Afghanistan Campaign Medal
The Afghanistan Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created by Executive Order of President George W. Bush on November 29, 2004, and became available for general distribution in June 2005. The medal was designed by the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry.
The Afghanistan Campaign Medal is awarded to any member of the United States military who has performed duty within the borders of Afghanistan for a period of thirty consecutive days or sixty non-consecutive days. The medal is retroactive to October 24, 2001, and is active until a date to be determined. Personnel who have been engaged in combat with an enemy force, or personnel who have been wounded in combat within Afghanistan, may receive the ACM regardless of the number of days spent within the country. The medal is also awarded posthumously to any service member who dies in the line of duty within Afghanistan, including from non-combat injuries such as accidents and mishaps.
Appearance
The medal is bronze in appearance, 1 inches in diameter. It depicts above a range of mountains a map of Afghanistan. Around the top is the inscription "AFGHANISTAN CAMPAIGN." On the reverse, a radiating demi-sun superimposed by an eagle’s head couped. Inscribed across the bottom half of the reserve side are the three lines "FOR SERVICE IN AFGHANISTAN", enclosed by a laurel wreath.Campaign phases
The following are the established campaign phases for the Afghanistan Campaign Medal:| Phase Name | From | To |
| Phase 1: Liberation of Afghanistan | September 11, 2001 | November 30, 2001 |
| Phase 2: Consolidation I | December 1, 2001 | September 30, 2006 |
| Phase 3: Consolidation II | October 1, 2006 | November 30, 2009 |
| Phase 4: Consolidation III | December 1, 2009 | June 30, 2011 |
| Phase 5: Transition I | July 1, 2011 | December 31, 2014 |
| Phase 6: Transition II | January 1, 2015 | Present |
Devices
The Afghanistan Campaign Medal is authorized the following devices:- Arrowhead device - For qualified Army and Air Force service members.
- Campaign stars - For each campaign phase that a service member participates in for 1 or more days, a inch bronze campaign star is worn on the suspension and service ribbon of the medal, with a inch silver star being worn in lieu of five bronze stars.
- Fleet Marine Force Combat Operation Insignia - The ACM may also be awarded with the Fleet Marine Force Combat Operation Insignia for qualified Navy service members such as hospital corpsmen assigned to Marine Corps units that participate in combat during the assignment.
| Any one of the six phases | |
| Two of the six phases | |
| Three of the six phases | |
| Four of the six phases | |
| Five of the six phases | |
| All six phases |