The National Defense Medal is literally a participation trophy. If you show up to your office job post in the sticks of Arkansas and shit yourself in front of the the Colonel, and the US is at war, it's medal time lol. it's the only one we come out of boot camp with. Unless you suckered your buddy into joining too, then I think you get some dumb ribbon and promoted to E-2.

The idiot who wears NDM merch unironically will get dunked on by other vets regardless of their rank or era.