Operational Service Medal for the Democratic Republic of Congo
Encyclopedia
The Operational Service Medal for the Democratic Republic of the Congo
is a 21st century British armed forces
campaign medal
, awarded mostly to military personnel serving with the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) and the associated European Union Force (EUFOR DR Congo) deployment since about 2000.
, to represent the Congolese landscape.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
is a 21st century British armed forces
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
campaign medal
British campaign medals
British campaign medals are awarded to members of the British Armed Forces, Allied forces and civilians participating in specified military campaigns...
, awarded mostly to military personnel serving with the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) and the associated European Union Force (EUFOR DR Congo) deployment since about 2000.
Medal
The medal is silver and circular in shape and designed as follows:
- Obverse Shows the crowned effigy of Queen Elizabeth II.
- Reverse bears the Union FlagUnion FlagThe Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...
, surrounded by the inscription ‘For Operational Service’ and the four major points of the compass, with four Coronets: Royal (top left), Naval (top right), Mural-ArmyBritish ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
(bottom left), and Astral-Royal Air ForceRoyal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(bottom right).
Ribbon
The ribbon is 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 ochreOchre
Ochre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
, to represent the Congolese landscape.
Qualifying Criteria
The medal with clasp is awarded for 25 days continuous service in the Ituri Province between June 14 and September 10, 2003.See also
- OSM AfghanistanOperational Service Medal for AfghanistanThe Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan is a campaign medal currently awarded by the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom.- Qualifying criteria :The award of this medal is complex; depending on length and area of service:...
- OSM Sierra LeoneOperational Service Medal for Sierra LeoneThe Operational Service Medal for Sierra Leone is a campaign medal awarded since 2000 by the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom.-Medal:The is silver and circular in shape.Obverse shows the crowned effigy of Queen Elizabeth....