Originally Posted by LT Rector

I've only been in the Marines for four years now, but I got:
Purple Heart
Navy & Marine Corps Achievement
Combat Action Ribbon
National Defense Service Medal(with Bronze star)
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal
Global War on Terrorism (Expeditionary)
Global War on Terrorism (Service)
NATO Medal

I'm currently in Iraq now so come next May, I'll be placing an Bronze Oak Leaf on my Iraq Campaign ribbion.

National Defense Service Medal
Eligible periods

In the years since the creation of the National Defense Service Medal, it is authorized only for the following time periods.

• June 27, 1950 to July 27, 1954 for service during the Korean War
• January 1, 1961 to August 14, 1974 for service during the Vietnam War
• August 2, 1990 to November 30, 1995 for service during the Gulf War
• September 11, 2001 to a date to be announced for service during the War on Terrorism

If you have been in for 4 years you should only qualify for the NDSM, no bronze service star, unless you have had a break in service.

Iraq Campaign Medal
According to the way the award is written, you get 1 bronze star for serving in Iraq during a specific period.



The following are the established combat campaigns authorized for service stars to the Iraq Campaign Medal[1].

• Liberation of Iraq – March 19, 2003 to May 1, 2003.
• Transition of Iraq – May 2, 2003 to June 28, 2004.
• Iraqi Governance – June 29, 2004 to Dec. 15, 2005.
• National Resolution – Dec. 16, 2005 to Jan. 9, 2007.
• The Surge - Jan. 10, 2007, to Dec. 31, 2008
• Iraqi Sovereignty - Jan. 1, 2009 until a date to be determined.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_Campaign_Medal

GWOT Expeditionary and Service Medals
A similar decoration, known as the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, also was created under the same Presidential Order that authorized the GWOT Service Medal. The primary difference between the two awards is that the service medal is intended for those who performed duty within the United States while the expeditionary medal recognizes those who were deployed to foreign countries.
Service members may be awarded both the GWOTEM and the GWOTSM if they meet the criteria for both awards; however, the qualifying period used to establish eligibility for one award cannot be used to justify eligibility for the other award.[3]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_..._Service_Medal

Your post above indicates you have been in the service for 4 years. You have deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq and been deployed stateside? Not sure of deployment lengths for Marines but it would appear you have been very busy. You also imply that this is your second tour in Iraq. Can you explain?

Wow, this is not an internet-forum, but an order bearers' club. Wonderful.

Originally Posted by LT Rector

I've only been in the Marines for four years now, but I got:
Purple Heart
Navy & Marine Corps Achievement
Combat Action Ribbon
National Defense Service Medal(with Bronze star)
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal
Global War on Terrorism (Expeditionary)
Global War on Terrorism (Service)
NATO Medal

I'm currently in Iraq now so come next May, I'll be placing an Bronze Oak Leaf on my Iraq Campaign ribbion.

PM me concerning this post.

Originally Posted by HokieMSG

National Defense Service Medal
Eligible periods


In the years since the creation of the National Defense Service Medal, it is authorized only for the following time periods.

• June 27, 1950 to July 27, 1954 for service during the Korean War
• January 1, 1961 to August 14, 1974 for service during the Vietnam War
• August 2, 1990 to November 30, 1995 for service during the Gulf War
• September 11, 2001 to a date to be announced for service during the War on Terrorism

If you have been in for 4 years you should only qualify for the NDSM, no bronze service star, unless you have had a break in service.

Iraq Campaign Medal
According to the way the award is written, you get 1 bronze star for serving in Iraq during a specific period.




The following are the established combat campaigns authorized for service stars to the Iraq Campaign Medal[1].

• Liberation of Iraq – March 19, 2003 to May 1, 2003.
• Transition of Iraq – May 2, 2003 to June 28, 2004.
• Iraqi Governance – June 29, 2004 to Dec. 15, 2005.
• National Resolution – Dec. 16, 2005 to Jan. 9, 2007.
• The Surge - Jan. 10, 2007, to Dec. 31, 2008
• Iraqi Sovereignty - Jan. 1, 2009 until a date to be determined.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_Campaign_Medal

GWOT Expeditionary and Service Medals
A similar decoration, known as the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, also was created under the same Presidential Order that authorized the GWOT Service Medal. The primary difference between the two awards is that the service medal is intended for those who performed duty within the United States while the expeditionary medal recognizes those who were deployed to foreign countries.
Service members may be awarded both the GWOTEM and the GWOTSM if they meet the criteria for both awards; however, the qualifying period used to establish eligibility for one award cannot be used to justify eligibility for the other award.[3]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_..._Service_Medal

Your post above indicates you have been in the service for 4 years. You have deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq and been deployed stateside? Not sure of deployment lengths for Marines but it would appear you have been very busy. You also imply that this is your second tour in Iraq. Can you explain?

I'm pretty sure an MSG understands the eligibilty for the service medals and campaign medals. Which leads me to the question of how you rate a subsequent award star on your NDSM given your claimed time in service?

I've read and laughed through some of these posts. When i joined it was rare to someone with more than 3 or 4, unless he was a real old sweat! Now our guys are in and out of combat zones like billy'o', so they're racking them up at an alarming rate, shame that it has to happen that way, but that is the nature of active service.

I have a couple of active service medals, of which I'm immensly proud and a couple of gizzits, which I like, but overall the best accolade I ever had was my troop buying my beer all night - did they pay that night!! It's not the medals, but the soldiers which make it all, they can show their respect or lack of it in so many ways. To my mind a medal is reflection of other peoples endeavour. For those that receive the award, I'm always pleased to see that they recognise other peoples efforts, for those that don't, do not worry, you're efforts arfe always appreciated, I for one will raise a glass to all of you, just let me know how many glasses I need to raise and I'll get started.

When I came from Active duty to ROTC the cadets were ooohed and aaahed by my fruit salad. Many times I had to explain to them that I rated most of the awards because I simply went to combat. Nothing more, nothing less. Or that many of them were "I showed up" ribbons. Very few of my awards actually mean anything, but my most coveted are my combat action badge and my 3rd Infantry Division Combat patch from the invasion of Iraq (and the PUC that came with it.)

Just the important ones
Parachutist badge
CIB
SF Long Tab-retroactive
Couple PHs

Some of the youngsters are racking them up these days

Yeah well when you figure that you may rate at least 3 ribbons simply for being in and deploying the racks stack up quick.

I'm talking about real combat stuff.
Not he PX stuff.

I'll give credit where it;s due.
Some of these youngsters have really been dipped in it.

You should take off some of that salt and sprinkle it on the rest of us. One type of award that is NOT being given out in quantity are valor awards...not for lack of oppurtunities either. But that's a whole other issue.