Authorized on February 17, 1969, this ribbon is awarded to members of the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard for combat action service. The principal requirement is that the personnel must have been in a ground or surface combat fire-fight, or action during which they were under enemy fire, and that their performance under fire must have been satisfactory.

Established by the Secretary of the Navy on December 18, 1944 and awarded by the Secretary with the approval of the President, this Unit commendation is conferred on any ship, aircraft, detachment, or other unit of the U.S. Navy or Marine Corps which, subsequent to December 6, 1941, distinguished itself by outstanding heroism in action against the enemy, but not sufficient to warrant award of the Presidential Unit Citation. It is also awarded for extremely meritorious service not involving combat but in support of military operations which were outstanding when compared to other units performing similar service.

Denotes 3 years/ award of honest and faithful service with no disciplinary problems.

Authorized on April 22, 1953 and amended on January 11, 1966, this medal was awarded for honorable active military service as a member of the United States Armed Forces, including the Coast Guard, between June 27, 1950 and July 27, 1954 (Korean War period) and between January 1, 1961 and August 14, 1974, (Vietnam War period). It has most recently been awarded to active duty military members for service during the Persian Gulf War period.

Awarded for service in the Southwest Asia area during the period from 02 August 1990 to 11 April 1992.  Mine has 2 bronze stars denoting 3rd award.  We received separate awards for Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm and the Liberation of Kuwait

This award was approved by the Secretary of the Navy on May 22, 1980. It recognizes the unique and demanding nature of sea service and the arduous duty attendant with such service deployments. The award of the ribbon was made retroactive to August 15, 1974. It is presented to officers and enlisted personnel of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps assigned to U.S. home ported ships and overseas ships, deploying units, or Fleet Marine Force (FMF) commands, for 12 months accumulated sea duty, or duty with FMF, which includes at least one 90 consecutive day deployment. Sailors can now earn the award after completing two 80-day or longer deployments in a 12-month period. This change applies to deployments commencing on or after Oct 18, 1991.

Awarded by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served within the designated war zone of Operation Desert Storm during the period 17 January 1991 through 28 February 1991.

In August of 1995, the Secretary of Defense accepted an offer by the Government of Kuwait to award the Kuwait Liberation Medal to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who participated in Desert Shield/Desert Storm between Aug. 2, 1990 and Aug. 31, 1993. Service members must have participated in one or more of the following areas: Arabian Gulf; Red Sea; Gulf of Oman; that portion of the Arabian Sea north of 10 degrees north latitude and west of 68 degrees east longitude; the Gulf of Aden; or the total land areas of Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

These eligibility periods and locations have been specified by the government of Kuwait and may not be waived. In addition to those requirements, Navy members must meet one or more of the following conditions:
been attached to or regularly serving for one or more days with an organization participating in ground/shore operations; or
been attached to or regularly serving for one or more days on board a naval vessel directly supporting military operations; or
been actually participating as a crew member in one or more aerial flights supporting military operations in areas designated above; or
been serving on temporary duty for 30 consecutive days during the period Aug. 2, 1990, to Aug. 31, 1993, in any of the three capacities listed above. This time limit can be waived for personnel participating in actual combat operations.