The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal was awarded to any member of the United States military who completed at least six months of duty in the Republic of Vietnam between the dates of March 1, 1961 and March 28, 1973. The decoration may also be awarded to any service member who, while serving outside the geographical limits of South Vietnam, provided direct combat support to the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces for a period exceeding six months. In such cases, a service member must have been awarded either the Vietnam Service Medal or the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (for service in a Vietnam campaign) to be eligible. For those U.S. service members who were wounded by an enemy force, captured by the enemy in the line of duty, or killed in action, the Vietnam Campaign Medal is automatically awarded regardless of total time served in Vietnam. The Vietnam Campaign Medal is issued with a device known as the “1960 Bar”, the date of 1960 followed by a dash and a blank space.