Posted on Jul 17, 2016
What qualifications are needed to be awarded the Overseas Service Ribbon?
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Posted 8 y ago
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In my day I could pin it on after about two-thirds of my tour of duty in Germany. I was there for 2 1/2 years.
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SSG Gerald King
Agree 100%. I spent two tours in Germany - one for 8 months, the second one for 3 plus years but I don't qualify because the award is not retroactive to the 60's and 70's
Criteria: The Army Overseas Service Ribbon (OSR) is presented to any member of the United States Army after the completion of a standard overseas tour. First issued in 1981, additional awards of the ribbon are represented by wearing a bronze numeral on the service ribbon. The Overseas Service Ribbon maybe awarded retroactively before 1981, just as long as the service member was still on active duty when the ribbon was created.
Criteria: The Army Overseas Service Ribbon (OSR) is presented to any member of the United States Army after the completion of a standard overseas tour. First issued in 1981, additional awards of the ribbon are represented by wearing a bronze numeral on the service ribbon. The Overseas Service Ribbon maybe awarded retroactively before 1981, just as long as the service member was still on active duty when the ribbon was created.
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The Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon was first proposed in 1968, but not authorized until 17 September 1986. The ribbon is awarded to any member of the Navy or Marine Corps who completes one year of consecutive or cumulative duty at a permanent overseas duty station.
For members of the reserve components, the first award is authorized upon completion of either 30 consecutive or 45 cumulative days of overseas active duty for training. For subsequent awards, the criteria of award for reservists are the same as the active duty members criteria.
In 1999, a directive of the Chief of Naval Operations permitted those personnel stationed on overseas homeported naval vessels to receive the Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon. Prior to this time, such personnel were only eligible to receive the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon. Current regulations now permit the receipt of both ribbons for the same tour of duty.
Additional awards of the Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon are denoted by service stars.
The Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (SSDR) and Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon (OSR) will be awarded to IAs deploying to Afghanistan (OEF) and Iraq (OIF) in accordance with SECNAVINST 1650.1H. However, the OEF and OIF AOEs may be qualifying areas for either ribbon, depending upon the circumstances of the individual. The following amplifying guidance is provided.
The 12-month accumulated sea duty requirement for the SSDR is waived for OEF (11 Sep 1 – TBD) and OIF (19 Mar 2003 – TBD) to qualify for the initial award of the ribbon only. The 12-month requirement still applies for second and subsequent awards.
Individuals with subsequent deployments to the OEF or OIF AOEs may elect to use that deployment time towards qualifying for EITHER a subsequent SSDR or the OSR. The member must elect in writing which ribbon the subsequent deployment time will be credited towards, and may NOT divide the deployment time between the two ribbons. The entire deployment time will be credited towards ONE of the ribbons.
For members of the reserve components, the first award is authorized upon completion of either 30 consecutive or 45 cumulative days of overseas active duty for training. For subsequent awards, the criteria of award for reservists are the same as the active duty members criteria.
In 1999, a directive of the Chief of Naval Operations permitted those personnel stationed on overseas homeported naval vessels to receive the Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon. Prior to this time, such personnel were only eligible to receive the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon. Current regulations now permit the receipt of both ribbons for the same tour of duty.
Additional awards of the Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon are denoted by service stars.
The Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (SSDR) and Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon (OSR) will be awarded to IAs deploying to Afghanistan (OEF) and Iraq (OIF) in accordance with SECNAVINST 1650.1H. However, the OEF and OIF AOEs may be qualifying areas for either ribbon, depending upon the circumstances of the individual. The following amplifying guidance is provided.
The 12-month accumulated sea duty requirement for the SSDR is waived for OEF (11 Sep 1 – TBD) and OIF (19 Mar 2003 – TBD) to qualify for the initial award of the ribbon only. The 12-month requirement still applies for second and subsequent awards.
Individuals with subsequent deployments to the OEF or OIF AOEs may elect to use that deployment time towards qualifying for EITHER a subsequent SSDR or the OSR. The member must elect in writing which ribbon the subsequent deployment time will be credited towards, and may NOT divide the deployment time between the two ribbons. The entire deployment time will be credited towards ONE of the ribbons.
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Nine continuous months or 11 out of 24 cumulative months in areas where no tour is established (Bosnia, Kosovo, Djibouti, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc). Or fulfilling your normal tour in places like Alaska, Hawaii, Korea, Germany, Italy, or Japan. Those would be 12-36 months depending. In cases where your tour is cut short (unit relocating, compassionate reassignment, etc), if you met the nine months, you're good. If it's due to your misconduct (relocated due to subject of crime or AWOL) then you don't receive it.
You can also receive it concurrently. Eg. If you deployed to Iraq out of Germany, you receive one for your Iraq tour and one later for the Germany tour.
There's also a difference between receiving tour credit and receiving an OSR.
Lastly, if you are approved for a Foreign Service Tour Extension, then you only receive one but if you are approved for a Consecutive Overseas Tour, then you get one for each tour.
You can also receive it concurrently. Eg. If you deployed to Iraq out of Germany, you receive one for your Iraq tour and one later for the Germany tour.
There's also a difference between receiving tour credit and receiving an OSR.
Lastly, if you are approved for a Foreign Service Tour Extension, then you only receive one but if you are approved for a Consecutive Overseas Tour, then you get one for each tour.
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SGT(P) (Join to see)
Thank you. This is the best answer I have read so far. This is the clarification I was looking for.
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Really? All you need to do is complete a standard overseas tour of duty.
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You should look AR 600-22-8..... I figured you been I. The military would look at the regs first and exhaust all your resources before asking ppl like privates do...
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simply to go overseas, is all you need. i believe it has to be X amount of hours/days. But if you are deployed for 3 or more months you should qualify for overseas ribbon. I have been out for so long i have no idea what regulation it would be in.
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I spent 5 years overseas homeported in Yokosuka and was never awarded an OSR. My records were also "lost" 7 different times.
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SPC Brian Stephens
I served three years in the Army. To my knowledge, ribbons are not awarded. My rainbow ribbon was never formally awarded to me. The OSR is not a medal.
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I'm not sure of the Army's requirements but while I was in the Air Force there were 2 overseas ribbons...the first was the Overseas Short Tour Ribbon which covers 300 days up to 2 years. And the Long Tour Ribbon covers over 2 years.
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