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| Vietnam Medal | |
|---|---|
| Name | Vietnam Medal |
| Caption | Vietnam Medal obverse and ribbon |
| Presenter | Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom (various issuers) |
| Type | Campaign medal |
| Awarded for | Service in the Vietnam War and related operations |
| Established | 1968 (Australian issue); other issuances 1967–1971 |
| Status | Discontinued; historical award |
| Clasps | Various theatre clasps |
| First awarded | 1968 |
Vietnam Medal The Vietnam Medal is a campaign decoration issued by several Commonwealth and allied authorities to recognize service in the Vietnam War and associated operations in Southeast Asia. Instituted in the late 1960s, the medal was awarded to personnel from nations including Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom who met specified qualifying service criteria during defined operational periods and areas. Recipients included members of regular forces, reserve units, and attached personnel who served afloat, ashore, or in the air in support of operations in the Republic of Vietnam, adjacent waters, and neighbouring states.
Origins of the Vietnam Medal trace to multinational deliberations among Commonwealth defence departments following escalating commitments to the Republic of Vietnam in the 1960s. The Australian issue was instituted in 1968 to complement the Vietnam Logistic and Support Medal and other service awards; the New Zealand Government approved its version soon after. The United Kingdom issued different campaign recognitions for British forces assigned to Southeast Asia and NATO-related duties but used a separate operational medal for British personnel seconded to US formations. Deployment patterns during operations such as the Tet Offensive, the Operation Rolling Thunder air campaign, and the Battle of Long Tan influenced qualifying dates and theatre boundaries. The medal's issuance ceased as forces withdrew under agreements culminating in the Paris Peace Accords (1973), although posthumous and retrospective awards continued during administrative closures.
Eligibility rules varied by issuing authority but commonly required a minimum continuous or aggregate period of service within defined geographic limits. For the Australian issue, qualifying service included time spent on operations in the Republic of Vietnam, in vessels operating in the coastal waters, and in specified support roles in Thailand and Malaysia between designated start and end dates. New Zealand criteria mirrored Australian thresholds but incorporated service by personnel attached to United States Navy and United States Air Force units. Aircrew were credited for sorties over the operational area; sailors were eligible for time at sea inside prescribed zones. Civilians employed by defence departments and members of recognised allied units attached to national forces were sometimes eligible under specific regulations. Clasps or rosettes denoted particular campaigns, operations, or periods; some authorities allowed the medal to be awarded with no clasp where the period covered a single campaign.
The Vietnam Medal's design elements were symbolic and distinct among issuers. The Australian version featured a crowned effigy of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse and an emblematic scene on the reverse representing service in Southeast Asia. The ribbon incorporated colours evoking regional geography and service—combinations of green, yellow, red, and blue—to signify jungles, national colours of the Republic of Vietnam, and maritime or aerial environments. New Zealand's variant adopted similar motifs but employed national device adjustments used on contemporary decorations such as the New Zealand Operational Service Medal. Manufacture involved Australian and New Zealand mints and private contractors; materials were typically cupro-nickel and used suspension bars for clasps. Insignia conventions paralleled other Commonwealth campaign medals like the General Service Medal (1918) and the Australian Active Service Medal in wear and precedence.
Recommendation and approval processes involved chain-of-command endorsements, validation of service records, and administrative verification by defence ministries or honours offices. Unit records, ship's logs, operational sortie manifests, and personnel rosters substantiated eligibility. Requests for retrospective awards often required certified evidence of service dates and locations. Once authorised, medals were issued through regimental channels, veterans' affairs agencies, or postal distribution for discharged members. Replacement medals for loss or damage were processed via the issuing authority's medal office. Posthumous awards were presented to next of kin in ceremonies sometimes coordinated with commemorations such as ANZAC Day services and battlefield memorial events.
Recipients of the Vietnam Medal included decorated individuals, senior officers, aircrew, sailors, and enlisted personnel drawn from units notable for their roles in the conflict. Australian recipients included members of the 1st Australian Task Force, the Royal Australian Regiment, and HMAS Sydney (III) personnel; New Zealand recipients included members of the New Zealand Army Training Team Vietnam and Royal New Zealand Navy detachments. Some recipients later became prominent in public life, serving in legislatures or defence leadership roles. Units cited for sustained operational service encompassed infantry battalions, armoured squadrons, artillery batteries, and aviation squadrons that supported counter-insurgency and combined operations, including liaison with United States Army and United States Marine Corps formations.
Several related medals and emblems were contemporaneous with the Vietnam Medal and were issued by allied nations for service in the same theatre. These include the United States Vietnam Service Medal, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal issued by the former South Vietnamese Government, and national variants such as the Australian Active Service Medal 1945–1975 for overlapping service. Other Commonwealth awards recognizing broader operational service, like the General Service Medal (1962), were sometimes granted for actions connected to Southeast Asian conflicts. Collecting and research communities distinguish between issues by different sovereigns, clasp combinations, and provenance; official order-of-wear lists determine precedence relative to decorations such as the Order of Australia and national long service awards.
Category:Campaign medals