thedrifter
08-05-04, 06:58 AM
Issue Date: August 09, 2004
Some troops must choose between medals
By Laura Bailey
Times staff writer
If you deployed for both the Iraq war and the earlier Operation Southern Watch, you may have to choose between two expeditionary medals for your service in the Middle East, according to a July 27 Corpswide message.
You can pin on the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal if you deployed as part Operation Southern Watch, which involved patrols of the no-fly zone in southern Iraq, or one of its subordinate operations between Dec. 1, 1995 and March 18, 2003, according to MarAdmin message 317/04.
But if you deployed toward the tail end of Southern Watch and your mission blended into Operation Iraqi Freedom, you are not immediately eligible for both the AFEM and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the message states.
That would amount to receiving two awards for the same thing, said Maj. Lee Suttee, head of the awards branch of Man- power and Reserve Affairs at Quantico, Va.
“If you were there and you never left, then that was considered one act … for awards purposes,” he said.
Marines can wear both awards only if they completed their Southern Watch deployment before March 18, left the area, then returned for Iraqi Freedom, Suttee said.
A small number of units that deployed to the Middle East in January through March 2003 will be affected, but those Marines will be allowed to choose between the two expeditionary medals, he said.
Unit commanders should make sure their Marine’s choice is recorded in their service record.
Commanders “are expected to take appropriate action for members of their command that were erroneously awarded both of these medals for the same act,” the message states.
Those who chose the armed forces medal must have participated in Southern Watch operations for at least 30 continuous days or 60 noncontinuous days between Dec. 1, 1995 and March 18, 2003.
The area for that mission includes the land and airspace of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq, and the waters or airspace above the Persian Gulf west of 62 degrees east longitude.
Personnel who served aboard ships in the Red Sea in direct support of the operation are eligible as long as they served for the required amount of time, according to the message.
Also eligible for the armed forces medal are those who participated in combat, were killed in action, or were wounded in action and evacuated, even if they did not serve the 30 days.
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story.php?f=1-MARINEPAPER-277737.php
Ellie
Some troops must choose between medals
By Laura Bailey
Times staff writer
If you deployed for both the Iraq war and the earlier Operation Southern Watch, you may have to choose between two expeditionary medals for your service in the Middle East, according to a July 27 Corpswide message.
You can pin on the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal if you deployed as part Operation Southern Watch, which involved patrols of the no-fly zone in southern Iraq, or one of its subordinate operations between Dec. 1, 1995 and March 18, 2003, according to MarAdmin message 317/04.
But if you deployed toward the tail end of Southern Watch and your mission blended into Operation Iraqi Freedom, you are not immediately eligible for both the AFEM and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the message states.
That would amount to receiving two awards for the same thing, said Maj. Lee Suttee, head of the awards branch of Man- power and Reserve Affairs at Quantico, Va.
“If you were there and you never left, then that was considered one act … for awards purposes,” he said.
Marines can wear both awards only if they completed their Southern Watch deployment before March 18, left the area, then returned for Iraqi Freedom, Suttee said.
A small number of units that deployed to the Middle East in January through March 2003 will be affected, but those Marines will be allowed to choose between the two expeditionary medals, he said.
Unit commanders should make sure their Marine’s choice is recorded in their service record.
Commanders “are expected to take appropriate action for members of their command that were erroneously awarded both of these medals for the same act,” the message states.
Those who chose the armed forces medal must have participated in Southern Watch operations for at least 30 continuous days or 60 noncontinuous days between Dec. 1, 1995 and March 18, 2003.
The area for that mission includes the land and airspace of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq, and the waters or airspace above the Persian Gulf west of 62 degrees east longitude.
Personnel who served aboard ships in the Red Sea in direct support of the operation are eligible as long as they served for the required amount of time, according to the message.
Also eligible for the armed forces medal are those who participated in combat, were killed in action, or were wounded in action and evacuated, even if they did not serve the 30 days.
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story.php?f=1-MARINEPAPER-277737.php
Ellie