Soldiers are authorized to wear an Overseas Service Bar for every six-month period of active Federal service they accrue while serving as a member of one of the Armed Forces of the United States in one of sixteen specifically designated periods. Listed beginning and ending dates are inclusive and the months of arrival to and departure from the qualifying area are counted as whole months. Service periods shorter than six months but which otherwise meet the requirements for the award of an Overseas Service Bar can be combined to calculate creditable service toward the total of all authorized Bars.
Overseas Service Bars are worn centered on the outside bottom half of the right sleeve of the Army Green Service Uniform (AGSU) Coat, with the first bar sewn parallel to the bottom of the sleeve; Officers position the first bar so its lower edge is 1/4-inch above the sleeve braid, while Enlisted place it so the lower edge is four inches from the bottom of the sleeve. Additional bars are spaced 1/16-inch above and parallel to the first bar.
Female and male personnel wear different sizes of Overseas Service Bars. Please refer to
DA PAM 670-1, Paragraph 21–29, “Overseas Service Bars,” for complete wear guidance.
Worn only by enlisted Army personnel serving in the Active Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve, a Service Stripe is authorized for every three-year period of honorable, active Federal service in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard.
Also credited toward the three-year requirement is Reserve service creditable for retired pay for non-regular service, which may be combined with normal active Federal service to calculate eligibility. And while Service Stripes are worn only by enlisted Soldiers, the three years can include service as a Commissioned Officer, Warrant/Chief Warrant Officer, or enlisted member of those branches.
The service does not need to have been continuous, and Soldiers who qualify for ten service Stripes will have the final one authorized after 29.5 years of service.
Service Stripes are worn on both the Army Green Service Uniform (AGSU) and Army Service Uniform (ASU) and are manufactured in the same size and dimensions for both: a diagonal measuring 3/16-inch in width and 1-5/16 inches in length. Stripes for the AGSU are manufactured in Heritage Tan 566 on a Heritage Green 564 background that creates a 3/32-inch border around the stripe; ASU stripes are made in golden-lite on a blue background.
Like the Overseas Service Bars, Service Stripes come in large and small sizes, with the large Stripe authorized for males and the small Stripe for females. Please refer to
DA PAM 670-1, Paragraph 21–28, “Service Stripes,” for complete wear guidance on Service Stripes.