Year Authorized:
1965
General Description:
Authorized under Executive Order 11213 on July 8th, 1965.
Ribbon features largely yellow coloring with three slim maroon stripes near center and green striping at the extreme edges.
Award Criteria (as detailed by various official sources):
There were 17 different campaign periods, but the first, which was called the Vietnam Advisory Campaign, covered the period from March 15, 1962 to March 7, 1964. During this time there were never more than a few thousand U.S. troops involved in Vietnam.
The following is a list of Department of Defense recognized military campaigns associated with eligibility for the Vietnam Service Medal, provided a member meets the award eligibility criteria listed below:
-Vietnam Advisory Campaign: March 15, 1962 – March 7, 1965
-Vietnam Defense Campaign: *July 4, 1965 – Dec. 24, 1965
-Vietnam Counteroffensive Campaign: Dec, 25, 1965 – June 30, 1966
-Vietnam Counteroffensive Phase II: July 1, 1966 – May 31, 1967
-Vietnam Counteroffensive Phase III: June 1, 1967 – Jan. 29, 1968
-Tet Counteroffensive: Jan. 30, 1968 – April 1, 1968
-Vietnam Counteroffensive Phase IV: April 2, 1968 – June 30, 1968
-Vietnam Counteroffensive Phase V: July 1, 1968 – Nov. 1, 1968
-Vietnam Counteroffensive Phase VI: Nov. 2, 1968 – Feb. 22, 1969
-Tet '69 Counteroffensive: Feb. 23, 1969 – June 8, 1969
-Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969: June 9, 1969 – Oct. 31, 1969
-Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970: Nov. 1, 1969 – April 30, 1970
-Sanctuary Counteroffensive: May 1, 1970 – June 30, 1970
-Vietnam Counteroffensive VII: July 1, 1970 – June 30, 1971
-Consolidation I: July 1, 1971 – Nov. 30, 1971
-Consolidation II: Dec. 1, 1971 – March 20, 1972
-Vietnam Cease-Fire Campaign: March 30, 1972 – Jan. 28, 1973
Note: Asterisk (*) indicates the effective eligibility date for the VSM which began July 4, 1965, however the entire period for the Vietnam Defense Campaign is March 8, 1965 – Dec. 24, 1965.
User Tags Detailing this Ribbon:
yellow green maroon red purple vietnam united states usaf usarmy usn usmc
