Campaign medal

A campaign medal is a military decoration which is awarded to a member of the military 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 higher status as the award usually involves deployment to a foreign region or service in a combat zone.

History
Campaign medals were first invented to recognize general military service in war, in contrast to meritorious decorations which were only issued on a small scale for acts of heroism and bravery. The first widespread use of campaign medals dates to the era of the Napoleonic Wars when Napoleon Bonaparte ordered a large number of ribbons and medals for issue to the soldiers serving under his command.

Campaign medals by country

 * Australian campaign medals
 * British campaign medals
 * Canadian campaign medals
 * Malaysian campaign medals
 * NATO Medal refers to a number of campaign medals
 * New Zealand campaign medals
 * Philippines campaign medals
 * Polish campaign medals
 * South African campaign medals
 * South Korean campaign medals
 * Soviet campaign medals
 * Sri Lankan campaign medals
 * United Nations Medal refers to a number of campaign medals
 * United States campaign medals are included in Awards and decorations of the United States military

Other campaign related items

 * Medal bar / Campaign clasp
 * Battle honour / Campaign streamer