[or-roots] Congress authorizes Korean Defense Service Medal

[Eugene Melvin]

Hi,



I received this information from another list.  It applies to anyone who served in Korea since 28 July 1954 or there next of kin.



Eugene Melvin

SW Portland, Oregon  



Release No. 03-04-04
March 4, 2004 

 

Congress authorizes Korean Defense Service Medal 



Criteria for the award of and procedures to claim entitlement to the Korean Defense Service Medal, authorized by Congress in February, were announced this week.

 

The new medal, said a Pentagon spokeswoman, is America's way "of recognizing the tremendous accomplishments of service members who served in Korea from July 28, 1954 to a future undetermined date." 

 

To qualify for the medal, service members must have served in support of the defense of the Republic of Korea. The area of eligibility encompasses all land area of the Republic of Korea, and the contiguous water out to 12 nautical miles and all air spaces above the land and water areas.

 

Service members must have been assigned, attached or mobilized to units operating in the area of eligibility and have been physically deployed in the area of eligibility for 30 consecutive or 60 nonconsecutive days or meet one of the following criteria:

 

Have been engaged in actual combat during an armed engagement, regardless of the time in the area of eligibility; Was wounded or injured in the line of duty and required medical evacuation from the area of eligibility; and Participated as a regularly assigned air crew member flying sorties into, out of, within or over the area of eligibility in support of military operations. Each day that one or more sorties were flown in accordance with these criteria counts as one day toward the 30 or 60-day requirement.

 

Personnel who served in operations and exercises conducted in the area of eligibility are considered eligible for the award as long as the basic time criteria is met. Due to the extensive time period for medal eligibility, the nonconsecutive service period for eligibility remains cumulative throughout the entire period.

 

The military may award the medal posthumously. Only one award of the medal is authorized for any individual.

 

According to DoD, more than 40,000 service members have been on South Korean land or adjacent waters each year since the July 1953 cease-fire establishing the DMZ.

 

Retired members and veterans who meet the eligibility (or the next of kin in the case of those now deceased) must request the award from the National Personnel Records Center in St Louis. The address is:

 

NPRC 
9700 Page Avenue 
St. Louis MO  63132-5100 

The web address is http://www.archives.gov. 



Requests should include documents clearly proving service and dates in Korea, such as TDY/PCS orders, performance reports, letter of evaluations, flight records, decoration citation, record review RIP, medical documents, or DD form 214 (discharge form). Questions should be addressed to, and only to, the NPRC Customer Service Center at (314) 801-0800.

 

Once entitlement has been verified, NPRC will update the KDSM to the DD form 214, certificate of release or discharge from active duty, and then authorize HQ AFPC, Randolph AFB, TX, to issue a medal.  Because of the expected large number of individuals applying, this may take quite awhile.

 

The KDSM should also be available for purchase at Army and Air Force Exchange Service Clothing Sales facilities in three to six months.
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