MyMilitaryMedals.com Blog
Air Force Overseas Long Tour Ribbon
January 31st 2010 - 6:08 pm
The Air Force Overseas Service Ribbon was created by the Air Force Chief of Staff in 1980. These military awards were authorized in two grades designated Short Tour and Long Tour, respectively. The military ribbons honoring the Long Tour are presented to Air Force personnel who serve tours of duty of more than two years in duration. Long tour credit is awarded for completion of a overseas long tour (2 years) prescribed by Air Force Instructions, or to any member assigned to a United States or overseas location who is subsequently sent under temporary duty orders (to include combat tours) for 365 or more days within a 3-year time frame. There are no corresponding military medals for this award. Additional awards of the Air Force Overseas Service Ribbon are denoted by Oak Leaf Clusters. Personnel are allowed to wear both the short and long tour ribbons simultaneously. The "A" device is authorized only on the short tour ribbon to any service member who performs a tour of duty at an arctic based Air Force facility. These military ribbons are worn below the Air Force Overseas Short Tour Ribbon and above the Air Force Expeditionary Ribbon in the order of precedence for all military medals and ribbons. They are generally available as Air Force ribbons and lapel pins. They may be worn as traditional slide-on military ribbons and thin military ribbons.
Air Force Overseas Short Tour Ribbon
January 30th 2010 - 3:31 am
The Air Force Overseas Service Ribbon was created by the Air Force Chief of Staff in 1980. This military award was authorized in two grades designated Short Tour and Long Tour, respectively. The military ribbons honoring the Short Tour are presented to Air Force personnel who serve tours of duty of less than two years in duration. Normally, the Short Tour Service Ribbon is awarded for a permanent duty assignment of at least 181 consecutive days or, if stationed overseas, 300 days within an 18-month time span; such assignments are generally served unaccompanied by family members, though a short tour assignment need not be unaccompanied. Historically, most Short Tour Service Ribbons were awarded for service in South Korea, by far the most common short tour assignment in the USAF. There are no corresponding military medals for this award. Additional awards of the Air Force Overseas Service Ribbon are denoted by Oak Leaf Clusters. Personnel are allowed to wear both the short and long tour ribbons simultaneously. The "A" device is authorized only on the short tour ribbon to any service member who performs a tour of duty at an arctic based Air Force facility. These military ribbons are worn below the Air and Space Campaign Medal and above the Air Force Overseas Long Tour ribbon in the order of precedence for all military medals and ribbons. They are generally available as Air Force ribbons and lapel pins. They may be worn as traditional slide-on military ribbons and thin military ribbons.
Coast Guard Sea Service Ribbon
January 23rd 2010 - 5:01 pm
The Coast Guard Sea Service Ribbon was created in 1984. These military awards honor Coast Guard personnel who complete more than 12 consecutive months of sea duty on a Coast Guard cutter, in a Fleet Training Group, or aboard certain other Coast Guard craft under official Coast Guard orders. These military ribbons are sometimes awarded for service aboard a non-Coast Guard vessel that is under Coast Guard Control. Unlike most military awards these ribbons have no corresponding military medals. Additional awards are displayed as Service Stars and may be awarded for a further three years of sea service. These military ribbons are worn after the Coast Guard Special Operations Medal and before the Coast Guard Restricted Duty Ribbon in the order of precedence for all military ribbons and medals. Like most Coast Guard awards, these military ribbons are available as ribbons and a unit banner, and can be worn as traditional slide-on military ribbons, thin military ribbons, and lapel pins.
Korean Defense Service Medal
January 18th 2010 - 8:18 am
The Korea Defense Service Medal was created in 2002 by President George W. Bush. These military awards are authorized for service members who have served in the Republic of Korea to uphold the armistice since July of 1954. These military ribbons and medals are the reward for serving at least thirty consecutive days in the Korean theater. These military medals are also granted for 60 non-consecutive days of service which includes reservists on annual training in Korea. The time requirements are waived in the case of service persons who have participated in actual combat, were wounded or injured, or worked in flight crews who flew sorties with totaled more than 30 days of duty in Korean airspace. Service members who performed duties during October 1966 through June 1974 may be entitled to the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal as a simultaneous award. Only one presentation of the Korea Defense Service Medal is authorized for any one person. It is worn below the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and above the Armed Forces Service Medal in the order of precedence for all military ribbons and medals. These military awards can be worn as traditional full size military medals and mini medals, military ribbons and lapel pins. Like most military medals, they are available as traditional slide-on, full size military medals or mini-medals, slide-on military ribbons, and thin military medals, mini-medals and ribbons.
Iraq Campaign Medal
January 13th 2010 - 7:02 am
The Iraq Campaign Medal was created by President George W. Bush in May of 2004. These military awards were designed to honor any US service person who performed duty within the borders of Iraq between March of 2003 and the current time. These military ribbons and medals represent 30 days of continuous service or 60 days of non-continuous service in this theater. These military medals may be awarded to personnel who engage in combat with the enemy forces or are wounded as a result of a terrorist attack within Iraq regardless of the duty time involved. This military decoration replaces the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal for this theater of combat. The Arrowhead Device and the Fleet Marine Combat Operation Insignia may be awarded for participation in certain assault campaigns. The Department of Defense has divided the combat in Iraq to date into four campaigns, and a Service Star may be awarded for participation in each of these campaigns. The Iraq Campaign Medal is worn below the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and above the Armed Forces Service Medal in the order of precedence for all military ribbons and medals. The Iraq Campaign Medal is generally available as Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Awards, and can be worn as traditional full size military medals and mini medals, military ribbons and lapel pins. Like most military medals, it is available as traditional slide-on, full size military medals or mini-medals, slide-on military ribbons, and thin military medals, mini-medals and ribbons.
Navy Occupation Service Medal
January 2nd 2010 - 8:11 am
The Navy Occupation Service Medal was created to honor the service of Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard personnel who participated in the occupations in Europe and Asia after the close of World War II. These military medals were also presented to personnel who performed duty in West Berlin between 1945 and 1990. These military awards were provided with either a European or an Asian Service Clasp, corresponding with the geographical area of service. The Asia Clasp was awarded for service between September of 1945 and April of 1952, which included active duty time in Korea. However, service persons awarded the Korean Service Medal could not receive the Navy Occupation Service Medal for the same period of duty time. The Navy Occupation Service Medal is worn after the World War II Victory Medal and before the Medal for Humane Action, and is considered the equivalent of the Army of Occupation Medal in the order of precedence for military ribbons and medals. The Navy Occupation Service Medal is generally available as Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Awards, and can be worn as traditional full size military medals and mini medals, military ribbons and lapel pins. Like most military medals, it is available as traditional slide-on, full size military medals or mini-medals, slide-on military ribbons, and thin military medals, mini-medals and ribbons.
Army of Occupation Medal
January 1st 2010 - 6:00 pm
The United States War Department created the Army of Occupation Medal in 1946 after World War II to recognize occupation service by US military personnel in either Germany or Japan. These military medals were originally intended for only US Army personnel, but by 1948, these military awards were also being presented to US Air Force service persons. The US Navy and Marine Corps have an equivalent award called the Navy Occupation Service Medal. The service requirements for this commendation are thirty days of consecutive military duty within the designated area of military occupation. A Campaign Clasp was issued to denote either European or Asian service. Campaign Clasps are for full-sized medals only, with no corresponding device for military ribbons. Since West Berlin was an occupied territory until the unification of Germany, the Arm of Occupation Medal was issued to military personnel for over forty-five years, making it one of the longest running active military awards ever given. The Army of Occupation Medal is located below the World War II Victory Medal and above the Medal for Humane Action in the order of precedence for military medals and ribbons. The Army of Occupation Medal is generally available as Army and Air Force medals and ribbons, and can be worn as traditional full size military medals, ribbons and lapel pins. Like most military awards, it is available as traditional slide-on, full size military medals and ribbons, and thin military mini-medals, and ribbons.
