Medals updated in personnel system

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RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) --  Air Force officials have completed a batch update to currently reflect award of the Korean Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terrorism-Expeditionary Medal in the military personnel data system.

Air Force Personnel Center officials here recently completed a mass decorations update for more than 69,000 active-duty Airmen who were permanently assigned to Korea, earning the Korean medal. An additional 114,000 updates for the expeditionary medal were completed for active-duty Airmen deployed to Southwest Asia supporting Operations Enduring Freedom or Iraqi Freedom since Sept. 11, 2001.

Airmen eligible to wear either medal can view their decoration history in virtual military personnel flight to verify the update was successful. They can contact their commander's support staff if they qualified for either decoration, but their decoration history was not updated. If the entitlement is verified, support staff Airmen will fax the appropriate letter to the AFPC contact center for update.

Each medal will only be awarded once, regardless of how many times an individual returns to serve in the respective theater, officials said. There are no service stars or other devices authorized; however, battle stars may be authorized with the GWOT for people who engaged in actual combat. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the approving authority for battle stars.

The medals initially will be issued by local MPFs as they become available and are also available through the Army and Air Force Exchange Service.

For more information on criteria for issue and wear of each medal, visit: www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/awards/Recently%20approved%20awards.htm, or call the AFPC contact center at (800) 616-3775. (Courtesy of AFPC News Service)