Vietnam Service Medal

Robert O. Harder was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal for his service as part of Operation Arc Light during which he flew 145 combat missions.

The award was created in 1965 and is presented to any service member who served in Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, or Cambodia between 1965 and 1973. The front of the medal shows the figure of a dragon behind a grove of bamboo trees with the inscription “Republic of Vietnam Service” underneath. On the reverse side is a crossbow (an ancient weapon of Vietnam) surmounted by a lighted torch.

Medal from the Robert O. Harder Collection