Eligibility

The fundamental difference between our Organization and other veteran organizations, and one in which we take great pride, is our eligibility qualifications. There are three requisites for membership in the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States: (1) Citizenship; (2) Honorable service in the Armed Forces of the United States; (3) Service entitling the applicant to the award of a recognized campaign medal or as set forth in the Congressional Charter and/or By-Laws.

Checking Eligibility: Checking eligibility is comparatively simple. Assuming that a person is a United States citizen and has an honorable discharge from the U.S. Armed Forces, it only remains to be proven that the person served outside the continental limits of the U.S. and has earned a campaign or service medal recognized by the VFW as meeting the campaign medal requisite for VFW Membership. (The only exception is for service in Korea after June 30, 1949, until present.)

Discharges issued during and immediately after the close of World War II have a section on the back listing the medals and decorations which have been earned. Persons discharged later received a DD-214, "Report of Separation" form, which has a space showing medals and decorations. Lost separation documents can be replaced by completing and submitting Standard Form 180, "Request Pertaining to Military Records."

There is always a possibility of an omission on the separation documents. If an applicant claims entitlement to a medal which is not shown on the individual's separation papers, that person may request verification and correction of records by submitting a Standard Form 180.

The Standard Form 180 is available from any office of the Veterans Administration or state Veterans Departments. The form must be completed and signed by the veteran in order to receive the information requested or authorize the release of the information to the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Eligibility Regulations: VFW eligibility listing is to be used as a guide in determining eligibility for membership, and is furnished as a matter of information concerning the periods during which campaign and/or service medals were authorized.

The following campaign medals, and the periods for which issued, have been authorized by the United States of America, and the holder of any such medal or medals is recognized as possessing the campaign medal requisite of eligibility.

Eligibility List

Campaign Medal

Military Service

Period During Which Issued

Expeditionary

Navy
Marine Corps

12 Feb. 1874
Indeterminate

Spanish Campaign

Army

11 May 1898
16 Aug. 1898

Navy

20 Apr. 1898
10 Dec. 1898

Army of Cuban Occupation

Army

18 July 1898
20 May 1902

Army of Puerto Rican Occupation

Army

14 Aug. 1898
10 Dec. 1898

Philippine Campaign

Army

04 Feb. 1899
31 Dec. 1913

Navy

04 Feb.1899
15 Sept. 1906

China Campaign

Army

20 June 1900
27 May 1901

China Relief Expedition

Navy

05 Apr. 1900
27 May 1901

Army of Cuban Pacification

Army

06 Oct. 1906
01 Apr. 1909

Cuban Pacification

Navy

12 Sept. 1906
01 Apr. 1909

Mexican Service

Army

12 Apr. 1911
16 June 1919

Navy

12 Apr. 1914
07 Feb. 1917

First Nicaraguan Campaign

Navy

29 July 1912
14 Nov. 1912

Haitian Campaign

Navy

09 July 1915
06 Dec. 1915
01 Apr. 1919
15 June 1920

Dominican Campaign

Navy

04 May 1916
05 Dec. 1916

World War I Victory
(with Battle or Service Clasp including Siberia and European Russia )

Army

06 Apr. 1917
01 Apr. 1920

Navy

06 Apr. 1917
30 Mar. 1920

Army of Occupation of Germany

Army

12 Nov. 1918
11 July 1923

Second Nicaraguan Campaign

Navy

27 Aug. 1926
02 Jan. 1933

Yangtze Service

Navy

03 Sept. 1926
21 Oct. 1927
01 Mar. 1930
31 Dec. 1932

China Service

Navy

07 July 1937
07 Sept. 1939
02 Sept. 1945
01 Apr. 1957

American Defense Service
(with Foreign Service Clasp)

Army-Navy

08 Sept. 1939
07 Dec. 1941

American Campaign
(30 consecutive days or 60 days non-consecutive duty outside continental limits of the United States

Army-Navy

07 Dec. 1941
02 Mar. 1946

Asiatic-Pacific Campaign

Army-Navy

07 Dec. 1941
02 Mar. 1946

European-African
Middle Eastern Campaign

Army-Navy

07 Dec. 1941
08 Nov. 1945

Army of Occupation
30 consecutive days

Italy

09 May 1945
15 Sept. 1947

Germany (except West Berlin)

09 May 1945
05 May 1955

Germany (West Berlin)

09 May 1945
02 Oct. 1990

Austria

09 May 1945
27 July 1955

Korea

03 Sept. 1945
29 June 1949

Japan

03 Sept. 1945
27 Apr. 1952

Navy Occupation Service Medal

Italy

08 May 1945
15 Dec. 1947

Trieste

08 May 1945
26 Oct. 1954

Germany (except West Berlin)

08 May 1945
05 May 1955

Austria

08 May 1945
25 Oct. 1955

Asiatic Pacific

02 Sept. 1945
27 Apr. 1952

Korean Service Medal

Army, Navy, Air Force

27 June 1950
27 July 1954

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
30 consec. or 60 non-consec. days of duty

Berlin

14 Aug. 1961
01 June 1963

Lebanon

01 July 1958
01 Nov. 1958

Quemoy & Matsu Island

23 Aug. 1958
01 June 1963

Taiwan Straits

23 Aug. 1958
01 Jan. 1959

Congo

14 July 1960
01 Sept. 1962
23-27 Nov. 1964

Laos

19 Apr. 1961
07 Oct. 1962

Vietnam

01 July 1958
03 July 1965

Cuba

24 Oct. 1962
01 June 1963

Dominican Republic

28 Apr. 1965
21 Sept. 1966

Korea

01 Oct. 1966
30 June 1974

Cambodia

29 Mar. 1973
15 Aug. 1973

Thailand (in direct support
of Cambodia Operation)

29 Mar. 1973
15 Aug. 1973

Operation Eagle Pull-Evacuation of Cambodia

11-13 Apr. 1975

Operation Frequent Wind-Evacuation of Vietnam

29-30 Apr. 1975

Mayaguez Operation

15 May 1975

Operation Urgent Fury-Grenada

23 Oct. 1983
21 Nov. 1983

Lebanon

01 June 1983
01 Dec. 1987

Libyan Operation-
El Dorado Canyon

12-17 Apr. 1986

Persian Gulf-Operation Earnest Will

24 July 1987
02 Aug. 1990

Panama-Operation Just Cause

20 Dec. 1989
31 Jan. 1990

Somalia-United Shield-Operation Restore Hope

05 Dec. 1992
31 Mar. 1995

Haiti-Operation Uphold Democracy

16 Sept. 1994
31 Mar. 1995

Operation Southern Watch
(Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq
Arabian Gulf, Red Sea, Persian Gulf,
Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Oman,
Gulf of Oman W of 62" E Long,
Yeman, Egypt, Jordan

01 Dec. 1995
Indeterminate

El Salvador

01 Jan. 1981
01 Feb. 1992

Bosnia-Operation Joint Endeavor( Bosnia , Croatia , the Adriatic Sea & airspace)

20 Nov. 1995
20 Dec. 1996

Operation Joint Guard
( Bosnia , Croatia , Adriatic Sea & airspace)

20 Dec. 1996
June 20, 1998

Operation Vigilant Sentinel (Persian Gulf, Iraq , Saudi Arabia , Kuwait )

01 Dec. 1995
1 Sept., 1997

Operation Northern Watch (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Persian Gulf W of 56" E Long., and Incirlik AB, Turkey (only pers. TDY to ONW)

01 Jan. 1997
Indeterminate

Operation Maritime Intercept operations(Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman W of 62" E Long, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Oman, Yemen, Egypt, Jordan)

01 Dec. 1995
Indeterminate

Operation Joint Forge - (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia , Adriatic Sea & airspace)

21 Jun. 1998
Indeterminate

Operation Desert Thunder (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Persian Gulf, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Oman, Yemen, Egypt, Jordan, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea support

11 Nov. 1998
22 Dec. 1998

Operation Desert Fox (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Persian Gulf, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Oman, Yemen, Egypt, Jordan, Gulf of Oman, USF Red Sea support

16 Dec. 1998
22 Dec. 1998

Navy & Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal

Thailand Military Operation

16 May 1962
10 Aug. 1962

Cuban Military Operation

03 Jan. 1961
23 Oct. 1962

Iranian, Yemen & Indian Ocean Operation

08 Dec. 1978
06 June 1979
21 Nov. 1979
20 Oct. 1981

Lebanon

20 Aug. 1982
31 May 1983

Libyan Expedition

20 Jan. 1986
27 June 1986

Persian Gulf

01 Feb. 1987
23 July 1987

Panama - (pre and post invasion)

01 Apr. 1988
19 Dec. 1989
01 Feb. 1990
13 June 1990

Liberia (Operation Sharp Edge)

05 Aug. 1990
21 Feb. 1991

Rwanda (Operation Distant Runner)
(11th Marine Expeditionary Unit USS Peleliu)

07-18 Apr. 1994

Vietnam Service Medal

04 July 1965
28 Mar. 1973

Southwest Asia Service Medal

(Operation Desert Shield/
Operation Desert Storm)
Combat areas of operation only

02 Aug. 1990
30 Nov. 1995

Personnel assigned to support units
serving in Israel , Egypt , Turkey ,
Syria , Jordan

17 Jan. 1991
-Apr. 11, 1991
30 Nov. 1995

Combat Action Ribbon

01 Mar. 1961
Indeterminate

Combat Infantry Badge & Combat Medical Badge

06 Dec. 1941
Indeterminate

Korean Service
(no campaign medal issued)

Service on the Korean Peninsula, or in
its territorial waters for thirty (30),
consecutive or sixty (60)
nonconsecutive days.

30 June 1949
26 June, 1950.
28 July, 1954 - 20, Sep, 1966
01 Jul, 1974 - Open

Kosovo Campaign Medal (KCM)

Allied Force

24 Mar. 1999
10 June 1999.

Joint Guardian

11 June 1999
indeterminate.

Allied Harbour

4 April 1999
1 Sept 1999.

Sustain Hope
Shining Hope

4 April 1999
10 July 1999.

Noble Anvil

24 Mar. 1999
20 July 1999.

Kosovo Task Force Hawk

5 April 1999
24 June 1999.

Kosovo Task Force Saber

31 Mar 1999
8 July 1999.

Kosovo Task Force Falcon

11 June 1999
indeterminate.

Kosovo Task Force Hunter

1 April 1999
1 Nov 1999.

Kosovo Air Campaign
Serbia, Montenegro, Albania,
Macedonia, Bosnia, Croatia,
Hungary, Romania, Greece,
Bulgaria, Italy, Slovenia,
Adriatic & Ionian Seas

24 Mar. 1999
10 June, 1999.

Kosovo Defense Campaign
Serbia , Montenegro , Albania ,
Macedonia , Adriatic Seas

11 June 1999
indeterminate.

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Eligibility List

Send mail to webmaster@vfw3225.com with questions or comments about this web site. Thank You

Copyright © 2006 Veterans Of Foreign Wars Post 3225. WWW.VFW3225.ORG and its content is owned by The Veterans of Foreign Wars of The United States Post 3225 Clovis California. This site was created and maintained by In Home Computer Services Fresno California. WWW.IHCSFRESNO.COM

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Eligibility List

Send mail to webmaster@vfw3225.com with questions or comments about this web site. Thank You

Copyright © 2006 Veterans Of Foreign Wars Post 3225. WWW.VFW3225.ORG and its content is owned by The Veterans of Foreign Wars of The United States Post 3225 Clovis California. This site was created and maintained by In Home Computer Services Fresno California. WWW.IHCSFRESNO.COM

Best Viewed at
600x800