Iraq Op-Telic, Medal Ribbon

Campaign Iraq Dates 2003 Onwards Location Iraq and other countries of the Middle East (depending on dates served) Medal Cupro-nickel and circular in shape. The obverse of the medal shows the crowned effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, while the reverse bears the image of the Lamassu (a sculpture dating from the Assyrian period), above the word 'IRAQ'. Clasp '19 Mar to 28 Apr 2003'. Awarded with the Medal for service during the initial conflict in specified areas between specified dates as detailed below. When the ribbon alone is worn, a silver rosette denotes award of the Clasp. Ribbon Equally sized central narrow stripes of black, white and red (to represent the Iraq flag), flanked on either side by an equal sized band of sand colour to reflect the landscape of Iraq. Qualifying criteria The Iraq Medal was awarded for 30 days continuous service on Op Telic in specified qualifying areas of the Middle East between specified dates during the build up to and the conflict in 2003. The Iraq Medal is now awarded for 30 days continuous service on Op Telic in Iraq. Air crew are awarded the Medal for 10 sorties into Iraq. The Iraq Medal with Clasp ‘19 Mar to 28 Apr 2003’ was awarded for 7 days continuous service on Op Telic in Kuwait or Iraq between the dates of the conflict (19 March to 28 April 2003). Air Crew were awarded the Medal with Clasp for 2 sorties into Kuwait or Iraq between those dates. Naval personnel were awarded the Medal with Clasp for 7 days continuous service at sea within certain specified geographical boundaries between those dates. Subsequent tours to Iraq are not recognised by award of bars or numerals. There is no precendent for this in British medals, though it has been the case in NATO medals. Full details are laid out in DCI JS 34/04 and were amended in 2005DIN 01-009. Amount issued To date, the Medal Office has received over 108,000 applications for the Iraq Medal and Medal with Clasp. To put this figure into context, more medals have been awarded for service in Iraq than for the South Atlantic and Gulf War added together. Each of those medal issues took more than two years to complete and had the benefit of being finite in duration whereas Op Telic is still ongoing and applications are still being received.