UNCLASSIFIED
131220Z NOV 95

CDRPERSCOM ALEXANDRIA VA//TAPC-PDA//
MILPER MESSAGE NR 96-026
SUBJECT: AWARD OF THE UNITED NATIONS MEDAL--UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN HAITI

A. AR 600-8-22, MILITARY AWARDS, 25 FEB 95.

B. AR 600-8-104, MILITARY PERSONNEL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT/RECORDS, 27 APR 92.

C. AR 670-1, WEAR AND APPEARANCE OF THE ARMY UNIFORMS AND INSIGNIA, 1 SEP 92.

1. THIS MILPER MESSAGE WILL EXPIRE 30 NOV 97.

2. ON 10 OCT 95, THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE APPROVED ACCEPTANCE OF THE UNITED NATIONS MEDAL (UNM) FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN HAITI (UNMIH). THE BEGINNING DATE OF ELIGIBILITY FOR US SOLDIERS IS 31 MAR 95. (THIS DATE COINCIDES WITH THE COMPLETION OF THE TRANSITION TO (UNMIH OPERATIONS).

3. THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR AWARD OF THE UNM REQUIRES THAT AN INDIVIDUAL SERVE UNDER THE OPERATIONAL OR TACTICAL CONTROL OF THE UNITED NATIONS AND SERVE A MINIMUM OF 90 CONSECUTIVE DAYS IN THE SERVICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS. AWARDS FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO SERVED UNDER THE MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE (MNF) IN HAITI AND WHO, AT THE END OF THEIR ASSIGNMENT IN UNMIH, WILL NOT MEET THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA, WILL REMAIN A NATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR AWARD OF THE UNMIH MEDAL. SIMPLY OPERATING/WORKING IN THE UNITED NATIONS MISSION AREA (HAITI) DOES NOT QUALIFY AN INDIVIDUAL TO RECEIVE THE UNMIH MEDAL. HOWEVER, PERSONNEL THAT WERE PART OF THE UNMIH ADVANCE TEAM AND WERE NOT A PART OF THE JOINT TASK FORCE (I.E., WORE THE UN BLUE BERET BETWEEN 23 SEP 94 AND 31 MAR 95), ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THE AWARD.

4. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, MILITARY PERSONNEL DIVISIONS/PERSONNEL SERVICE BATTALIONS (MPD/PSB) MAY BEGIN UPDATING PERSONNEL QUALIFICATION RECORDS FOR AWARD OF THE UNM FOR SOLDIERS WHO HAVE MET THE CRITERIA IN PARA 3 ABOVE. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE UNIT AND/OR INDIVIDUAL SOLDIER TO FURNISH THE MPD/PSB WITH DOCUMENTATION SUBSTANTIATING SERVICE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA AND ENTITLEMENT TO THE AWARD. EXAMPLES OF DOCUMENTS WHICH MAY BE USED TO VERIFY SERVICE ELIGIBILITY ARE UNIT, GROUP, INDIVIDUAL MOVEMENT, OR ATTACHMENT ORDERS; DEPLOYMENT/REDEPLOYMENT PASSENGER MANIFESTS; INDIVIDUAL PAY-RELATED DOCUMENTS; AND EVALUATION REPORTS. THESE EXAMPLES ARE NOT MEANT TO EXCLUDE OTHER SOURCES OF DOCUMENTED SERVICE ELIGIBILITY.

5. THE UNM IS AWARDED BY THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS AND IT IS CATEGORIZED AS A NON-U.S. SERVICE MEDAL. REFER TO CHAPTER 28 OF REF C FOR ORDER OF PRECEDENCE AND WEAR ON THE ARMY UNIFORM.

6. THE AUTHORIZED ABBREVIATION USED TO ANNOTATE SECTION VIII OF THE ORB AND ITEM 9 OF THE DA FORM 2-1 AND SIDPERS SUBMISSION CODE TO UPDATE THE OMF ARE AS FOLLOWS:

SIDPERS CODE: UN ITEM 9, 2-1/ORB: UN-MDL

7. WEAR POLICY. EACH UNITED NATIONS MISSION FOR WHICH A UNM IS AWARDED IS COMMEMORATED BY A SUSPENSION AND SERVICE RIBBON OF UNIQUE COLORS AND DESIGN. THE RIBBON AND MEDALLION COMBINATION TAKE ON THE NAME OF THE SPECIFIC OPERATION FOR WHICH THE COMBINATION WAS CREATED; FOR EXAMPLE, THE OPERATION IN THE FORMER REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA IS THE UNITED NATIONS PROTECTION FORCE (UNPROFOR), YIELDING THE UNPROFOR MEDAL. ON 13 OCT 95, THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE APPROVED A CHANGE TO THE WEAR POLICY OF THE UNITED NATIONS MEDAL. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, SOLDIERS WHO ARE AWARDED THE UNM MAY WEAR THE FIRST UNM WITH UNIQUE SUSPENSION AND SERVICE RIBBON FOR WHICH THEY QUALIFY. SUBSEQUENT AWARDS OF THE UNM FOR SERVICE IN A DIFFERENT UNITED NATIONS MISSION WILL BE DENOTED BY A BRONZE SERVICE STAR. SOLDIERS MAY NOT, REPEAT, MAY NOT WEAR MORE THAN ONE UNITED NATIONS RIBBON. THIS POLICY WILL APPLY RETROACTIVELY TO INCLUDE ALL OPERATIONS FOR WHICH THE UNM HAS BEEN ACCEPTED BY THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE.

8. DESCRIPTION. THE UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN HAITI MEDAL (UNMIH MEDAL) CONSISTS OF FOUR COLORS. UNITED NATIONS BLUE, WHITE, ROYAL BLUE, AND RED. THE HAITIAN NATIONAL COLORS (ROYAL BLUE AND RED) ARE BORDERED BY UNITED NATIONS BLUE AND TWO THIN WHITE LINES, WHICH REPRESENT FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN AND THE UNITED NATIONS AND HAITI. UNITED NATIONS OPERATIONS. IN ADDITION TO THE UNMIH, THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF UNITED NATIONS OPERATIONS FOR WHICH MEMBERS OF THE U.S. ARMED FORCES MAY ACCEPT AND WEAR THE UNM:

A.  UNITED NATIONS OBSERVATION GROUP IN LEBANON (UNOGIL)

B. UNITED NATIONS TRUCE SUPERVISORY ORGANIZATION IN PALESTINE (UNTSO).

C. UNITED NATIONS MILITARY OBSERVER GROUP IN INDIA AND PAKISTAN (UNMOGIP).

D.  UNITED NATIONS SECURITY FORCES, HOLLANDIA (BECAME PART OF THE UNITED NATIONS TEMPORARY EXECUTIVE AUTHORITY) (UNTEA).

E. UNITED NATIONS TRANSITIONAL AUTHORITY IN CAMBODIA (UNTAC)

F. UNITED NATIONS ADVANCE MISSION IN CAMBODIA (UNAMIC).

G.UNITED NATIONS PROTECTION FORCE IN YUGOSLAVIA (UNPROFOR)

H. UNITED NATIONS MISSION FOR THE REFERENDUM IN WESTERN SAHARA (MINURSO).

I.  UNITED NATIONS IRAQ/KUWAIT OBSERVATION MISSION (UNIKOM).

J. UNITED NATIONS OPERATION IN SOMALIA (TO INCLUDE U.S. QUICK REACTION FORCE MEMBERS) (UNOSOM).

10. SUPPLY. THE UNITED NATIONS MEDAL IS NOT ISSUED OR SOLD BY THE DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY. THE MEDALS MUST BE PURCHASED THROUGH COMMERCIAL SOURCES. THE RIBBONS AND/OR MEDALS WILL BE AVAILABLE THROUGH COMMERCIAL SOURCES IN APPROXIMATELY 2 TO 3 MONTHS.

11. POINTS OF CONTACT FOR THIS ACTION ARE CW4 WENDLAND AND MRS. WHITE, DSN 221-8700, COMM (703) 325-8700.