Spanish American War Service Medal -
The Spanish War Service Medal was a military decoration of the United States Army which was established by an act of the U.S. Congress on July 9, 1918. The decoration recognizes those members of the Army who performed active duty during the Spanish-American War, but did not qualify for the Spanish Campaign Medal.

To be awarded the Spanish War Service Medal, a service member must have served on active duty in the United States Army between the dates of April 20, 1898 and April 11, 1899. Those who were awarded the Spanish Campaign Medal were ineligible to receive the Spanish War Service Medal.

The primary purpose for the creation of the Spanish War Service Medal was to recognize units of the Army which had performed homeland defense in the United States during the years of the Spanish-American War. The award was also presented extensively to members of the United States National Guard who had been federalized for active military duty but had not been deployed to actual combat in the Spanish-American War.

The Spanish War Service Medal was a one time decoration and there were no devices authorized to the medal. The award was also strictly for Army personnel, since United States Navy and Marine Corps personnel, who had served in the Spanish-American War, qualified for the Spanish Campaign Medal regardless if overseas duty was performed.

The item featured here is a Spanish American War Service medal. complete with the ribbon.

This Spanish American War US military collectible may be currently reproduced. It is becoming more difficult to be able to tell the fake ones from the real ones because the quality of the reproductions is improving. The collector must become familiarized with the construction style and materials employed in the manufacturing of this item. Attention to the details is critical in order to be able to determine the authenticity of the collectible.