service medal / RIBBON WALL ART

Mexican Border Defense Medal

Explore the Mexican Border Defense Medal ribbon, its official award references, and an oversized wall display concept.

Image pending

An isolated ribbon image has not yet been confirmed. This named placeholder keeps the award available without inventing a stripe pattern.

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Explore an oversized, permanently nonwearable wall-art interpretation. Choose a preview width and arrange your display. Plan for individual ribbons, ribbons with individual mounts, or ribbons with a corresponding display rack.

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Fabric and 3D printed finishes are in development. Physical samples will establish the final colors, texture, devices, mounting and pricing.

About this ribbon

New shared medal established 13 August 2025; eligibility begins 20 January 2025. Replaces Southwest Border AFSM; only one border award, with exchange rules. CG-only/joint border operations have additional CG implementation language.

Catalog associations: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard. Current award reference. Branch associations are browsing guidance; other service awards may also appear in a veteran’s record.

Service years and award dates

Years help surface possibilities. A date overlap does not show that someone earned an award. Some date rules describe completion, specific operations or retroactive eligibility, rather than a universal service window.

Listed service periods and date rules
Dates	What the source says
Jan 20, 2025 – End not specified	Deployed qualifying border-support operations; defined AOE and 30 consecutive/nonconsecutive days. Source ↗
Apr 7, 2018 – Jan 19, 2025	CG prior Southwest Border AFSM recipients may elect exchange for MBDM; not general standalone retroactive entitlement. Source ↗

Date coverage is not certified complete. The finder keeps this entry available when listed dates do not overlap.

Research notes and remaining questions

Prior-AFSM exchange period encoded from Coast Guard implementation; confirm applicable-service policy before applying exchange across branches.

Official award references

Consult the applicable service guidance for eligibility, precedence and authorized devices.

CG ALCOAST 073/26 ↗Paragraphs 2–4,8–9
Marine MARADMIN 233/26 ↗MBDM establishment and implementation
DoD news: Establishment of MBDM ↗23 August 2025;13 August memorandum
DoDM 1348.33 Volume 2 ↗Award-specific criteria; approved operations lists must also be consulted

Not sure what they earned?

A ribbon name, a photograph of an existing rack, or service records can be a useful starting point. Our guide points you toward official records-request services.

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