In August of 1995, the Secretary of Defense accepted an offer by the Government of Kuwait to award the Kuwait Liberation Medal to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who participated in Desert Shield/Desert Storm between Aug. 2, 1990 and Aug. 31, 1993. Service members must have participated in one or more of the following areas: Arabian Gulf; Red Sea; Gulf of Oman; that portion of the Arabian Sea north of 10 degrees north latitude and west of 68 degrees east longitude; the Gulf of Aden; or the total land areas of Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
These eligibility periods and locations have been specified by the government of Kuwait and may not be waived. In addition to those requirements, Navy members must meet one or more of the following conditions:
- been attached to or regularly serving for one or more days with an organization participating in ground/shore operations; or
- been attached to or regularly serving for one or more days on board a naval vessel directly supporting military operations; or
- been actually participating as a crew member in one or more aerial flights supporting military operations in areas designated above; or
- been serving on temporary duty for 30 consecutive days during the period Aug. 2, 1990, to Aug. 31, 1993, in any of the three capacities listed above. This time limit can be waived for personnel participating in actual combat operations.
