US Medals questions...

[bigjarofwasps]

Hi Guys,

Can anyone answer these questions for me?

1. The Armed Forces Service Medal, what kind of thing is this awarded for?

2. Has the Iraq Medal had an devices authorised for it yet?

3. The NATO medal are they still awarded without bars for US personnel?

4. Can you get the Iraq Medal & the War on Global Terror for the same tour od duty?

5. Did US personal qualify for the US issue & NATO issue Kosovo Medals, for the same tour of duty?

Cheers,

BJOW.

[Andy Hopkins]

The AFSM was authorized in 1996 to recognize service in peacekeeping or humanitarian service operations. No, there are currently no devices authorized for the Iraq Campaign Medal, however I'm sure there will be in the future. Iraq is already broken down into "OIF I, OIF II etc", OIF I being the invasion itself and so on. Battle stars are only a matter of time IMO. There are 2 GWOT medals, expeditionary and service. Initially the GWOT expeditionary and Iraq campaign medals were both authorized for Iraq, however they had to be earned on separate deployments (this is how I qualified for both). I was told last week however, that this recently changed and now the only medals authorized for Iraq and Aghanistan are the respective campaign medals. This new rule will not change previous awards however. I haven't seen this in writing yet, but it makes sense. Oh, and the GWOT service medal recognized units which have supported the GWOT and is much broader in scope to include service inside the US. As an example, I am entitled to all three medals for GWOT support activity inside the US, direct operational support outside the US and service in Iraq.

[Ed_Haynes]

As with so many other issues on these numerous wars, things phaleristic weren't well thought out and have turtned into a bit of a mess. Andy given a good survey of the existing reality and likely trajectory (battle stars, for example). Another part of the issue is the ongoing fact of multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan (etc.?), and some solution will need to be found.

On other issues: NATO medals without clasps (the US seems to see them as somehow immoral?) and only on the one-size-fits-all ribbon (the same as the strange US policy on UN medals). I believe the Kosovo medals were both awarded; the US does not share the UK policy (though it is often violated) on multiple medals for the same service (just look at how many US medals one can rack up from just one deployment in the current wars!).