South Korea offers war service medal

By Royce Carter

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 4, 2000

In the May 13 letter to Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen, South Korean Defense Minister Cho Seong Tae announced that his government would provide the Republic of Korea War Service Medal (ROKWSM) to eligible U.S. veterans of that conflict, or their surviving next of kin.

"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 50th anniversary ceremonies from 2000 to 2003, and medals may be applied for at any time during this period. The war began on June 25, 1950, when the North Korean forces invaded Republic of Korea territory. The armistice on July 27, 1953, ended the fighting, although the two nations are still technically at war.

The medal was originally offered by South Korea in 1951 to the U.N. forces serving in Korea and adjacent waters. At that time, law prohibited the U.S. military from wearing medals issued by foreign governments. Congress changed that in 1954, but by then the war had ended and most GIs who were eligible had returned home.

In 1998, South Korea said its original offer of the ROKWSM to U.S. military personnel was still valid. On Aug. 20, 1999, the Defense Department approved the acceptance and wear of the medal. The medals will be provided at no cost to veterans.

To wear the 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.

South Korea specifies the eligibility period and criteria. The medals will not be made available to the general public. Only the Korea-provided model is deemed authentic and meets the U.S. criteria for wear on a military uniform.

To apply, a veteran must provide a copy of his discharge paper, commonly known as a "DD-214," or a corrected version of that document, "DD-215." National Guard members must provide their statement of service equivalent, "NGB Form 22." Veterans who do not have these documents should contact this office to obtain them from the National Personnel Records Center.

The Department of Defense has designated the Department of the Air Force as the agency that will distribute the medals.

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 a 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.

There are about 1.8 million U.S. veterans eligible for the medal.

Applications are available at the Citrus County Veterans Service Office, 3600 West Sovereign Path, Suite 180, Lecanto, (Lecanto Government Building).

- Royce Carter is the Citrus County Veterans Service Officer. For information call him or his assistant "J.J." Kenney at 527-5411.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.