§ 578.46 - Army of Occupation Medal.

(a) Criteria. The Army of Occupation Medal (AOM) was established by War Department General Orders (WDGO) 32, 1946. It is awarded for service for 30 consecutive days at a normal post of duty (as contrasted to inspector, visitor, courier, escort, passenger, temporary duty, or detached service) while assigned to any of the following:

(1) Army of Occupation of Germany (exclusive of Berlin) between May 9, 1945 and May 5, 1955. (Service between May 9 and November 8, 1945 will be counted only if the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal was awarded for service before May 9, 1945.)

(2) Service for the prescribed period with a unit which has been designated in DA general orders as having met the requirement for the Berlin airlift device.

(3) Service for which the individual was awarded the Berlin airlift device in orders issued by appropriate field authority.

(4) Army of Occupation of Austria between May 9, 1945 and July 27, 1955. (Service between May 9 and November 8, 1945 will be counted only if the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal was awarded for service before May 9, 1945.)

(5) Army of Occupation of Berlin between May 9, 1945 and October 2, 1990. (Service between May 9 and November 8, 1945 will be counted only if the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal was awarded for service before May 9, 1945.)

(6) Army of Occupation of Italy between May 9, 1945 and September 15, 1947 in the compartment of Venezia Giulia E. Zara or Province of Udine, or with a unit in Italy as designated in DAGO 4, 1947. (Service between May 9 and November 8, 1945 will be counted only if the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal was awarded for service before May 9, 1945.)

(7) Army of Occupation of Japan between September 3, 1945 and April 27, 1952 in the four main islands of Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, the surrounding smaller islands of the Japanese homeland, the Ryukyu Islands, and the Bonin-Volcano Islands. (Service between September 3, 1945 and March 2, 1946 will be counted only if the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was awarded for service before September 3, 1945. In addition, service which meets the requirements for the KSM as prescribed in § 578.44 will not be counted in determining eligibility for this medal.)

(8) Army of Occupation of Korea between September 3, 1945 and June 29, 1949, inclusive. (Service between September 3, 1945 and March 2, 1946 will be counted only if the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was awarded for service before September 3, 1945.)

(b) Clasps and the Berlin airlift device are authorized for wear on the Army of Occupation Medal. They are as follows:

(1) Army of Occupation Medal Clasp. Soldiers who served in the European Theater during the occupation of Europe will wear the clasp inscribed “Germany.” Soldiers who served in the Far East Theater during the occupation of the Far East will wear the Clasp inscribed “Japan.” Clasps bearing other inscriptions are not authorized. (The Army of Occupation Medal Clasp is described in § 578.61).

(2) Berlin Airlift Device. This device is awarded for service of 92 consecutive days with a unit credited with participation in the Berlin airlift, or by competent field authority on an individual basis. Qualifying service must have been entirely within the period from June 26, 1948 to September 30, 1949, inclusive. Orders announcing award of the Berlin Airlift device will specifically award the Army of Occupation Medal to persons not otherwise eligible therefor.

(c) Description. The medal is Bronze, 11/4 inches in width. On the obverse, the Remagen Bridge abutments below the words “ARMY OF OCCUPATION”. On the reverse, Fujiyama with a low hanging cloud over two Japanese junks above a wave scroll and the date “1945”. A Bronze clasp 1/8 inch wide and 11/2 inches in length with the word “GERMANY” or “JAPAN” is worn on the suspension ribbon to indicate service in Europe or the Far East. NAVY: On the obverse is Neptune mounted on a composite creature of a charging horse and a sea serpent with a trident grasped in right hand above wave scrolls. Around the bottom of the medal are the words “OCCUPATION SERVICE”. The reverse is the same as the China Service Medal and is an eagle perched on the shank of a horizontal anchor with a branch of laurel entwined around the anchor. On the left is the word “FOR” and to the right is the word “SERVICE” and around the top is the inscription “UNITED STATES NAVY”. MARINE CORPS: The medal for the Marine Corps is the same as the Navy, except the inscription around the top of the reverse is “UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS”. The ribbon is the same for both medals and is 13/8 inches wide and consists of the following stripes: 3/16 inch White 67101; 1/2 inch Black 67138; 1/2 inch Scarlet 67111; and 3/16 inch White.