West Saint Paul Antiques

Eligibility Requirements. Awarded to members of the Armed Forces, including members of Reserve components on active or inactive duty, of the grade of lieutenant commander/major and junior thereto, for service performed on or after 1 May 1961. The award shall be given for meritorious service or achievement in a combat or non-combat situation based on sustained performance or specific achievement of a superlative nature, and shall be of such merit as to warrant more tangible recognition than is possible by a fitness report or performance evaluation, but which does not warrant a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal or higher.

Professional achievement that merit the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (NA) must:

(a) Clearly exceed that which is normally required or expected, considering the individual's grade or rate, training, and experience; and

(b) Be an important contribution of benefit to the United States and the Naval Service.

Leadership Achievement that merit the NA must:

(a) Be noteworthy;

(b) Be sustained so as to demonstrate a high state of development or, if for a specific achievement, be of such merit as to earn singular recognition for the act(s); and

(c) Reflect most creditably on the efforts of the individual toward the accomplishment of the unit mission.

Limitations. The Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal will not be awarded for service involving participation in aerial flight after 1 January 1969. The Air Medal is the more appropriate recognition for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. This does not preclude the award of the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal to those who meet the eligibility requirement for service during which participation in aerial flight was incidental.

Combat Distinguishing Device. During the Vietnam era the Combat Distinguishing Device was authorized for service subsequent to 17 July 1967 and discontinued in April 1974; it was reauthorized on 17 January 1991.

Subsequent awards are denoted by silver and gold stars.

Normal performance of duty or participation in a large number of combat missions does not in itself justify the award. An award will not be made to a unit for actions of one or more of its component parts, unless the unit performed uniformly as a team in a manner justifying collective recognition.

  See additional information about unit awards.

(1) Honorable active service as a member of the Armed Forces for any period after 26 June 1950 to 28 July 1954, after 31 December 1960 and before 15 August 1974 or after 1 August 1990 and before 1 December 1995. For this award, the following personnel shall not be considered as performing active service:

(a) Guard and Reserve forces personnel on short tours of active duty to fulfill training obligations under an inactive duty training program. However, effective 8 October 1991, President Bush expanded criteria to include all members of the National Guard and Reserve who were part of the Selected Reserve in good standing during the period 02 August 1990 to 30 November 1995. Consequently, all Navy and Marine Corps personnel serving on active duty and members of the Navy and Marine Corps Reserve who were part of the Selected Reserve in good standing during said period are eligible for the award.

(b) Any person on temporary active duty to serve on boards, courts, commissions and like organizations.

(c) Any person on active duty for the sole purpose of undergoing a physical examination. (d) Any person on active duty for purposes other than extended active duty.

(2) Subparagraphs (l)(a) through (d) above shall not bar the award of the NDSM to members of the Guard or Reserve forces, who, after 31 December 1960 become eligible for the award of the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal or the Vietnam Service Medal who serve for 30 days or more on temporary active duty. Such persons shall be considered to be performing active service for the purpose of eligibility for the National Defense Service Medal.

(3) Midshipmen attending the Naval Academy during the above periods are eligible for this medal.

(4) Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) Midshipmen are only eligible if they participated in a summer cruise that was in an area which qualified for a campaign medal.

Note: President Bush has also authorized the award of the National Defense Service Medal to all military personnel serving on or after September 11, 2001, to a date yet to be determined.

Subsequent Award. A 3/16-inch bronze star shall be worn on the suspension ribbon and ribbon bar by personnel who earned the medal for honorable active duty after 26 June 1950 and before 28 July 1954, after 31 December 1960 and before 15 August 1974, and again after 1 August 1990 and before 1 December 1995.

Eligibility Requirements

(1) General

(a) Awarded to all members of the Armed Forces of the United States serving at anytime between 04Jul65 and 28Mar73 in the area defined under the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for Vietnam.

(b) Awarded to all members of the Armed Forces of the United States in Thailand, Laos or Cambodia or the air space thereof, between 4 July 1965 and 28 March 1973 and serving in direct support of operations in Vietnam.

(c) Members qualified for the AFEM by reason of service between 1 July 1958 and 3 July 1965 (inclusive) in an area for which the Vietnam Service Medal was subsequently authorized shall remain qualified for that medal. Upon application, any such member may be awarded the Vietnam Service Medal in lieu of the AFEM for such service. However, no person shall be entitled to both awards for service in an area for which the Vietnam Service Medal has been authorized.

(2) Specific

(a) Personnel Eligible

1. Shore Duty. Attached to or regularly serving for 1 or more days with an organization participating in or directly supporting military operations.

2. Sea Duty. Attached to or regularly serving for 1 or more days aboard a naval vessel directly supporting military operations.

3. Air Duty. Actual participation as a crew member in 1 or more aerial flights directly supporting military operations.

4. Temporary Duty. Service for 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive days, except that the time limit may be waived for personnel participating in actual combat operations. NOTE. Only personnel who were attached to ships/units and who actually participated in the given operation, are eligible for the Vietnam Service Medal. This includes personnel attached to a squadron or unit embarked in a ship during the period for which that ship is listed as eligible. Members of rear echelons, transients, observers, and personnel assigned for short periods or TAD and training duty are normally not eligible for the award; however, consideration will be given in those instances where the local commander certifies a particular and significant contribution by an individual. Such certification should be submitted to CNO/CMC via the fleet commander who exercised operational control in the area involved.

(b) Eligible Ships and Units. Ships and units present in the area merely for training purposes are not eligi­ ble for the award. Squadrons or units embarked in a ship during the period for which that ship is listed as eligible are automatically eligible for the medal.

(c) Limitation of Medals. The medal shall be awarded only for operations for which no other U.S. campaign medal is approved. No person may be issued both the Vietnam Service Medal and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for service in Vietnam (see Art. 431.16b(8) concerning election), and no person shall be entitled to more than one award of the Vietnam Service Medal.

Stars. A bronze star 3/16-inch in diameter is authorized to be worn on the suspension ribbon and ribbon bar of the Vietnam Service Medal for each of the following campaigns:

• Vietnam Advisory Campaign........15 Mar 62 to 07 Mar 65.
• .Vietnam Defense Campaign.........08 Mar 65 to 24 Dec 65.
• Vietnam Counter-offensive........25 Dec 65 to 30 Jun 66.
• Vietnam Counter-offensive II.... 01 Jul 66 to 31 May 67.
• Vietnam Counter-offensive III....01 Jun 67 to 29 Jan 68.
• Tet Counter-offensive............30 Jan 68 to 01 Apr 68.
• Vietnam Counter-offensive IV....02 Apr 68 to 30 Jun 68.
• Vietnam Counter-offensive V.....01 Jul 68 to 01 Nov 68.
• Vietnam Counter-offensive VI....02 Nov 68 to 22 Feb 69.
• Tet 69 Counter-offensive........23 Feb 69 to 08 Jun 69.
• Vietnam, Summer-Fall 1969.......09 Jun 69 to 31 Oct 69.
• Vietnam, Winter-Spring 1970.....01 Nov 69 to 30 Apr 70.
• Sanctuary Counter-offensive.....01 May 70 to 30 Jun 70.
• Vietnam Counter-offensive VII...01 Jul 70 to 30 Jun 71.
• Consolidation I.................01 Jul 71 to 30 Nov 71.
• Consolidation II................01 Dec 71 to 29 Mar 72.
• Vietnam Ceasefire Campaign......30 Mar 72 to 28 Jan 73.

Originally created as the Vietnam Friendship Ribbon, it was recreated as the Vietnam Presidential Unit Citation in 1961, and awarded to cited units under the same conditions required for the award of the Presidential Unit Citation of the United States.

The Vietnam Gallantry Cross also is issued as a unit award which is an entirely separate decoration from the full sized medal. Known as the "Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm," the unit citation award was created in 1968 and was issued as the Gallantry Cross ribbon, with a metal palm device, enclosed within a gold frame. The unit citation was issued in the name of South Vietnam to any military unit which distinguished itself to the same level as would be required for the individual award. Regulations for the issuance of the Vietnam Gallantry Cross permit the wearing of both the individual and unit award simultaneously, since they both are considered separate decorations.

The Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm was issued to every Allied nation which provided military support to Vietnam between 1 March 1961 and the fall of Saigon in April 1975. The unit decoration thus became the most commonly awarded Vietnamese decoration to foreigners, second only to the Vietnam Campaign Medal.
See additional information about unit awards.

The medal is gold-plated with two stars, one overlaid on the other, each star composed of six points. The stars' points above are white enameled in relief with gold border. The stars' points underneath are carved in relief, gold-plated, with many small brass angles directed toward the medal's center. The inside of the frame is green with the outline of the Vietnamese country gold-plated and a red flame with three rays upright in the center. On the reverse are the words "Vietnam Campaign Medal." The ribbon is edged with green stripes, and alternate green and white stripes with a white center. A rectangular, silver-plated medal device on the suspension ribbon denotes the period of war (for example "1960 - "). A similar but smaller device with the last two digits of the inclusive years of the war, "60 - ," is worn on the ribbon bar.

Basic Jump Wings

BUPERS Notice 1020 of 12 July 1963 announced approval of a new wing insignia for Navy and Marine Corps Parachutists with a minimum of 5 Jumps.

The change to the 1959 Uniform Regulations stated that the old Parachutist insignia would be renamed Basic Parachutist insignia in keeping with Army and Air Force nomenclature.
The new Navy and Marine Corps Parachutist device was "a gold embroidered (Navy only) or gold-colored metal pin
, the same as that provided for Naval Aviator’s insignia, except that a gold-colored open parachute shall be centered on the wings vice the shield and foul

Badge consists of a four-branched Maltese cross with the center emblem being the USMC Eagle, Globe and Anchor hanging from a bar that reads:  "RIFLE SHARPSHOOTER".

In July 1958, the current USMC shooting badges replaced the old USMC Basic Shooting Badge.