(Via Milinet)
= N E W S R E L E A S E
=
= OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
= (PUBLIC AFFAIRS)
= WASHINGTON, D.C. 20301
=
= PLEASE NOTE DATE
====================================================
No. 354-00
(703)695-0192(media)
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 22, 2000
(703)697-5737(public/industry)
KOREAN WAR SERVICE MEDAL AVAILABLE TO VETERANS
U.S. veterans of the Korean War are now eligible to wear
a medal
initially offered to them more than 50 years ago, but never
issued.
In a May 13, 2000, letter to Defense Secretary William
S. Cohen,
Republic of Korea Defense Minister Seong Tae Cho formally
announced that his
government would provide the Republic of Korea War Service Medal
(ROKWSM) to
eligible U.S. veterans of that conflict, or to their surviving
next of kin.
The medal will be provided at no cost to veterans. The U.S. Air
Force has
been designated the lead agency to receive and distribute the
medals.
"On the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Korean
War," Cho
wrote, "the ROK government decided to issue the ROKWSM to pay
tribute to the
Korean War veterans for their historic endeavors to preserve
freedom of the
ROK and the free world." The two governments will conduct
fiftieth
anniversary ceremonies throughout 2000-2003 and medals may be
applied for at
any time during this period. The war began on June 25, 1950,
when North
Korean forces invaded ROK territory. The armistice on July 27,
1953, ended
the fighting, although a formal peace treaty has never been
completed.
The medal was originally offered by the ROK in 1951 to
United Nations
forces serving in Korea and adjacent waters. At the time U.S.
law prohibited
the U.S. military from wearing medals issued by foreign
governments.
Congress changed that in 1954, but by then most U.S. service
members eligible
for the medal had returned home.
In 1998 the government of the Republic of Korea renewed
its original
offer of the ROKWSM to U.S. military personnel. On Aug. 20,
1999, the
Defense Department approved the acceptance and wear of the
medal.
Approximately 1.8 million U.S. veterans of the Korean War are
eligible to
receive it. Next of kin to eligible deceased veterans can also
apply for the
medal.
To wear this medal on U.S. military uniforms, U.S.
military personnel
must have:
served between the outbreak of hostilities, June 25, 1950, and
the date the
armistice was signed, July 27, 1953;
been on permanent assignment or on temporary duty for 30
consecutive days or
60 non-consecutive days, and
performed their duty within the territorial limits of Korea, in
the waters
immediately adjacent thereto or in aerial flight over Korea
participating in
actual combat operations or in support of combat operations.
The ROK specifies the eligibility period and criteria.
Only the
ROK-provided medal is approved by the U.S. government to meet
the U.S.
criteria for wear on the military uniform.
To apply, veterans must provide a copy of their
discharge paper,
commonly known as a "DD-214," or a corrected version of that
document, a
"DD-215." National Guard members must provide their statement
of service
equivalent, "NGB Form 22."
Additional information on how to apply for or request
the medal can
be found by contacting the Air Force Personnel Center, Monday -
Friday, 7:30
a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (CST) at (800) 558-1404, or the Awards and
Decorations
Section (210) 565-2432/2520/2516, fax (210) 565-3118, or by
writing to HQ
AFPC/DPPPRA, 550 C Street West, Suite 12, Randolph Air Force
Base, Texas
78150-4714 or by visiting its web site at:
http://www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/awards
http://www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/
awards
General information on Korean War commemorations can
also be found by
contacting the DoD 50th Anniversary of the Korean War
Commemoration
Committee, 1213 Jefferson Davis Highway, Crystal Gateway 4,
Arlington, VA
22202, by calling (703) 604-0831 or by visiting its web site:
http://korea50.army.mil">http://korea50.army.mil
Because the order of precedence for non-U.S. service medals and
ribbons is
determined by date of approval, the ROKWSM should be worn after
the Kuwait
Liberation Medal, which was the last foreign medal approved for
wear by U.S.
military personnel. For the majority of Korean War veterans the
medal will
be worn after the United Nations Medal, or the Republic of
Vietnam Campaign
Medal if they served during that conflict.
-END-
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