The Operational Service Medal for the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

is a

British armed forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...

campaign medal A campaign medal is a military decoration which is awarded to a member of an armed force who serves in a designated military operation or performs duty in a geographical theater. Campaign medals are very similar to service medals but carry a high ...

, awarded mostly to military personnel who served between 14 June and 10 September 2003 on Operation Coral.

Operational Service Medal

The Operational Service Medal (OSM) was established in 1999 to replace the

General Service Medal (1962) __NOTOC__ The General Service Medal (1962 GSM, also sometimes referred to as the Campaign Service Medal), is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom introduced in 1962 to replace both the General Service Medal (1918), as awarded to the Army and R ...

for all new operations. A separate medal of the same design is awarded for each campaign, differentiated by a distinct ribbon. It has been awarded for four separate campaigns: * Afghanistan (from 11 September 2001) * Sierra Leone (May 2000 – July 2002) *Democratic Republic of Congo (June – September 2003) * Iraq and Syria (''Dates to be confirmed'') From 2008, British service personnel could receive the

General Service Medal (2008) The General Service Medal 2008 (GSM 08), was introduced in 2015 for award to Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army and RAF personnel to recognise specified operations since January 2008, not qualifying for another campaign medal. Unlike its predecesso ...

for participation in smaller operations that do not justify the award of the Operational Service Medal.

Medal

The Operational Service Medal for the Democratic Republic of Congo is silver and circular in shape. * Obverse: the crowned effigy of Queen Elizabeth II with the inscription ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA FID. DEF. * Reverse: the Union Flag, surrounded by the inscription FOR OPERATIONAL SERVICE and the four major points of the compass with, between the points, four Coronets: Royal (top left),

Naval A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

(top right), Mural-

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

(bottom left), and Astral-

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

(bottom right). * Ribbon: a broad central red stripe, flanked each side by a stripe of navy blue and one of light blue, to represent the three services, with an outer stripe of

ochre Ochre ( ; , ), or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colours produced ...

, to represent the Congolese landscape. *Clasp: ''DROC'' clasp awarded with every medal. A silver rosette denotes the clasp when worn on the ribbon bar.

Qualifying criteria

The medal with clasp is awarded for 25 days continuous service in Bunia in the Ituri Province of the Congo, or five return operational flights between

Entebbe Entebbe is a city in Central Uganda. Located on a Lake Victoria peninsula, approximately southwest of the Ugandan capital city, Kampala. Entebbe was once the seat of government for the Protectorate of Uganda prior to independence, in 1962. The c ...

and Bunia, between 14 June and 10 September 2003 on Operation Coral. There is no minimum qualifying period for those killed, wounded or disabled during operations, or where a recipient is decorated for operational service (including a mention in dispatches and a Queen’s Commendation). Qualifying service for the Operational Service Medal counts towards the period required to receive the Accumulated Campaign Service Medal. British military personnel serving with

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

forces in the Congo from 30 November 1999 for 90 days as part of the MONUC or MONUSCO missions are entitled to wear the

United Nations Medal A United Nations Medal is an international decoration An international decoration is a military award which is not bestowed by a particular country, but rather by an international organization such as the United Nations or NATO. Such awards ar ...

with the appropriate ribbon.

References

External links

* /www.gov.uk/medals-campaigns-descriptions-and-eligibility#operational-service-medal-for-the-democratic-republic-of-congo UK MoD site. Medals: campaigns, descriptions and eligibility
Ministry of Defence - Honours and Awards in the Armed Forces. Part 1: Directive. (Version 5.0 Oct 16)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Operational Service Medal For The Democratic Republic Of Congo British campaign medals Democratic Republic of the Congo–United Kingdom relations 2003 establishments in the United Kingdom

Operational Service Medal

Medal

Qualifying criteria

See also

References

External links