The OIF GenerationA field guide to the Iraq War and the generation that fought it
Awards and Recognition

The Iraq Campaign Medal

The campaign medal of the Iraq War, and how to read the stars on it.

The Iraq Campaign Medal, obverse and reverse.
The Iraq Campaign Medal, obverse and reverse. U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry (public domain)
Established: November 29, 2004, by Executive Order 13363. Campaign stars: one for each of the seven designated campaigns in which a member served.

Eligibility

In general, service members qualify for the Iraq Campaign Medal by serving in Iraq or its territorial waters for 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days. Members who engaged in combat, were wounded in combat or by a terrorist attack in Iraq, or died in the line of duty there qualify regardless of time served. Aircrew flying sorties into, out of, within, or over Iraq in direct support of operations earn a day of eligibility for each day of such missions. Confirm current criteria with your service.

Campaign stars

CampaignDates
Liberation of IraqMarch 19, 2003 – May 1, 2003
Transition of IraqMay 2, 2003 – June 28, 2004
Iraqi GovernanceJune 29, 2004 – December 15, 2005
National ResolutionDecember 16, 2005 – January 9, 2007
Iraqi SurgeJanuary 10, 2007 – December 31, 2008
Iraqi SovereigntyJanuary 1, 2009 – August 31, 2010
New DawnSeptember 1, 2010 – December 15, 2011

Bronze service stars represent individual campaigns; a silver star represents five.

The ribbon

The ribbon's colors evoke the Iraqi flag: scarlet at the edges, then white, green, and white, separated by black, with a broad chamois stripe at the center. The stripe across the top of every page on this site is drawn from it.

Correcting your record

If your DD-214 does not show the Iraq Campaign Medal or the correct number of campaign stars, you can request a correction through your service's records branch or board for correction of military records. See Records.