Army Service Ribbon

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The Army Service Ribbon is a military decoration of the United States Army which was created in 1981. The Army Service Ribbon is awarded to any member of the U.S. Army (including Reserve and National Guard components) who complete "initial entry training."

Initial Entry Training is defined as any training or instruction course completed immediately upon entry into the United States Army. This includes basic training, Army ROTC and Officer Candidate School. For those service members who completed initial entry training prior to 1981, the Army Service Ribbon is retroactively awarded, provided the service member was still on active duty after 1981. For those service members who enlist in the Army after serving with another service (and who may not be required to complete initial entry training) the Army Service Ribbon is awarded after four months of active service.

The Army Service Ribbon is presented as a one-time award only since it is not possible to earn it more than once. The United States Air Force equivalent of the Army Service Ribbon is the Air Force Training Ribbon.

Due to the commonness of the Army Service Ribbon, Army personnel sometimes refer to the decoration by a variety of vernacular terms such as the "Heartbeat and Respiration Medal," the "Army Hygiene Ribbon," or the "Welcome to the Army Ribbon." Due to the multicolor stripes' resemblance to the rainbow flag, it has also been mockingly referred to as the "Gay Pride Ribbon," the "Rainbow Brite Award," and the "Cheer Bear Award."