Operation Eagle Pull & Operation Frequent Wind Awards

By:  Michael R. Verville

If you served on Hannah during the final WestPac cruise you may be missing many awards, citations, and medals that you may not even know you were entitled to receive.  It took the Navy, the Department of Defense and Congress more than 28 years to finally settle on what awards the crew was eligible for, but they closed the books with The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 (Public Law 107-314—December 2, 2002), Section 542.  Congress finally gave appropriate recognition to the sailors and marines who took part in the last Vietnam operation.  Up until the law was enacted, service members who served onboard were entitled to an Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) for each of the operations listed in the title above.  The new law changed that and authorized the service member to convert one of the AFEMs for the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM).  The process to obtain the new medal and a new DD Form 215 is relatively simple.  All that is required is for the service member to contact the National Personnel Records Center in writing.  The mailing address is:  Navy Personnel Command, Retired Records Section PERS-313E, 9700 Page Avenue, St. Louis, MO  63132-5100.  The fax number is:  (314) 592-1151 (Attn:  D. M. Martin or Ms. Freeman). 

OPNAV NOTE 1650 identifies the below listed awards, citations, and medals that the Hannah crew is eligible for based on the final cruise as:

(1)     National Defense Service Medal

(2)     Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Operation Eagle Pull)

(3)     Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Operation Frequent Wind) (This is the one

          you should request be converted to VSM)

(4)     Sea Service Deployment Ribbon

(5)     Humanitarian Service Medal (2)(One for each separate operation)

(6)     Navy Unit Commendation

(7)     Meritorious Unit Commendation

Requests for sample letters and other information can be sent to me at the following

addresses:  Michael R. Verville, 939 Four Points Road West, Keysville, GA 30816

or email at mverville2005@yahoo.com  My telephone # is (706) 554-3633.

HSM Sample Request Letter.doc       VSM Sample Request Letter.doc