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Republic
of Korea War Service Medal
July 6, 2000 In Reply Refer To: 216
Fast Letter 00-56
Director (00/21)
All VA Regional Offices and Centers
SUBJ: Republic of Korea War Service
Medal
- Korean War veterans, their family
members, as well as veterans service organizations and the general
public have been inquiring about the Republic of Korea War Service
Medal (ROKWSM), how and where to obtain it, how much does it cost,
etc. The enclosed information sheet should be shared with
appropriate Veterans Service Center personnel.
- Questions should be directed to the
person named on the Calendar pages for this date at:
http://vbaw.vba.va.gov/bl/21/calendar/index.htm
3. This letter rescinds December 1,
2000.
/s/
Robert J. Epley, Director
Compensation and Pension Service
Enclosure
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.
General information on Korean
War commemorations can 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.
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. |
