USCGC Alder moves through icebergs during Operation Nanook 2010

The Coast Guard Arctic Service Medal was established on 20 May 1976 by

Commandant of the Coast Guard The commandant of the Coast Guard is the service chief and highest-ranking member of the United States Coast Guard. The commandant is an admiral, appointed for a four-year term by the president of the United States upon confirmation by the Unit ...

Admiral Owen W. Siler. The medal is awarded to any member of the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

who performs twenty-one days of non-consecutive duty afloat or ashore north of the Arctic Circle. Air crews flying in and out of areas north of the Arctic Circle may also be awarded the medal for 21 days of non-consecutive service. The medal depicts a polar bear under the

North Star Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude tha ...

, while the reverse side carries the Coast Guard Shield.

Eligibility requirements

The Coast Guard Arctic Service Medal may be awarded to any person who meets the qualifications related to service in defined geographic areas or at specific duty stations. Only one medal may be awarded per deployment or year in the case of qualifying air crews. Qualifying service is as follows: *Members of the Coast Guard who, during summer operations (defined as 1 May to 31 October), who serve in any Coast Guard mission north of the Arctic Circle (66°33'N) for 21 non-consecutive days under competent orders. *Member of the Coast Guard who, during winter operations (defined as 1 November to 30 April), serve or have served aboard a Coast Guard vessel operating in polar waters north of latitude 60 degrees North, specifically in the Bering Sea,

Davis Strait Davis Strait is a northern arm of the Atlantic Ocean that lies north of the Labrador Sea. It lies between mid-western Greenland and Baffin Island in Nunavut, Canada. To the north is Baffin Bay. The strait was named for the English explorer John ...

, or

Denmark Strait The Denmark Strait () or Greenland Strait ( , 'Greenland Sound') is an oceanic strait between Greenland to its northwest and Iceland to its southeast. The Norwegian island of Jan Mayen lies northeast of the strait. Geography The strait connect ...

for 21 non-consecutive days under competent orders. *Members of the Coast Guard who serve on the remote

LORAN LORAN, short for long range navigation, was a hyperbolic radio navigation system developed in the United States during World War II. It was similar to the UK's Gee system but operated at lower frequencies in order to provide an improved range u ...

Stations at

Cape Atholl Cape Atholl ( da, Kap Atholl), also known as Kangaarasuk, is a headland in Northwest Greenland, Avannaata municipality. This cape was named by Commander James Saunders, after Atholl, the class to which his ship HMS ''North Star'' belonged, duri ...

, Greenland; Cape Christian, Baffin Island, Canada;

Port Clarence Port Clarence is a small village now within the borough of Stockton-on-Tees and ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated on the north bank of the River Tees, and hosts the northern end of the Middlesbrough Transporter Bri ...

, Alaska; Barrow, Alaska; Bo, Norway;

Jan Mayen Island Jan Mayen () is a Norwegian volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean with no permanent population. It is long (southwest-northeast) and in area, partly covered by glaciers (an area of around the Beerenberg volcano). It has two parts: larger n ...

, Norway. *Members of the Coast Guard who participate in flights as a member of the crew of an aircraft flying to or from stations listed above, or any shore locations north of the Arctic Circle in support of Coast Guard missions. The minimum time requirement is 21 non-consecutive days under competent orders, no more than one day of service is credited for flights in and out during any 24-hour period. Civilians may be recommended for the award of the Coast Guard Arctic Service Medal for their service with the Coast Guard. Recommendations for civilians must be sent directly to the Commandant for an award decision.

References

{{Authority control Arctic Service Medal Awards for polar exploration Awards established in 1976

Eligibility requirements

See also

References