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Monday, December 28, 2015

Military Monday: Dad's Other Service Medals

My dad Frederick Henry Pape's DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, lists three other medals I was not aware he had received.  I'll have to ask Dad if he actually ever received the physical medals.  Here are photos and edited descriptions from the Air Force Personnel Center web site.


Korean Service Medal  (photo above by Mr. Steve White)

Background
The Korean Service Medal was established by President Truman per Executive Order 10179, dated 8 November 1950.... The design, created by Mr. Thomas J. Jones, uses the symbols associated with Korea to reflect service in that country.

Criteria
The Korean Service Medal was awarded for service between 27 June 1950 and 27 July 1954...

Medal Description
On a Bronze medal, ... a Korean gateway, encircled by the inscription Korean Service. On the reverse (pictured above left) is the Korean symbol taken from the center of the Korean National flag with the inscription United States Of America and a spray of oak and laurel encircling the design.

Ribbon Description
The ribbon is 1 3/8 inches wide and consisting of [narrow white stripes alternating with wide light blue stripes].



National Defense Service Medal (photo above by Mr. Steve White)

Background

This medal was authorized by Executive Order 10448, April 22, 1953, and amended by Executive Order 11256, Jan. 11, 1966.

Criteria
It is awarded for honorable active military service as a member of the armed forces of the United States including the Coast Guard, between June 27, 1950 and July 27, 1954, (Korean War), between Jan. 1, 1961 and Aug. 14, 1974, (Vietnam War), between Aug. 2, 1990 to Nov. 30, 1995 (operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm), and currently from Sept. 11, 2001 to a date to be determined (terrorism attacks on the United States). Service members who earned the medal during the first qualifying period, and who again became entitled to the medal, wear a bronze star on the ribbon to denote the second award of the medal.

Medal Description
The medal was designed by the Army of Heraldic Section. The obverse shows the American bald eagle perched on a sword and palm. Above this, in a semicircle, is the inscription "National Defense." The reverse [small photo above left] shows a shield, as it appears in the Great Seal of the United States; it is half encircled below with an oak leaf to the left and laurel spray to the right knotted in the center.

Ribbon Description

The ribbon has a wide yellow stripe in the center, flanked by four narrow stripes of red, white, blue, and white and wide red stripes. 

United Nations Service Medal

Background
This medal was authorized by the United Nations General Assembly on Dec. 12, 1950. The Department of Defense authorized it for the United States armed forces on Nov. 27, 1951.

Criteria
It is awarded to officers and enlisted men of the armed forces of the United States who participated in the action in Korea between June 27, 1950, and July 27, 1954. This medal is awarded for any period of time spent in combat.

Medal Description
The medal, in bronze alloy, was designed within the United Nations, along the lines of British medals. The obverse [pictured at left] shows the emblem of the United Nations--a polar projection map of the world taken from the North Pole, encircled by olive branches. The reverse of the medal [pictured below] has the inscription "For Service in Defense of the Principles of the Charter of the United Nations" set in five centered lines. The outer edge is a raised rim. A bar which is permanently attached to the medal, and through which the ribbon passes, has the word "Korea" centered thereon.

Ribbon Description
The ribbon has seventeen equal alternate stripes of pale blue and white with blue at each edge.



© Amanda Pape - 2015 - click here to e-mail me.

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