Talk:Overseas Service Bar

Military history: North America / United States

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Maximum[edit]

Is there/has there been a maximum number of bars that can be awarded? Could a person who served 20 years overseas in combat zones wear 40 bars? Surely not, if only for aesthetic reasons... --Xyzzyva 09:56, 30 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

This is a hypothetical question. I don't think that there has ever been a United States service member spending 20 years in a combat zone. Not even a soldier joining the Army in 1941 fighting in every war in his time of service could get 20 years of combat service. But should this ever happen, the Army would probably design a special uniform for those soldiers, as they would be national heroes...scnr. --84.56.97.250 (talk) 17:36, 14 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The actual restriction on the number is a real one. E.g., the bar is authorized for service in a combat zone, which is designated by Congress or the Secretary of Defense. So in practical terms, you simply add up the time frames in which there are designated combat zones, and compare those time frames to a servicemember who served during elapsed periods. Now with Afghanistan approaching 10 years in duration, you could get 20+ bars on your sleeve, but you'd either be crazy or, more likely, a phony.--S. Rich 20:33, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

Posthumous?[edit]

If a soldier is killed in a combat zone before six months, do they automatically get an Overseas Service Bar posthumously? Illegitimate Barrister (talk) 15:09, 7 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]