Antarctica Service Medal

Established by the United States Congress in 1960. It is a military award and was designed to replace several commemorative awards which had been issued for previous Antarctica expeditions from 1928 to 1941. The medal may also be awarded to US civilians and citizens of foreign nations, who participate in a US Antarctica expedition on the continent, at the invitation of a participating US agency. The ribbon’s outer bands of black and dark blue represent five months of Antarctic darkness; the centre portion, by its size and colours, is graded from medium blue through light blue and pale blue to white – symbolises seven months of the solar illumination and the Aurora Australis.