Originally Posted by Climebear
A bit off the thread; but, no one (in the UK Armed Forces at least) has ever received campaign medals just for being away from home. The issue of a UK campaign medal (either a specific medal like Iraq or as a separate clasp/ribbon to a GSM/OSM like Afghanistan) and the approval to wear a foreign campaign medal (NATO/UN) is judged on the basis of the risk and rigour. Hence why those chaps in Basra, Kandahar etc (that are subject to regular presents from the indigenous population) qualify for the award of such medals whereas those who stay in places such as Al Udied (complete with Burger King, coffee bars and a bra-shaped entertainment area) don't.
I agree to a point....i did a 4 monther in AAS ...got to come home half way through for a week (even if it was so badly organised i only spent 3 days at home !) ....i had a great time there with a good buch of lads and the locals were great....I never felt "at risk".
Now we go to Al Udied every 14 months for 2 months...no r&r and i feel more threathened by the yanks than i did in AAS...at least there they were stuck on the Rock !! Also the Bra bar is nothing to write home about...i wish it was alcohol free......
he only good thing like you said is the coffee shop !....but i doubt i could claim on JPA the $10 for coffee every day.