Ribbon for the National Defense Service Medal

The National Defense Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Created in 1953, the National Defense Service Medal was intended to be a “blanket campaign medal” issued to any member of the United States military who served in a designated time period of which a “national emergency” had been declared. As of 2006, it is the oldest service medal which is still issued to the active military. National Defense Service Medal File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links National_Defense_Service_Medal_ribbon. ... Image File history File links National_Defense_Service_Medal_ribbon. ... Awards and decorations of the United States military are military decorations which recognize a service members service and personal accomplishments while a member of the United States armed forces. ... The armed forces of the United States of America consist of the United States Army United States Navy United States Air Force United States Marine Corps United States Coast Guard Note: The United States Coast Guard has both military and law enforcement functions. ... Dwight David Ike Eisenhower, born David Dwight Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 - March 28, 1969) was an American soldier and politician, who served as the thirty-fourth President of the United States (1953-1961). ... A service medal is a military award generally of the lowest degree. ...

In the fifty years since the creation of the National Defense Service Medal, it has been authorized for the following time periods.

• June 27, 1950 to July 27, 1954 for service during the Korean War
• January 1, 1961 to August 14, 1974 for service during the Vietnam War
• August 2, 1990 to November 30, 1995 for service during the Gulf War
• September 11, 2001 to a date to be announced for service during the War on Terrorism

The National Defense Service Medal is awarded to anyone who serves on active duty in the United States military during the above time periods. For service in the Gulf War and War on Terrorism, it is also authorized for members of the military reserve ordered to active duty. The National Defense Service Medal is further authorized to students at the service academies, but is not granted to discharged or retired veterans who did not serve in one of the above time periods. The decoration is also not authorized to members of the inactive reserve. June 27 is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 187 days remaining. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... July 27 is the 208th day (209th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 157 days remaining. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Combatants United Nations:  Republic of Korea,  Australia,  Belgium,  Luxembourg,  Canada,  Colombia,  Ethiopia,  France,  Greece,  Luxembourg,  Netherlands,  New Zealand,  Philippines,  South Africa,  Thailand,  Turkey,  United Kingdom,  United States Medical staff:  Denmark,  Australia,  Italy,  Norway,  Sweden Communist states:  Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,  Peoples Republic of China,  Soviet Union Commanders... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... August 14 is the 226th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (227th in leap years), with 139 days remaining. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... August 2 is the 214th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (215th in leap years), with 151 days remaining. ... MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ... November 30 is the 334th day (335th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 31 days remaining. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Combatants US-led Coalition Republic of Iraq Commanders Norman Schwarzkopf, Peter de la Billière, Khalid bin Sultan Saddam Hussein Strength 883,863 360,000 Casualties 378 dead, 1,000 wounded see section below The Gulf War or the Persian Gulf War (16 January 1991–28 February 1991)[1][2... September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about U.S. actions after September 11, 2001. ...

There is not a time limit imposed for the medals issuance, meaning that someone who joins the military for simply a few days, and then receives an entry level discharge, would technically be entitled to the National Defense Service Medal.

Multiple 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; such additional awards are denoted by service stars. A second award of the medal is not granted for reenlisting during the same time period or transferring between branches of service. Bronze and Silver Service Stars A Service star is an attachment to a military decoration which denotes participation in military campaigns or multiple bestowals of the same award. ...