South-West Asia Service Medal

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South-West Asia Service Medal
Clasps
Direct combat for a minimum of 30 days after 11 September 2001
StatusCurrently awarded
Established6 August 2002
First awarded20 September 2002
Total7,497

South-West Asia Service Medal ribbon

South-West Asia Service Medal ribbon with Afghanistan bar

South-West Asia Service Medal ribbon with Afghanistan and rotation bars
Precedence
Next (higher)
General Campaign Star

The South-West Asia Service Medal (

war and operational service medals
.

Design

Designed by

Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces.[4][5] On the reverse is a depiction of the Lernaean Hydra transfixed by a Canadian sword, all circumscribed by the words ADVERSUS MALUM PUGNAMUS (we are fighting evil).[2]

This medallion is worn at the left chest, suspended on a 31.8-millimetre-wide ribbon coloured with vertical stripes in tan (representing the theatre of operations), red (recalling the blood spilled on 11 September 2001), and black (evoking the shock of the attacks on New York and Washington), symmetrically flanking a white central stripe (indicating peace).[2] Should an individual already possessing a South-West Asia Service Medal be awarded the medal bar for combat service, he or she is granted a clasp—in nickel-plated gunmetal with raised edges and bearing the word AFGHANISTAN—for wear on the ribbon from which the original medal is suspended.[2]

Eligibility and allocation

On 6 August 2002,

Southwest Asia for at least 90 days after 11 September 2001,[7] and those who for a minimum of 30 days engaged in direct combat with the enemy in the theatre of war (which included Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, Suez Canal, and north-western parts of the Indian Ocean) were entitled to receive the additional medal bar; in total, 7,497 medals were issued, along with 7,200 bars.[3]

Notable Recipients

See also

  • Canadian order of precedence (decorations and medals)
  • Gulf War military awards

References

  1. Queen's Printer for Canada
    . Retrieved 1 September 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d Department of National Defence. "DH&R Home > Canadian Honours Chart > South-West Asia Service Medal". Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
  3. ^ a b c McCreery 2005, p. 184.
  4. ^ Royal Canadian Mounted Police. "Honours and Recognition Programs > Canadian National Honours". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 23 March 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2009.
  5. ^ Department of National Defence. "DH&R Home > Canadian Honours Chart > Sacrifice Medal (SM)". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 14 November 2009. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
  6. ^ "Governor General Announces the South-West Asia Service Medal" (Press release). Queen's Printer for Canada. 6 August 2002. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
  7. ^ McCreery 2005, p. 183
  8. ^ "Russell Williams stripped of colonel's rank". CBC News. 22 October 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Russell Williams stripped of colonel rank". CTV News. 22 October 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2021.

Works cited

External links