Editing Service star

{{short description|Military decoration}}
{{redirect|Battle star||Battlestar (disambiguation){{!}}Battlestar}}
{{redirect|Campaign star|the Canadian military award|General Campaign Star}}
{{about|the U.S. military award|the Belgian star awarded for service in the Congo|Service Star (Congo)|the Irish military award|Military Star|the U.S. CIA award|Intelligence Star|and|CIA Memorial Wall}}
{{Infobox award
|name=Service Star
|image=Silver and Bronze Service Stars.PNG
|image_size=220px
|caption=Bronze and silver {{frac|3|16}} inch stars
|presenter= the [[United States]]
|type=Ribbon [[United States military award devices|device]]
|eligibility=
|awarded_for= Worn to denote subsequent awards or periods of service.<ref name=DODM1348.33V3-SS>{{cite web|title=Manual of Military Decorations and Awards, Volume 3|url=http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/134833vol3.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110322212501/http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/134833vol3.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 22, 2011|publisher=Department of Defense|access-date=March 13, 2015|at=Paragraph 15e (Page 67)}}</ref> 
|status=Currently in use
|firstawarded=
|lastawarded=
|total_awarded=
|total_awarded_posthumously=
|total_recipients=
|higher=
|same=
|lower=
|image2=
|caption2=
}}
A '''service star''' is a miniature bronze or silver [[five-pointed star]] {{convert|3/16|in|mm}} in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight [[uniformed services of the United States]] on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or service period.<ref name=DODM1348.33V3-SS/> The service star may also be referred to as a '''campaign star''' or '''battle star''' depending on which award the star is authorized for and the manner in which the device is used for the award.<ref name=DODM1348.33V3-CS/> "Battle star" is also the term used to refer to [[Service star#Earlier service stars and battle stars|decorations]] issued by the [[United States Navy]] during [[World War II]] and the [[Korean War]] to individual ships, recognizing a vessel's participation in a particular battle or operation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Navy and Coast Guard (Battle/Efficiency) E Display Recognition Form |url=https://www.amervets.com/replacement/bate.htm#hst |access-date=2023-09-15 |website=www.amervets.com}}</ref>

[[File:Service stars on ribbons.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Stars on service ribbons]]
Service stars, campaign stars, and battle stars are worn with one point of the star pointing up on the suspension ribbon of a medal or [[service ribbon]]. A silver star is worn instead of five bronze stars.<ref name=DODM1348.33V3-SS/> A service star is sometimes mistaken for a [[Bronze Star Medal|Bronze Star]] (Bronze Star Medal) or [[Silver Star]] (Silver Star Medal). The service star is also similar to the gold and silver [[5/16 inch star|{{frac|5|16}} -inch star]]s that may be authorized to be worn on specific [[5/16 inch star#Decorations and awards|individual decorations]] of certain services to denote additional decorations.

==Service stars==
===Expeditionary medals===
Service stars are authorized for these United States expeditionary medals:

* [[Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal]]
* [[Navy Expeditionary Medal]]
* [[Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal]]
* [[Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal]] (GWOT-EM) effective February 9, 2015, retroactive to September 11, 2001.<ref name=GWOTEM-SS>{{cite web|title=DoD Authorizes Service Stars on Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal|url=https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/605375/department-of-defense-authorizes-service-stars-on-the-global-war-on-terrorism-e/|publisher=U.S. Department of Defense|access-date=9 February 2015}}</ref> Each star represents a deployment in support of an approved GWOT operation. Four bronze service stars are authorized for five approved deployment operations (only one GWOT-EM is awarded for each operation). The five GWOT-EM-approved operations by inclusive dates are:<ref name=GWOTEM-SS/>
** [[Operation Enduring Freedom|Enduring Freedom]]: Sep. 11, 2001 – to be determined (TBD)
** [[Operation Iraqi Freedom|Iraqi Freedom]]: Mar. 19, 2003 – Aug. 31, 2010
** [[Nomad Shadow]]: Nov. 05, 2007 – TBD
** [[Operation New Dawn (Iraq, 2010–2011)|New Dawn]]: Sep. 01, 2010 – Dec. 31, 2011
** [[Operation Inherent Resolve|Inherent Resolve]]: Jun. 15, 2014 – TBD

===Service medals===
Service stars are authorized to denoted additional awards for these United States [[service medals]]:
* [[Prisoner of War Medal]]
* [[National Defense Service Medal]]
* [[Humanitarian Service Medal]]
* [[Air and Space Campaign Medal]]
* [[Armed Forces Service Medal]]
* [[Sea Service Ribbon|Army Sea Duty Ribbon]]
* [[Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal]]<ref name=DODM1348.33V3-SS/>

For the National Defense Service Medal, the addition of bronze service stars to denote participation in four of the designated wartime conflicts would be shown as (the time span from the end of the Korean War era in 1954 to the beginning of the Global War on Terrorism era in 2001 is 47 years, so it is highly improbable that any individual qualified for all four National Defense Service Medals in each of four eras):<ref>[http://www.afpc.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=7803 Air Force Personnel Center National Defense Service Presidential Unit Citation (Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard) Medal] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140719221637/http://www.afpc.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=7803 |date=2014-07-19 }}</ref>
: [[Korean War]]
: [[Vietnam War]]
: [[Gulf War]]
: [[War on Terrorism]]

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| {{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} First award: any one of four conflicts
|-
| {{ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|ribbon=National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} Second award: two of the four conflicts
|-
| {{ribbon devices|number=2|type=service-star|ribbon=National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} Third award: three of the four conflicts
|-
| {{ribbon devices|number=3|type=service-star|ribbon=National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} Fourth award: all four conflicts
|-
|}

===Unit awards===
Service stars are authorized for certain unit awards (The service ribbon itself indicates the first award, with a bronze service star being added to indicate the second and subsequent awards. If ever applicable, a silver service star is worn instead of five bronze stars.) such as the:
* [[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]] (Navy and Marine Corps) 
* [[Navy Unit Commendation]] (Navy and Marine Corps)

==Campaign stars==
Campaign stars are authorized for these United States [[campaign medal]]s (bronze and silver campaign stars are worn to denote participation in a designated campaign or campaign phase or period):<ref name=DODM1348.33V3-CS>{{cite web|title=Manual of Military Decorations and Awards, Volume 3|url=http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/134833vol3.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110322212501/http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/134833vol3.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 22, 2011|publisher=Department of Defense|access-date=March 13, 2015|at=Paragraph 15f-g (Page 67-68)}}</ref>

* [[World War I Victory Medal (United States)|World War I Victory Medal]]
* [[American Defense Service Medal]]
* [[American Campaign Medal]]
* [[Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal]]
* [[European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal]]
* [[Korean Service Medal]]
* [[Vietnam Service Medal]]
* [[Southwest Asia Service Medal]]
* [[Kosovo Campaign Medal]]
* [[Afghanistan Campaign Medal]]
* [[Iraq Campaign Medal]] 
* [[Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal]]

For each designated campaign participated in, one star is worn on the ribbon. For example, when a member is authorized to wear the Iraq Campaign Medal, the potential addition of bronze and silver service stars for the seven designated Iraq Campaign phases would be:<ref name=medalfaq>{{cite web|title=Afghanistan Campaign Medal or Iraq Campaign Medal|url=https://www.hrc.army.mil/TAGD/Afghanistan%20Campaign%20Medal%20or%20Iraq%20Campaign%20Medal|work=Awards and Decorations Branch Article|publisher=[[Army Human Resource Command]]|access-date=3 December 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911070806/https://www.hrc.army.mil/TAGD/Afghanistan%20Campaign%20Medal%20or%20Iraq%20Campaign%20Medal|archive-date=11 September 2015}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100529200003/http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13366 Additional Phases Identified for Iraq Campaign Medal]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=14619 |title=News Release: Additional Phases Identified for Iraq and Afghanistan Campaign Medals |publisher=Defense.gov |access-date=2012-05-31}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| {{ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|ribbon=Iraq Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} Any one of the seven phases
|-
| {{ribbon devices|number=2|type=service-star|ribbon=Iraq Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} Two of the seven phases
|-
| {{ribbon devices|number=3|type=service-star|ribbon=Iraq Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} Three of the seven phases
|-
| {{ribbon devices|number=4|type=service-star|ribbon=Iraq Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} Four of the seven phases
|-
| {{ribbon devices|number=5|type=service-star|ribbon=Iraq Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} Five of the seven phases
|-
| {{ribbon devices|number=6|type=service-star|ribbon=Iraq Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} Six of the seven phases
|-
| {{ribbon devices|number=7|type=service-star|ribbon=Iraq Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} All seven campaign phases
|}

For many of these awards, service stars are earned by participation in ''campaign phases'' and all eligible periods for the award fall within those defined phases. In these cases, the campaign medal cannot be earned alone, and is always to be worn with at least one campaign star.

==Battle stars==
Since February 26, 2004, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and the [[Global War on Terrorism Service Medal|Global War on Terrorism Service Medal (GWOT-SM)]] are authorized to be awarded with bronze and silver battle stars for personnel who were engaged in specific battles in combat under circumstances involving grave danger of death or serious bodily injury from enemy action.<ref name=DODM1348.33V3-BtS>{{cite web|title=Manual of Military Decorations and Awards, Volume 3|url=http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/134833vol3.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110322212501/http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/134833vol3.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 22, 2011|publisher=Department of Defense|access-date=March 13, 2015|at=Paragraph 15g (Page 68)}}</ref><ref name=GWOTMs-BS>{{cite web|title=DoD Announces Criteria for Global War on Terrorism Medals|url=http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=7092|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130409223239/http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=7092|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 9, 2013|publisher=U.S. Department of Defense|access-date=26 February 2004}}</ref> However, though authorized for wear, no battle stars have been approved for wear. Only a [[combatant commander]] can initiate a request for a battle star, and the Chairman of the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]] is the approving authority,<ref name=GWOTMs-BS/> which since January 2016 has been eliminated by the Department of Defense for the GWOT-SM.<ref>item #29, [https://web.archive.org/web/20160126081702/http://www.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/Military-Decorations-and-Awards-Review-Results.pdf Military Decorations and Awards Review Results], [[Department of Defense (United States)|Department of Defense]], January 2016</ref>

Only one award of the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and one award of the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal may be authorized for any individual. No service stars were authorized for the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary or Service Medal<ref name=GWOTMs-BS/> until February 9, 2015, when the Department of Defense authorized service stars for the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal retroactive to September 11, 2001.<ref name=GWOTEM-SS/>

== Earlier service stars and battle stars==
Service stars (were sometimes referred to as campaign stars or battle stars) were also authorized for the [[World War I Victory Medal (United States)|World War I Victory Medal]], [[American Defense Service Medal]], [[American Campaign Medal]], [[European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal]], and [[Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal]]. The specific manner of wear and symbolism of the stars varied from medal to medal. For example, an American Campaign Medal with a bronze service star indicated the service member had participated in an antisubmarine campaign. On other medals, bronze service stars were used on the medal's service ribbon for those recipients of medals in possession of authorized campaign clasps for those medals.

===Navy warships===
Historically, during [[Most decorated US ships of World War II|World War II]] and the [[Korean War]], commendations called "battle stars" were issued to United States Navy warships for meritorious participation in battle, or for having suffered damage during battle conditions. As an example, the [[USS Enterprise (CV-6)#Awards and commendations|USS ''Enterprise'' (CV-6)]] received 20 battle stars for her combat service in World&nbsp;War&nbsp;II, more than any other U.S. vessel during World&nbsp;War&nbsp;II. Similarly, during the [[Vietnam War]] and afterwards, the [[Battle Effectiveness Award]] ("Battle E") took the place of receiving "battle stars" for superior battle efficiency in place of combat operations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Navy and Coast Guard (Battle/Efficiency) E Display Recognition Form |url=https://www.amervets.com/replacement/bate.htm#hst |access-date=2023-09-15 |website=www.amervets.com}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[5/16 inch star]]
*[[Awards and decorations of the United States military]]
*[[United States military award devices]]
*[[Oak leaf cluster]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/BattleStars.html United States award regulations for World War II (Navy)]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Service Star}}
[[Category:United States military award devices]]
[[Category:Star symbols]]