some with this. All I am doing is sharing my experiences and recollections.

Best regards.

CIB is a hot item at flea markets. Seems like a lot of cooks, bakers and candle stick makers who were in RVN are awarding
themselves CIBs, some weren't even there. I don't have a CIB
because I'm not 11Bravo, even though we supported infantry
outfits. CIB is the one that is most sought after by posers. Some
to stupid to know only awarded to 11Bravo.

I haven't read all of the above posts, but I was in from July 1965 to July 1969. I think that we were given that medal (NDS) after boot camp?? So I don't think that we had to be in very long to get it.

On the other hand, it's been a while now, and my memory may be a little rusty. Everyone got one, though. It is on my DD214 also.

The good conduct medal, on the other hand was not given out until you had 4 years good conduct? Might be off on the years. Then you received devices to indicate subsequent issues for each enlistment period. I don't believe officers received GC medals. I have a couple of "Mustang" officer uncles, who had good conduct medals when they were enlisted, and then were authorized to display them after they were commissioned.

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

Usually 30 days for most awards of this type.

Bushmaster:

Most of these awards like the Bronze Star should be accompanied by a document summarizing why the award was made. Although as some have mentioned above, the Bronze Star when issued today will display a device indicating that it was issued for actions during combat, I'm not sure that this was always the case, and if it wasn't, when this practice began. So, since you FIL served in Korea, this practice may not have began yet. You may want to see if there is any paperwork for his medals.

Here is a sample, my Uncle Gene's citation from 1943:



By the way, Gene was one of those "Mustangs"... He started his career as a seaman, worked his way up the peacetime Navy (when promotions were few and didn't come around very easily), between the wars to the enlisted rank of Chief Gunner's Mate, and was commissioned as an Ensign, but his job was still to serve as Gunnery Officer.

I grew up steeped in Naval lore. All of my Mom's side of the family ere Navy, Officers and Enlisted.

Uncle Gene also was awarded the Purple Heart, Pacific Campaign medal, and other awards. He was ultimately killed in action.

But in general, in WWII, the issuance of awards was not as prolific as it has become today.

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

My father died in 1965 before I had a chance to pin him down about WWII. He served in the US Navy from 1943 until Oct of 1945. I remember seeing his ribbons in a drawer but he would never talk about them. I remember seeing the burn marks on his ankles but we never talked about that either. Finally in 2013 I spent a summer researching his career about US Navy LCIs. LCIs were used to put troops ashore during assaults in both the European and Pacific theaters. Dad served in the Pacific Theater. I even managed to talk to some shipmates of his one of which remembered him. Their LCI was equipped to fire rockets onto a beach just before the troops left their landing craft and after the rockets were fired to stay and provide fire support with their 20mm cannon. Dad's ship was hit by Japanese 75mm gunfire during the first day of the Guam landings and half of the ships company was killed or wounded. I found out that Dad's burns were caused by the rockets firing from the bow compartment where the launchers had been installed. His job was to tend to the rocket launchers and launch the rockets. I got his entire service jacket and pretty much was able to follow his career from island to island. I even wrote to the Sec of the Navy and got him awarded the Navy Combat Action Ribbon for his support of the Guam invasion. Of course this was long after he had passed. Made me miss him all the more.

photo hosting

Ironically that day was Dad's 30th birthday (one heck of a birthday present); he was one of the older men aboard ship. He was in the Army for three months in 1942 before he was separated in Dec 42 and then he joined the Navy in Apr 43. I sure would like to know the story behind that.

image upload no resize

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

[QUOTE=Targets Guy;139526514]My father died in 1965 before I had a chance to pin him down about WWII. He served in the US Navy from 1943 until Oct of 1945. I remember seeing his ribbons in a drawer but he would never talk about them. I remember seeing the burn marks on his ankles but we never talked about that either. Finally in 2013 I spent a summer researching his career about US Navy LCIs. LCIs were used to put troops ashore during assaults in both the European and Pacific theaters. Dad served in the Pacific Theater. I even managed to talk to some shipmates of his one of which remembered him. Their LCI was equipped to fire rockets onto a beach just before the troops left their landing craft and after the rockets were fired to stay and provide fire support with their 20mm cannon. Dad's ship was hit by Japanese 75mm gunfire during the first day of the Guam landings and half of the ships company was killed or wounded. I found out that Dad's burns were caused by the rockets firing from the bow compartment where the launchers had been installed. His job was to tend to the rocket launchers and launch the rockets. I got his entire service jacket and pretty much was able to follow his career from island to island. I even wrote to the Sec of the Navy and got him awarded the Navy Combat Action Ribbon for his support of the Guam invasion. Of course this was long after he had passed. Made me miss him all the more.

I have seen film of landing craft shooting rockets on the way in,
Never knew which types were doing it.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

[quote=THE PILGRIM;139526521]
Here is a better shot of the rockets and launchers.

upload pics

upload image

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

National Defense Service Medal; Yes, I got one of those when I joined the Coast Guard in 1965. It's stowed away some where with my Good Conduct, Pistol, Rifle and a few other awards. Nothing special about it. Everyone got one. As some one said it was a geedunk medal so you wouldn't walk around with a bare chest. The photo is me in 1968 and that ribbon is the one that goes with the Medal.

Looks good on you.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

We called it the "I've been through Basics Medal."
Also, the Good conduct Medal was awarded to me twice so, it was called Good Conduct Medal with an Oak Leaf Cluster.
I was in 2 years

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God, Country, Family

Thanks, I wish I still looked that good. Geez that was almost 50 years ago! Yikes.

The Pilgrim got it right on the National Defense Service Medal....post # 17 in this thread.

Reread post#9

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

It goes fast doesn't it?

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

I'm authorized to wear the NDSM for the Persian Gulf but it wasn't authorized until after I separated so I never wore it. Don't really miss it. If I ever put together one of those "wall hangy, metals and ribbons, wooden and glass box thingies" I'll probably go out and buy one and display it with everything else.

What the chief's club at NMPC sent me when I retired in '92.
screenshot program

They didn't get everything right, but who cares, hand made by a Chief Bosun Mate.
Told me the flag flew over the White House for a few seconds...
LOL!

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Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

Received my first NDSM at inprocessing when entering active duty in 1972.

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

My apologies!