a. Authorization. Public Law 107-314 S532.
b. Korean Defense Service Medal Eligibility Requirements
(1) Members of the Armed Forces must have served in
support of the defense of the Republic of Korea from 28 July
1954 to a date to be determined.
(2) The area of eligibility (AOE) encompasses all land
area of the Republic of Korea, and the contiguous waters out to
12 nautical miles, and all air space above the land and water
areas.
(3) Service members must have been assigned, attached,
or mobilized to units operating in the AOE and have been
physically deployed in the AOE for 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive days or meet one of the following criteria: (a) Be engaged in actual combat during an armed
engagement, regardless of time in the AOE.
(b) Be wounded or injured in the line of duty and
require medical evacuation from the AOE, regardless of time in
the AOE .
(c) While participating as a regularly assigned
aircrew member flying sorties into, out of, within, or over the
AOE in support of military operations. Each day that one or
more sorties are flown in accordance with these criteria shall
count as one day toward the 30 or 60-day requirement.
(4) Personnel who serve in operations and exercises
conducted in the AOE are considered eligible for the Korean Defense Service Medal award,
provided the basic time criteria is met.
(5) Although the eligibility time period is extensive,
the 60-day non-consecutive service requirement remains
cumulative throughout the entire award period.
c. Awarding Authority. Commanding officers exercising
Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal awarding authority are
authorized to award the Korea Defense Service Medal (KDSM) to
personnel who meet the eligibility criteria. Commanding
officers shall issue the medals and ensure the appropriate
service record entries are made. In the absence of supporting
documentation to establish KDSM eligibility, qualified personnel
may complete the self-certification document available online at
https://awards.navy.mil or http://awards.manpower.usmc.mil. A
copy of this form shall be filed in the individual's service
record.
d. Subsequent Awards. Only one award of theKorean Defense Service Medal (KDSM) is
authorized for any individual; therefore, no service stars are
authorized.
Authorized Devices: None |