campaign medal / RIBBON WALL ART

Vietnam Service Medal

Explore the Vietnam Service Medal ribbon, its official award references, and an oversized wall display concept.

Ribbon reference (devices may vary). Image reference ↗ · Award chart ↗. Digital references guide the concept; they are not final production color or textile specifications.

Give the story
a place at home.

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

Executive Order 11231 of 8 July 1965 establishes VSM (AFPC page misprints order as 11213). Normal theater period plus two statutory exchange exceptions are encoded.

Catalog associations: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard. Historical or discontinued award retained for veterans and families. 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
Jul 4, 1965 – Mar 28, 1973	Normal Vietnam Service Medal theater/direct-support qualifying window. Source ↗
Jul 1, 1958 – Jul 3, 1965	Qualifying Vietnam AFEM service may be exchanged for VSM; no dual award for same service. Source ↗
Apr 29, 1975 – Apr 30, 1975	Operation Frequent Wind AFEM recipients may apply to convert to VSM under Public Law 107-314 section 542. Source ↗

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

Research notes and remaining questions

AFPC page contains inconsistent early advisory-campaign dates; those campaign-star dates are not used as general eligibility.

Official award references

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

Air Force Personnel Center: Vietnam Service Medal ↗Background; Criteria; Ribbon Description
DoDM 1348.33 Volume 2 ↗Award-specific criteria; approved operations lists must also be consulted
Executive Order 11231 ↗Sections 1–2: general eligibility and early Vietnam AFEM exchange
Public Law 107-314 ↗Section 542: Frequent Wind AFEM-to-VSM conversion

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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