National Defense Service Medal
The National Defense Service Medal is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who have 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.
History
The National Defense Service Medal was first intended to be a "blanket campaign medal" awarded to service members who served honorably during a designated time period of which 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 the Korean, Vietnam and Gulf War eras as well as the Global War on Terrorism.
Establishment
The NDSM was established by, 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 the war zone. 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
The Heraldic Division, Quartermaster General’s Office, of the U.S. Army was requested to provide designs for the NDSM. A design developed by Mr. T. H. Jones were submitted to the U.S. Army Assistant Chief of Staff for Personnel 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 Mr. Jones' design for final approval. An eagle holding a sword and an olive branch, together with the shield of the Coat of Arms of the United States, 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 changes
Eligibility for the NDSM was expanded by executive orders issued in 1966, 1991 and 2003.Executive Order 11265 dated January 11, 1966 extended eligibility for the NDSM to service members "who served during any 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 30 June 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 Component during the period of the Persian Gulf crisis. 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 26 April 2002, authorized the reinstatement of the NDSM for all active duty personnel retroactive to 11 September 2001. Executive Order 13293 amended EO 10448 to extend eligibility to all Selected Reserve personnel. As the EO amended was the EO establishing the NDSM, this made Selected Reserve personnel from all previous eligibility periods eligible for the NDSM.
Current status
Currently, the National Defense Service Medal is the oldest service medal currently awarded by all branches of the United States Armed Forces. The only two older currently awarded service medals are the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal, established in 1919, and the Navy Expeditionary Medal, established in 1936. The oldest currently awarded combat decoration is the Medal of Honor, which was established in 1862, and the oldest currently 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, it has millions of recipients and is probably the most widely awarded medal in the history of the United States military, with the possible exception of the World War II Victory Medal.
Periods of eligibility
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:| 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 |
Award criteria
The National Defense Service Medal is awarded to anyone who serves on active duty in the United States Armed Forces during the above 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 during all periods of eligibility.For service in the Persian Gulf War, members of the Reserve Component, 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 on the Reserve Active Status List 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 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 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 during qualifying periods.
The NDSM ranks fourth out of twenty-nine in 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 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
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 a -inch bronze service star attached to the suspension and service ribbon of the medal. A second award of the medal is not granted for reenlisting during the same time period or transferring between branches of service. Prior to the late-1970s, members of the Army who had received two NDSMs wore an oak leaf cluster on the ribbon rather than a star. Recipients of three NDSMs are rare and no individual has received the NDSM for all four eligibility periods.; NDSM ribbons with inch bronze stars
| First award: service ribbon only |
| Second award: one -inch bronze star |
| Third award: two -inch bronze stars |
| Fourth award: three -inch bronze stars |