DoD Announces Korean Defense Service Medal

[thedrifter]

DoD Announces Korean Defense Service Medal


The Defense Department announced today 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.

Servicemembers 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.

· Is wounded or injured in the line of duty and requires medical evacuation
from the area of eligibility.

· While participating as a regularly assigned air crewmember 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 servicemembers,
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.



Sempers,

Roger

[snipowsky]

I'm wondering this! I have a good friend of mine who is one of the Chosen Few! The guy is almost 80 years old, but would he qualify for this? I mean if you can't give a member of the Chosen Few a medal like this, what's the purpose of giving them to anyone? I know he'd love to see this thread, but I can't show him this knowing he don't qualify! He was at Chosin Reservoir, he is a US Marine and I would like to know why he wouldn't qualify for this if he don't?

Can anyone help me out with this? I'm not understanding this, but once again I wouldn't expect our politicians to understand anything about the Marine Corps, Chosin Reservoir or the sacrifices he made while there!