| Korea Defense Service Medal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Service medal |
| Awarded for | Service for at least 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days in support of the defense of South Korea. |
| Presented by | the U.S. Department of Defense[1][2] and U.S. Department of Homeland Security[3] |
| Eligibility | U.S. military personnel |
| Status | Current |
| Established | December 2002[4] |
| First awarded | February 2004 (retroactive to July 28, 1954) |
 The ribbon | |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Global War on Terrorism Service Medal[5] |
| Next (lower) | Armed Forces Service Medal[5] |
The Korea Defense Service Medal (KDSM)[6] is a military service medal of the United States Armed Forces that was first created in 2002 when it was signed into law by President George W. Bush. The bill to create the proposal was introduced and championed by Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-CA) and Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM).[7] Several designs for the medal were proposed; the selected design was done by John Sproston.[8]
Those awarded the medal are eligible for membership in the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) as well as the American Legion.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-09-12. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Issuances" (PDF). www.esd.whs.mil. 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-09-12. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
- ^ "Info" (PDF). media.defense.gov. 2017.
- ^ Pub.L. 107-314, 116 Stat. 2458, 10 USC 3756, 6258 & 8756, enacted December 2, 2002
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
tiohwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Korea Defense Service Medal". edocket.access.gpo.gov.
- ^ Krupa, Dana. "KDVA Champions". kdvamerica.org. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
- ^ "Korea Defense Service Medal Meaning and Data from The Institute of Heraldry (US Army)". Archived from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2013.