The Maryland Military Department Emergency Service Medal (formerly known as the Maryland National Guard State Active Duty Medal) will be presented in recognition of state active service by Maryland National Guard members. The nominee must be an active member of the Maryland Military Department and must meet the regulatory requirements of “satisfactory performance.” The nominee must perform three consecutive days of state active duty or accumulate three days through one calendar year beginning 1 January. State service is at the call of the adjutant general and/or the governor to assist the state in a domestic or civic action. As an exception to policy, all members of the Maryland National Guard who deployed in support of Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...

/Rita

Hurricane Rita

Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005...

 relief operations are eligible.

Description

A silver 1 3/8” octagonal medal with the Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

 state flag

Flag of Maryland

The flag of the state of Maryland consists of the heraldic banner of George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore. It is the only state flag in the United States to be based on English heraldry. The flag of the state of Maryland consists of the heraldic banner of George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore. It is...

enameled black/golden yellow, red/white in a wreath. The ribbon is cross-grained and consists of vertical stripes of white, black, scarlet red, golden yellow, scarlet, black and white.