{"id":52656,"date":"2020-07-02T15:44:41","date_gmt":"2020-07-02T15:44:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/07\/02\/troops-who-stepped-up-for-covid-19-pandemic-response-are-eligible-for-these-two-medals\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:28:02","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:28:02","slug":"troops-who-stepped-up-for-covid-19-pandemic-response-are-eligible-for-these-two-medals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/2020\/07\/02\/troops-who-stepped-up-for-covid-19-pandemic-response-are-eligible-for-these-two-medals\/","title":{"rendered":"Troops who stepped up for COVID-19 pandemic response are eligible for these two medals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Active, Reserve and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/coronavirus\/2020\/06\/09\/dc-guard-members-test-positive-for-covid-after-protests\/\" target=_blank>National Guard<\/a> service members who mobilized to work in medical centers, man testing outposts, distribute supplies and otherwise support their communities in pandemic response are authorized to receive the Armed Forces Service and\/or Humanitarian Service medals, per a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/06\/29\/with-covid-19-spiking-pentagon-okays-travel-to-all-states-save-three\/\" target=_blank> Defense Department<\/a> memo signed Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To pin it on, eligible troops must have been activated after Jan. 31, according to the memo, but an area of mobilization is not specified, as long as the mission was in direct response to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/07\/01\/increased-testing-and-regional-oubtreaks-are-to-blame-for-militarys-covid-19-spike-officials-say\/\" target=_blank>COVID-19<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAward authorities determine which operations and\/or activities are deemed to be humanitarian in nature based off of HSM award criteria,\u201d says the memo, signed by Matthew Donovan, defense under secretary for personnel and readiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow aligncenter\" data-effect=\"slide\"><div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_container swiper\"><ul class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper\"><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1122\" height=\"1360\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-9417\" data-id=\"9417\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Eb3hg5qX0AIFPM1.jpeg.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Eb3hg5qX0AIFPM1.jpeg.jpg 1122w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Eb3hg5qX0AIFPM1.jpeg.jpg?resize=248,300 248w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Eb3hg5qX0AIFPM1.jpeg.jpg?resize=768,931 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Eb3hg5qX0AIFPM1.jpeg.jpg?resize=845,1024 845w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1122px) 100vw, 1122px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1106\" height=\"1344\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-9418\" data-id=\"9418\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Eb3hg5oWAAAYqyf.png.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Eb3hg5oWAAAYqyf.png.png 1106w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Eb3hg5oWAAAYqyf.png.png?resize=247,300 247w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Eb3hg5oWAAAYqyf.png.png?resize=768,933 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Eb3hg5oWAAAYqyf.png.png?resize=843,1024 843w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1106px) 100vw, 1106px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"><\/a><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"><\/a><a aria-label=\"Pause Slideshow\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause\" role=\"button\"><\/a><div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_pagination swiper-pagination swiper-pagination-white\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Active duty, reserve and National Guard members serving under federal orders will have their awards approved by their service secretaries, according to the memo. Those serving on state orders will be approved by the National Guard Bureau chief, an Air Force Gen. Joseph Lengyel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, service members are not automatically eligible for both, the memo says, \u201cbased on the same activities, deployment, and\/or period of time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That is to say, it\u2019s one or the other, unless a particular member has been mobilized twice.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2020\/06\/22\/after-covid-19-and-protest-response-the-national-guard-is-gearing-up-for-a-rough-hurricane-season\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/170827-A-ZW944-001H.JPG.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">After COVID-19 and protest response, the National Guard is gearing up for a rough hurricane season<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Guard is expecting about a third more storms this year than last, and many of its troops will be activated for the second or third time in as many months.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the AFSM, a service member needs to have spent at least 30 days on COVID-19 response \u2015 not necessarily consecutively \u2015 after an activation specifically for the effort, or after being reassigned from a primary duty to support it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That time requirement knocks down to just one day on-the-job if the service member contracted COVID-19 as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than 45,000 National Guardsmen alone activated in all 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia, in addition to reservists and active-duty medical personnel who manned the hospital ships Mercy and Comfort, as well as working in civilian hospitals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than 2,000 National Guardsmen have been diagnosed with COVID-19, though the bureau has not been separately tracking cases in those who have mobilized, spokesman Master Sgt. Mike Houk told Military Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Currently 1,021 of those cases are active, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1EUVOErZuo4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen title=\"Governors call up the National Guard to battle Coronavirus | Newsbreak\"><\/iframe>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Troops who mobilized for COVID-19 support are eligible for the Armed Forces Service Medal or Humanitarian Service Medal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":92295,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":16,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[64,101,24,88,16,26],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3268],"class_list":["post-52656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coronavirus","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"MJ7OA3I6JNEB7HFDUE3CUTJ7VE","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2020\/07\/02\/troops-who-stepped-up-for-covid-19-pandemic-response-are-eligible-for-these-two-medals\/","remove_feature_photo":true,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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