Government of Iraq Commitment Medal

[JPL]

Earlier this year Iraq’s Minister of Defense, Dr. Saadoun Al-Dlaimi, sent notice to the US Secretary of Defense authorizing the Government of Iraq Commitment Medal. The Commitment Medal is to be issued by the Government of Iraq to honor the service of the United States and its Allies during the Liberation of Iraq. Click on this link for complete details and a high resolution image of the medal:

http://blog.medalsofamerica.com/iraq-medal-commitment/

Jean-Paul

[Guest IMHF]

I sure hope all the Service men and women who served and died are awarded this medal it is very beautiful, I look forward to getting mine.

[Swoop737]

Very nice! When this is authorized it will be my first actual foreign decoration.

[Ulsterman]

It is! ...and IMHO it looks MUCH better than the US cheaply made Iraq campaign medal.

[JPL]

Here is the latest on this medal:

The Iraq Commitment Medal, announced in a June 11, 2011, letter to then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta by Saadoun al-Dulaimi, the Iraqi defense minister, was designed to honor U.S. service members' dedication to the people of Iraq during nine years of war, hardship and sacrifice. Now, service members are questioning Iraq's commitment to the medal.

Is it coming, or not? Here are five things you should know:

• The purpose: In his letter to Panetta, al-Dulaimi reflected upon “the long years during which we have been mutually committed to the effort to achieve peace and prosperity for the people of Iraq” and said his country wished to recognize the contributions of U.S. and coalition service members.”

• The design: The gold-colored ceramic medal features an outline of Iraq and two lines symbolizing the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Two clasped hands symbolize the friendship between Iraq and the coalition nations, and a star at the top represents a vision of unity for the peoples of Iraq. An inscription around the edge, in English and Arabic, reads: “There is no one that can forget, and let nothing be forgotten.”

On the reverse side, the rayed disc symbolizes the sun, optimism and Iraq's future of reconstruction and the establishment of the democratic way of life. Crossed scimitars recall the partnership between coalition forces and Iraqi security forces. “Joint Commitment” is inscribed in both Arabic and English.

• The eligible: The medal would go to anyone who served in Iraq, its territorial waters or its airspace for 30 consecutive days or 60 nonconsecutive days. “We expect that more than 1 million current or former service members may be eligible to receive the Commitment Medal,” al-Dulaimi wrote to Panetta.

• The problem: Although Iraq produced at least one medal, nothing more has been forthcoming.

Al-Dulaimi's letter to Panetta stated that Iraq authorized the U.S. and its coalition partners to arrange for production so it might “be readily available to the recipients.” But the U.S. may not be on the same page.

“Since this is a foreign medal, traditionally the foreign government provides that medal to eligible members,” Lt. Cmdr. Nate Christensen, a DoD spokesman, told Army Times. “The department greatly appreciates the desire of the government of Iraq to recognize our members' service. … The Department of Defense has not received the medals from the government of Iraq, as a result there are no medals available to approve or distribute at this time.”

• Will anyone get one? The short answer is yes: Vice President Joe Biden. He received a medal from Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki during a special “day of commitment” ceremony in Baghdad on Dec. 1, 2011. Since then, however, the Defense Department has removed an illustration of the medal design - and photos of Biden receiving the medal - from its website.

In his speech in Baghdad, Biden noted that the U.S. was withdrawing combat troops from Iraq in accordance with the Strategic Framework Agreement between Iraq and the coalition.

“A promise made is a promise kept,” he said.

Service members wonder if those sentiments apply to medals, or whether the Iraq Commitment Medal - despite its inscription - has been forgotten.

Read the complete article: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2013/03/army-iraq-oif-veterans-still-waiting-for-commitment-medal-033113w/

Jean-Paul

[Megan]

Interesting, thank you for sharing Jean-Paul.

[JensF.]

Last week I received one of those medals (for my collection). Did anyone realise that they have a typo in the english text?

It reads:
... AND LET NOTHLNG BE FORGOTTEN

 

Edited June 21, 2015 by JensF.

[Paul R]

Nothing be forgotten other than the production and distribution of this medal. LOL

[JensF.]

LOL