Iraq Medal (Australia)

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Iraq Medal
Obverse (left), reverse (right) and ribbon (bottom) of the medal
Awarded by Australia
Type	Campaign Medal.
Eligibility	recognises service of Australian Defence Force personnel in designated operations in the Iraq region from 18 March 2003
Awarded for	Service on Operation Falconer and Catalyst
Status	Currently awarded.
Statistics
Established	30 September 2004
Related	Australian Active Service Medal

The Iraq Medal was established by the Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Anzac Day 2004. The Iraq Medal is awarded to Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel who served in or around Iraq after 18 March 2003. ADF personnel are also recognised by the 'IRAQ' clasp to the Australian Active Service Medal.

1 Eligibility
2 Description
3 See also
4 References

[edit] Eligibility

Members of the ADF who render service with the forces known as:

Operation FALCONER - the ADF contribution to the United States led military operations to remove the threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction that:
- commenced on 18 March 2003 and ended on 30 April 2003, with 7 days service in the specified areas comprising the total land areas, territorial waters, inland waterways and superjacent airspace boundaries of Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates Oman, Saudi Arabia, Jordan Yemen, the Persian Gulf the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman, those portions of the Arabian Sea bounded by 68 degrees East and 12 degrees North the Gulf of Aden, the Bab el Mandeb, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba;
- commenced on 1 May 2003 and ended on 22 July 2003, with 30 days service in the specified areas comprising the total land areas, territorial waters, inland waterways and superjacent airspace boundaries of Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia north of 23 degrees North, the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
Operation CATALYST the ADF contribution to the United States led coalition operations in Iraq to support the Australian effort to assist with the rehabilitation of Iraq and remove the threat of weapons of mass destruction that commenced on 16 July 2003 to the present, for 30 days service in the specified areas comprising the total land areas, territorial waters, inland waterways and superjacent airspace boundaries of Iraq Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia north of 23 degrees North, the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.^[1]

[edit] Description

The Iraq Medal is a cupro-nickel circular medal. The obverse features the Commonwealth Coat of Arms.
The reverse has a processional lion, which is copied from a relief on the Gateway of the Temple of Ishtar in Babylon. In the Assyrian Empire, the lion was a dominant symbol of power. The lion stands on a narrow plinth, symbolising balance, with the word 'IRAQ' inscribed underneath.
The ribbon is sand yellow representing the desert sands of Iraq, with central stripes of purple and red representing the ADF and the conflict in Iraq.