Type Unit award First awarded 1955 | Status No longer awarded | |
Established By the State of Vietnam (1949-1955), August 15, 1950 Last awarded Unknown (Republic of Vietnam (1955-1975)) | ||
The Vietnam Presidential Unit Citation was a military unit award established by the State of Vietnam (1949-1955) as the State of Vietnam Friendship Ribbon on August 15, 1950. The Vietnam Presidential Unit Citation is considered obsolete since the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) (1955-1975) no longer exists.
Contents
History
The State of Vietnam Friendship Ribbon (aka State of Vietnam Ribbon of Friendship, Vietnam Presidential Unit Citation, and Republic of Vietnam Presidential Unit Citation) with gold frame, was awarded to the U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group, Indo-China, and other units who during August and September 1954 participated in humanitarian assistance to Vietnam. The award was approved for wear by the U.S. Department of the Army, General Orders No. 16, on February 28, 1955, which required that those wearing it on their uniforms remove it prior to departure from the area.
U.S. Navy personnel who are eligible for the Vietnam Presidential Unit Citation may wear the award. No Marine Corps personnel, however, are eligible for this award.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the Republic of Vietnam Presidential Unit Citation was also awarded throughout the war to certain U.S. military units deemed to have performed exceptional service to Vietnam. However, the RVN PUC is not mentioned in the 1967 RVN awards manual nor the Department of the Army Pamphlet DA 672-3 (Unit Citation Credit) as an authorized unit award.
Appearance and wear
The ribbon is 1 3⁄8 inches (35 mm) wide and surrounded by a gold frame. No ribbon devices are authorized for wear with this award.
Foreign military unit members who were authorized to wear this unit award either wore the award on the right side of the uniform (e.g. U.S. Army) with any other same size unit award emblems or wore the slightly smaller size version of the award on the left side of the uniform (e.g. U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force) with their other service ribbons.
U.S. recipients
State of Vietnam Friendship Ribbon: