WASHINGTON --
The Defense Department announced Feb. 9 the creation
of the Korean Defense Service Medal (KDSM). The KDSM is a service
medal to give special recognition for the sacrifices and
contributions made by members of the U.S. Armed Forces who have
served or are serving in the Republic of Korea.
Public Law 107-314 legislated the creation of a new medal to
recognize military service in the Republic of Korea and the
surrounding waters.
Members of the armed forces authorized the KDSM 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.
The KDSM period of eligibility is July 28, 1954, to a future date
to be determined by the Secretary of Defense.
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 non-consecutive days or meet one of the following criteria:
· Be engaged in actual combat during an armed engagement,
regardless of the time in the area of eligibility.
. Wounded or injured in the line of duty and require medical
evacuation from the area of eligibility.
· While participating 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 are flown in accordance with these criteria shall
count as one day toward the 30 or 60-day requirement.
· Personnel who serve 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 KDSM eligibility, the nonconsecutive service period for
eligibility remains cumulative throughout the entire period.
The KDSM may be awarded posthumously, and only one award of the
KDSM is authorized for any individual.
Each military department will prescribe appropriate regulations
for administrative processing, awarding and wearing of the KDSM
and ribbon for their service members, to include application
procedures for veterans, retirees and next of kin.
More than 40,000 members of the U.S. Armed Forces have served in
the Republic of Korea or the waters adjacent thereto each year
since the signing of the cease-fire agreement in July 1953, which
established the Demilitarized Zone. For more than 50 years, U.S.
Armed Forces’ efforts to deter and defend the Korean Peninsula
have helped maintain democracy and preserve the indomitable spirit
of freedom.
DoD
announces Korean Defense Service Medal