“Operation Iraqi Freedom,” as well as Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and possibly Operation Inherent Resolve (this one is unclear, as neither the VA nor the DoD has published guidance online – any clarification is appreciated!), for that matter, are not the official names of the wars in which we fought.

Fun fact – while OIF was the overall name of the operation to liberate Iraq, the ground component was named “Operation Cobra II” in homage to Bradley’s 1^st Army breakout from the bocage during the Normandy campaign (Operation Overlord) of World War II in July 1944.


Like operations “Desert Shield; Desert Storm; Desert Sword/Sabre; Provide Comfort; Desert Fox; Desert Strike; Northern/Southern Watch; & Vigilant Warrior” these were operational names – not the name of the war or its campaigns. What is commonly referred to as ODS is correctly known as The Gulf War, with the campaigns known as: Defense of Saudi Arabia; Liberation and Defense of Kuwait; and Southwest Asia Cease-Fire.

The correct name for this war is: The War in Iraq – and when the VA makes your headstone it will simply say: “Iraq“

While there was a deployment schedule that used terms like “OIF I” and “OIF VI,” none of that was “official” in terms of campaign credit, and it is a bit confusing to others as there are no set times that correlate with the sequence numbers. Indeed, some units were on an “OIF I” rotation well into 2004; by the middle of 2004, there were three distinct campaigns. So, below are the official campaign dates, the ones used to authorize the stars on your campaign medal(s).

Hopefully, this will help us all understand who was there – when, especially when discussing things online. I have listed the appropriate campaigns with the corresponding medals below.

Iraq Campaign Medal

Liberation of Iraq: 19 March 2003 – 1 May 2003

Transition of Iraq:  2 May 2003 – 28 June 2004

Iraqi Governance: 29 June 2004- 15 December 2005

National Resolution: 16 December 2005 – 9 January 2007

Iraqi Surge: 10 January 2007 – 31 December 2008

Iraqi Sovereignty: 1 January 2009 – 31 August 2010

New Dawn: 1 September 2010 – 15 December 2011

Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal

Abeyance: 15 June 2014 – 24 November 2015

Intensification: 25 November 2015 – 14 April 2017

Defeat: 15 April 2017 – 1 July 2020

Normalize: 2 July 2020 – TBD

NOTE: Dates from 11 September 2001 to 19 March 2003 and from 15 December 2011 to 15 June 2014 in support of operations in Iraq were often awarded the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal. Indeed, before the ICM was authorized, the GWOTEM was the official “campaign medal” for the Iraq War. Service from August 2, 1990 (or January 17, 1991, for Turkey and Egypt) to November 30, 1995, warrants the Southwest Asia Service Medal. Other periods not included in the SWASM & GWOTEM dates warrant either the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal or the Armed Forces Service Medal, dependent on specific orders.