An Overseas Service Bar is an accoutrement of the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 dress uniform which is displayed as an embroidered gold bar worn horizontally on the right sleeve of the Class A uniform and the Army Service Uniform

Army Service Uniform

The U.S. Army service uniform is the military uniform worn by personnel in situations in which non-formal dress is called for. It is worn in most workday situations in which business dress would be called for...

. The original concept of an Overseas Bar began in the First World War

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 with what was known as an Overseas Chevron.

An Overseas Chevron was an inverted chevron patch worn on the lower left sleeve on the standard Army dress uniform. The Overseas Chevron was identical to the Wound Chevron

Wound Chevron

A Wound Chevron was a badge of the United States Army which was authorized for wear on an Army uniform between the years of 1918 and 1932. The Wound Chevron was displayed on the lower right cuff of a military uniform, and denoted wounds which were received in combat against an enemy force...

 which was worn on the opposite right sleeve. During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the Overseas Chevron was redesignated as the Overseas Bar and the patch adopted its current design of a horizontal bar. For those who had performed overseas service in both the First and Second World Wars, the Overseas Bar and Chevron were worn simultaneously.

By the time of the Vietnam War

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

, the Overseas Service Bar had adopted its current name and the patch was now worn on the lower right sleeve, instead of the left. In the modern U.S. Army, an Overseas Service Bar is presented for serving 6 months overseas in a combat zone.

Time spent overseas is cumulative, meaning one bar could be earned for two 3 month deployments. A service member may be presented multiple Overseas Service Bars in cases where several years were spent in an overseas combat zone. Multiple Overseas Service Bars are worn simultaneously, extending vertically on the sleeve of the uniform.

The Overseas Service Bar is a separate decoration from the Overseas Service Ribbon

Overseas Service Ribbon

An Overseas Service Ribbon is a service military award of the United States military which recognizes those service members who have performed military tours of duty outside the borders of the United States of America. There are different versions of the Overseas Service Ribbons for the U.S. Army,...

, and regulations permit receiving both awards for the same period of service.