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Window to close for the National Defense Service Medal

by thebesig••54

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The last day, that service members will be awarded the National Defense Service Medal (NDSM), will be December 31, 2022. With the end of combat operations in Iraq, and the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the current eligibility window is set to close.

From the military Times:

Following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the formal end of combat operations in Iraq, the Defense Department is preparing to truly transition the military out of a wartime posture. Which is to say, the National Defense Service Medal is going back into retirement on Dec. 31.

The award ? affectionately known as the “pizza stain,” which all troops serving since 9/11 have been able to pin on their uniforms after initial training ? won’t be awarded for the foreseeable future.

“Termination is based on the United States no longer conducting large-scale combat operations in designated geographic locations as a result of the terrorist attacks on the United States that occurred September 11, 2001,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin wrote in a memo signed Aug. 30.

Thus brings to a close the fourth conflict for which troops could earn the National Defense Service Medal. It previously was activated for five years during the first Gulf War, 13 years for Vietnam and four years for the Korean War.

The announcement comes a month after the department scaled back eligibility for the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, which will be limited to deployments to Syria going forward.

The Military Times has additional information here. Thanks to ninja for this article.

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54 thoughts on “Window to close for the National Defense Service Medal”

  1. I was wondering how long that would go on. I got the one for Desert Storm in Feb of 95 (and they gave it out until November 30th of that year) and I that that was a stretch. I guess if you join up at a time when you could be deployed to a combat zone – that is the main criteria. Makes you wonder about 1995, though. . .

      1. I just read about this on book of faces and I was going to send the guys a note.
        Glad to see they beat me too it or somebody did.
        Well the brotherhood remains.
        I guess starting December they’re gonna be some slick uniform basic trainees.
        Let’s hope that there’s a extended long period without being able to award this again like maybe a generation.
        😬🫡

        1. Hey in the USAF you can still graduate from Basic Training with a minimum of one ribbon, the USAF Trainig Ribbon.

          Then if you do good you can get the BMTS Honor Graduate Ribbon and the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon.

          So between one and three ribbons in the USAF for making it through Basic Training.

      3. I SHOULD have one. Since it was awarded after I enlisted (78), was I awarded it? Hmmm…..have to check the DD214 and my ribbon rack to verify.

        2. We must have, otherwise it would have been really stupid for President Biden to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

    2. Well, people were getting shot at in other places while we in. (I got out in ’95.) Somalia comes to mind; I don’t know how dangerous Rwanda or Kosovo were.

      And that’s kinda how I look at it too; I was servicing while someone else was getting shot at so in theory I could have (according to the needs of the military) been shot at too. The closest I guess I came was for about six weeks one fall my company thought we were getting sent to Kosovo / Balkans, but we didn’t and I’m cool with that myself.

    3. 1995? Try combat operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

      Operation DENY FLIGHT

      Operation DELIBERATE FORCE

      A lot of bombs were dropped; aircraft were shot down; and many people were killed.

      1. Eerie flying in the Adriatic at night back then. Italian side lighted up like News Years. Croatia side pitch black with occasional tracers.

        2. I remember seeing that with Somalia, regarding tracers. I had gotten off watch, so I went up to the signal bridge and looked through the “big eyes” at Mogadishu. It was night. Lots of ruins, along with tracer rounds and some vehicle movement.

          There was also that time when we anchored and had a steel beach picnic. We were anchored between a mile to two miles from the shoreline, we had to pull up anchor and get underway as the knuckleheads decided to send some rounds in our direction.

          We received the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for this operation.

          We were also in the Adriatic from late November 1995 to January 1996. We turned it into a NATO pond. We received the Armed Forces Service Medal and the NATO medal for that operation.  😀 

  2. Well at least the NDSM Brotherhood, won’t be getting overly bloated now.

    NDSMs in my family. This doesn’t include cousins, uncles etc.

    My dad USAF 62-88, one, Vietnam.
    My FIL USAF 72-92, two, Vietnam and DS.
    Me USAF 86-08, two, DS and GWOT.
    My brother USAF 96-16, one, GWOT.
    My son USMC 07-17, one, GWOT.

  4. So what award will the Biden – Harris administration hand out for the War on Conservatives? Maybe call it Democrat Party Defense Service Medal?

      1. Eack subsequent award will be a silver coke spoon, in tribute to Ensign Hunter Biden, US Naval Reserve.

    4. Those that serve with valor get the famous mini-crackpipe across the ribbon. In honor of Biden’s son’s illustrious Naval Career.

    5. So… this happened:

      The Pentagon’s former defense secretaries and top generals warned Tuesday that political polarization and other societal strains are creating an “exceptionally challenging” environment for maintaining the traditional relationship between the military and civilian worlds.

      The quotes are top kek:

      Virtually “everything is politicized” at the moment, [former CJCS] Mullen said, putting great pressure on military leaders to disregard their nonpartisan traditions. 

      “We live in remarkably confusing times, and clarity on this issue is very important,” Mullen said. “It’s a really dangerous time for us in the military, and the forces are out there to try to politicize us more, so clarity here is really important.”

      Sounds like some bootlicking DoD w40res are looking to ‘get back in the game’ to me. Maybe if they send Dark Brandon a pinkie….?

      1. “It’s a really dangerous time for us in the military,”

        Which obviously calls for another medal, even though it is horseshit.

    6. The Ballduster McSoulpatch Memorial Stolen Valor Tournament Medal would be a good one for the War on Conservatives. Instead of the name on one side, they could replace it with poop while keeping the horses a* on the other side.

  5. A ninja family member has 3 (Vietnam, Gulf War, GWOT).

    The other ninja family member has 2 (Gulf War, GWOT)

    Both of our Dad’s have 2 (Korea, Vietnam).

  6. My son earned his NDSM after basic in Dec 2020, but his dear Ole Dad got dowdily squat for The Cold War (’83-’87).

  7. My Dad had a wwii victory medal although he graduated high school in 46, and then joined the Army Air Corps

  8. What is still so sad are individuals going to their graves with their family members believing they were Vietnam POWs or earned Silver Stars or numerous Purple Hearts or claiming DSC, Special Forces, etc etc.

    We find them everyday. It never stops.

    Here are two recent examples:

    7 PHs, Army “Cross”, Vietnam POW

    https://www.nauglefuneral.com/m/obituaries/Haskel-Hill/Memories

    4 PHs, 4 SS, 2 BSMs, Vietnam POW (Picture of Shadowbox in link):

    https://www.gofundme.com/f/robert-doc-halliday

    https://www.coxrichmondhillfh.com/obituary/richard-doc-halliday

      1. Sorry, but that citation sounds like BS to me.

        Example;
        “he re-supplied his carrier with ammunition”

        From where? ACAVs were armed with 2 M-60s and one .50 cal, and they carried a shitload of ammo. Even in Europe at that time the “carriers” carried a shitload of ammo for the .50 and 7.62 for the M-60s and M-14s.

        In ’68 I worked with the 1/4 Cav., 11th Armored Cav., and another Cav. outfit (3/5?). Nobody ever broke off action to “resupply”; tanks or carriers. And there were no vehicles carrying extra ammo.

        Of cours, a lot of medal citations were BS, but this one sounds excessively amateurish.

    2. Haskel was a Vietnam POW, a war hero with seven purple hearts, Army cross and many other service medals and accomodations. 

      Hack Stone had some military accomodations. There was a Quonset Hut at Camp Fuji, a tent in Desert Shield, barracks with no heat.

      1. Those look like British Sailors. I’m sorry that I gor rid of most of my seabag. Had some nice Seafarer Dungarees. Boot camp had us on the pool diving board with knotted pants jeans where you jumped into the water and going down, you flipped the jeans over your head and landed in the water with the waist filled with air to float on and it works.

    2. “Waste” = kill, especially “with extreme predjudice” etc.

      “Donut Hole” = more frequent Donut Dolly name, especially among hard-up male troops.

      “Crispy Critters” = folk hit by napalm and/or “Willie Pete” (white phosphorus).

  10. Well, I’ll be a Monkey’s Uncle, it’s been 59 years since I was awardered the NDSM. Where did the time go. Well doesn’t that take the cake that it’s going into retirement in a few months even though we have troops training the Ukrainians.

  11. How sad. Now new recruits will just have to get by on the other half dozen or so “medals” awarded to make the uniform look purty.

  15. Don’t worry, President Biden will soon authorize the GPPPM, Gay Pride Parade Participation Medal. But it won’t be referred to as a medal, but as “flair”.

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