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Since its original conception over forty years ago, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal has been awarded for United States participation in over forty five designated military campaigns. The first campaign of the AFEM was the Cuban Missile Crisis and the award was issued for military service between October 1962 and June 1963. Following this original issuance, the AFEM was made retroactive to 1958 and issued for actions in Lebanon, Taiwan, the Congo, Quemoy and Matsu, and for duty in Berlin between 1961 and 1963.
During the early years of the Vietnam War, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal was issued for initial operations in South VietnamVit Nam Cng Hoa ( In Detail) National motto: ?? Official language Vietnamese Capital Saigon Last President Duong Van Minh Last Prime Minister Bu Van Mau Area Total % water 173,809 kmē Not material population Total Density 19,370,000 (1973 est. 4/kmē(1973, LaosThe Lao People's Democratic Republic is a landlocked country in southeast Asia, bordered by Myanmar (commonly known in the west as Burma) and the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, and Thailand to the, and CambodiaThe Kingdom of Cambodia (Kampuchea, Khmer ) is a country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered in the south by the Gulf of Thailand, in the west by Thailand, Laos in the north, and Vietnam in the east. The majority of Cambodians are the Khmer people. Cambodia. In 19651965 was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). Events January-February January 4 United States President Lyndon Johnson proclaims his " Great Society" during his State of the Union address. January 14 Prime Ministers of N, with the creation of the Vietnam Service MedalThe Vietnam Service Medal is a military award which was created in 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. The medal is issued to recognize military service during the Vietnam War and is authorized to service members in every branch of the U. Armed Forces., the AFEM was discontinued for Vietnam War service. As the Vietnam Service Medal was retroactively authorized, those personnel who had previously received the AFEM were granted the option to exchange the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for the Vietnam Service Medal.
This option remains current to the present day, with the National Personnel Records CenterThe National Personnel Records Center is an agency of the National Archives and Records Administration and is divided into two large Federal Records Centers located in St. Louis, Missouri. The current director of the National Personnel Records Center, as the contact agency for the updating of military records and the exchange of the actual medals.
After the close of the Vietnam War, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal was issued for various military operations in PanamaPanama ( Spanish: Panam is the southernmost country of Central America. It constitutes the last part of a natural land bridge between the North American and South American continents. History Main article: History of Panama Panama was part of Spain's colo, Grenada, and Libya. The AFEM has been issued for numerous operations in the Persian Gulf, most notably Operation Ernest Will which began in 1987 and lasted until the eve of the Gulf War.
Following the close of the first Gulf War, and the engagement in peacekeeping and sanction missions against Iraq, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal was issued again for several operations such as Operation Northern Watch, Southern Watch, and Vigilant Sentinel. The medal is also authorized for several United Nations actions such as peacekeeping efforts in Bosnia and Somalia.
Beginning in 1992 an effort was begun to phase out the AFEM in favor of campaign specific medals and the newly created Armed Forces Service Medal. To date, however, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal is still listed on official precedence charts and the decoration is still considered an active service medal.
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Awards and decorations of the U.S. military