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War or Confilict
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Post War or Confilict 
Here's a thought to ponder over the Sunday roast. Korea was never, officially (or should that be formally) a War. It was a UN "police action" - the UN were asked by South Korea for military support following an attack on their territory by North Korea. War was never formally (there's that word again) declared and the British medal that was issued is called the Korea Medal (no mention of the word War). So a separate medal was struck for this "police action", rather than a Korea clasp to the existing GSM. Can anyone explain that? And there was a second, UN, medal and this was named the United Nations Korea Service Medal. Again no mention of the word War. Now, apparently, the UN medal is not classified as a foreign award because the UN is not a foreign state. It is definitely not a commemorative as some really nasty fighting took place in Korea. So what category was this medal put into that then allowed double medalling to take place?
The British Government in 1982 never formally (I'm beginning to love that word) declared War on Argentina. The action was in response to an invasion by a foreign force within a British territory. At the time, politicians went to great lengths to describe it as a Conflict, not a War. So why was a separate medal, the South Atlantic Medal, struck rather than a Falklands clasp to the existing GSM?
The first Gulf War in 1990 was and is called a War. But who declared war? Doesn't that require an Act of Parliament or something similar? We went to the aid of a friendly nation (sounds a bit like Malaysia to me), following an invasion of its territory by an aggressive neighbour (sounds a bit like Indonesia to me). The medal that was struck for this was called the Gulf Medal (no mention of the word War). So why was a separate medal struck rather than a Gulf clasp to the existing GSM?
Which brings me to the latest conflict. The fighting in Iraq is under the banner of Operation Telic. Nobody declared war on Saddam. at least not formally (must stop using that word), so can it be termed a War? The name of the medal struck for this conflict is the Iraq Medal (no mention of the word War). By the time that this conflict began, the GSM had been phased out and replaced by the Operational Service Medal. So why was a separate medal struck rather than a variant of the OSM?
Perhaps Mr Coney, the man with an encyclopedic knowledge of things medallis, can enlighten us the next time that anyone speaks to him.


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Gerald Law (ex RAF Borneo Veteran)
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