American Defense Service Medal

Service award

For active duty service during the pre-WWII emergency.

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How you get it

You earn this by meeting the requirements. No recommendation is needed. If it's missing from your record, current members can have their MPF add it. Veterans can request it from AFPC with a Standard Form 180 and supporting documents.

You qualify if any of these apply

Served on active duty between Sept. 8, 1939 and Dec. 7, 1941, under orders for 12 months or longer

Quick facts

Category: Campaign and service
Type: Service award
Authorized devices: Service Star
WAPS points: 0
Position in the AFPC listing: 35 of 91 (listed in order of precedence)

Full AFPC fact sheet text

Background

The American Defense Service Medal was established per Executive Order 8808, dated June 28, 1941, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and announced in War Department Bulletin 17. The criteria was announced in Department of the Army Circular 44 in Feb. 13, 1942.

Criteria

The American Defense Service Medal will be awarded to all persons who served on active duty at any time between Sept. 8, 1939 and Dec. 7, 1941, if the active duty order specified service for a 12-month period or longer. A Foreign Service Clasp is attached to the ribbon and medal if the same requirements are met and the service was performed outside the continental United States (CONUS).

Medal description

The medal is 1.25 inches in diameter, bearing in front an armed figure symbolic of defense under the inscription American Defense. The ribbon is basically yellow, with blue, white, and red stripes right to left and left to right symmetrically near the edges.

Authorized devices

Service Star

Source: American Defense Service Medal fact sheet, Air Force's Personnel Center