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. A military decoration is a decoration given to military personnel or units for heroism in battle or distinguished service. ... A service medal is a military award generally of the lowest degree. ...

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 widespready use of campaign medals dates to the era of the Napoleonic Wars when Napoleon Bonaparte ordered a large number of ribbons and medals created for issuance to the soldiers serving under his command. Seeing how the soldiers prided the receipt of such decorations, and a desire to receive more such awards, Napoleon was quoted as saying: "With a handful of ribbons I can conquer all of Europe". The Napoleonic Wars are the wars fought during Napoleon Bonapartes rule of France. ... Bonaparte as general Napoleon Bonaparte ( 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution and was the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from November 11, 1799 to May 18, 1804, then as Emperor of the French (Empereur des Français...

In the United States armed forces, some of the more well known campaign medals include the Vietnam Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and the Southwest Asia Service Medal. The most recent U.S. Campaign Medal is the Iraq Campaign Medal, created for service in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The armed forces of the United States of America consist of the United States Army United States Navy United States Air Force United States Marine Corps United States Coast Guard Note: The United States Coast Guard has both military and law enforcement functions. ... Vietnam Service Medal The Vietnam Service Medal is a military award which was created in 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. ... The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) is a military award of the United States military which was first created in 1961 by Executive Order of President John Kennedy. ... The Southwest Asia Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States armed forces which was created by order of President George Bush on March 12, 1991. ... The Iraq Campaign Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was created by Executive Order of President George W. Bush on May 28, 2004. ... The 2003 invasion of Iraq, also called Operation Iraqi Freedom, was launched by the United States and the United Kingdom on March 20, 2003, with minor assistance from a loosely defined coalition. ...