The Vietnam Distinguished Service Order was a military decoration of South Vietnam which was awarded throughout the years of the Vietnam War. The decoration was bestowed for meritorious or heroic deeds related to war time operations and was awarded for both combat and non-combat service.
There were two classes of the Vietnam Distinguished Service Order, the first class being for officers and the second class for enlisted personnel. The first class of the order was differentiated by a blossom device centered on the medal and ribbon.
The Vietnam Distinguished Service Order was also provided to foreign militaries, and in the United States military the decoration was considered the equivalent of the Legion of Merit. For foreign officers, the 2nd class of the order was also provided to officers.
The decoration ranked immediately below the National Order of Vietnam and the Vietnam Military Merit Medal. It was among the less commonly bestowed medals, in contrast to such decorations as the Vietnam Gallantry Cross and Vietnam Campaign Medal.
The last issuance of the Vietnam Distinguished Service Order was in 1974, before the Fall of Saigon.
Famous quotes containing the words service and/or order:
“The ruin of the human heart is self-interest, which the American merchant calls self-service. We have become a self- service populace, and all our specious comforts—the automatic elevator, the escalator, the cafeteria—are depriving us of volition and moral and physical energy.”
—Edward Dahlberg (1900–1977)
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—Georg Büchner (1813–1837)