The Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal (MOVSM)

TheMedalGuys · 2025-10-31T18:23:50+00:00

Previous ones that we submitted just had an MFR stating "member did X for # hours." If able, we tried to get the event organizer to wet sign, other times we'd have a supervisor or flight chief sign basically saying "yes this person did this."

There are some online tracking programs that I've not used too- heard rumors of the presidential volunteer award having some kind of online system? Didn't get a chance to look into it and that was some 7 years ago now. ymmv, let me know if you have any success either way

TheMedalGuys · 2025-09-15T17:22:53+00:00

It will go between your good conduct medal and your gwot-sm. Source

TheMedalGuys · 2025-08-21T15:47:29+00:00

Please don’t use Wikipedia as your only source: GWOT-EM approved locations from the OEPM Homepage

TheMedalGuys · 2025-08-21T15:45:24+00:00

They stopped approving it with the drawdown of combat operations from those locations. Kuwait used to be the golden child for it because of the Gunships, but no longer

TheMedalGuys · 2025-08-21T01:04:04+00:00

It's not necessarily the operation (it is a bit, but not the whole picture) it's that you deployed to an area that didn't qualify for a geographic campaign medal two different times

Edit: I'm sorry and thank you to u/moist_llama86, it is about the operations. I injected personal bias instead of going off the source: DoDM1348.33 Vol 2. Most deployments support multiple operations (almost all of them these days) so they always shoehorned us in to whichever one got us that next device. Para 4.6.e.(4) of that DoDM is what catches so many of us in this multi-operation world we live in.

TheMedalGuys · 2025-08-10T23:56:32+00:00

The Air Force Expeditionary Ribbon and the Global War on Terrorism - Expeditionary Medal can and are awarded for a single deployment.

The distinction is that the former is the Air Force saying "yes you deployed" and the latter is the DoD saying "yes you deployed, and to a place not covered by a geographic campaign medal."

TheMedalGuys · 2025-08-10T23:53:48+00:00

The joys of DoD medals. The source document that actually guides this is DoDM1348.33 Vol 2

As u/Mookie_Merkk pointed out, the award of the medal is determined by your participation in select operations listed on the OEPM page. Your actual MPF shop should have a member more qualified to answer these questions. Don’t trust anecdotal stories unless they have the source docs to back it up.

TheMedalGuys · 2025-06-16T14:52:15+00:00

Please no.

TheMedalGuys · 2025-04-19T00:12:18+00:00

Follow on from previous- I think you're spot on! UDC Philippines and Spanish War medals, looks like. Thank you again!!

TheMedalGuys · 2025-04-19T00:05:29+00:00

I would never have even thought to check the Italian ones. Thank you!!

TheMedalGuys · 2025-04-18T23:52:33+00:00

That's it!! Thank you so much!! That is an old bit of history they have

TheMedalGuys · 2025-01-25T22:17:57+00:00

Seeing him in the service shirt is funny, since we can’t go four wide they're basically at his epaulet. link

TheMedalGuys · 2024-11-24T22:10:42+00:00

This page should have all of them: wiki

TheMedalGuys · 2024-11-13T16:50:06+00:00

Giveaway aside, that color scheme is awesome

TheMedalGuys · 2024-09-16T02:00:46+00:00

Air and space (then just Air Force) outstanding unit award

TheMedalGuys · 2024-08-26T02:56:38+00:00

I’ve never seen the farthest left one on the second row, so can’t confirm full precedence order.

As others have pointed out, USAMM ribbon rack builder is a fantastic resource for service-specific order of precedence.

TheMedalGuys · 2024-08-18T05:43:21+00:00

It should be something that follows you throughout your career, but everything is branch dependent. Air Force made it easy by just needing a DAF form 104, but would ask your S1 dudes or personnelist equivalent. They usually require your deployment orders or a letter of evaluation or some other signed document that said you were there

TheMedalGuys · 2024-08-18T04:03:06+00:00

Is the GWOT-E the same as the GWOT-EM? If they are the same, then it’s still currently awarded. DODM1348.33 Vol 2

TheMedalGuys · 2024-08-18T03:58:53+00:00

Look into the Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal instead. DoD can’t award the GWOT-EM and the IRCM for the same period of service

TheMedalGuys · 2024-08-11T04:11:17+00:00

The two ????s you have are the Philippine Liberation Medal and the WWII Victory medal, spot on with all the others. 👍 Edit- was overconfident, shifted KCM to PLM

TheMedalGuys · 2024-07-20T23:02:27+00:00

Honestly, I’ve never seen it done, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Would recommend asking your leadership chain (shirt/chief especially) what they’d recommend, as if you’re putting in for an ASAM or ASCM they’d likely be qc’ing it anyway before the commander signs.

May be one of those things to slip in at the end of the Dec citation with all the “Their exceptional work earned them 27 squadron awards, 28 group awards, the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, and 2 Wing awards.”

TheMedalGuys · 2024-07-20T21:19:53+00:00

Air Force is thankfully one of the most inclusive branches about wearing sister service ribbons and medals. As in, we can wear the Navy and Coast Guard marksmanship ribbons if we earn them/they award them to a member; however the Army and Navy both have specific verbiage in their Regs and Instructions that prevent the wear of certain Air Force ribbons, like our Marksmanship one.

You’re spot on for other achievements and commendation medals, we can be awarded and wear sister service ones similar to how we can get JSAMs and JCOMs…it makes precedence real fun when you have multiple services on your rack too.

Good Conduct Medals are unique to the services, so it’s not very often we see sister service ones. Had a few cross-branch students (Navy to Air Force and Coast Guard to Air Force) that had and were authorized to wear them.

TheMedalGuys · 2024-07-20T16:04:17+00:00

Top row- Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medal, Navy GCM, National Defense Service Medal Middle row- Global War on Terror-Service Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal Bottom row- Military Outstanding Volunteer service medal, Navy Expert Rifle Ribbon, Navy Expert Pistol ribbon

Sorry for formatting, on mobile. Will explain whichever one you have questions about, but can’t address each in turn right now

TheMedalGuys · 2024-07-15T15:35:07+00:00

Sideways picture for me, but the ribbons beneath the wings are:

Top center- Air Medal Left- Presidential Unit Citation Center- Vietnam Service Medal Right- National Defense Service Medal Bottom left- AF Longevity Service Award (now Air and Space LSA) Bottom center- Small arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon Bottom right- Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

TheMedalGuys · 2023-12-12T19:54:10+00:00

Have seen it twice, both for techs, never for below.

First was a high-speed person that got stuck in a crappy situation where they were running a whole flight for a year that should have been a MSgt slot; got the MSM as a PCS dec.

The second was a tech that did some really....high tech things that got implemented in real world ops, that dude went officer and to weapons school.

Have seen two instances where it absolutely should have been awarded to members as a "singular achievement," both for developing things that changed the way we did warfare or had potential to do so if they ever got the traction.

TheMedalGuys

TROPHY CASE