History

The Antarctic Service Medal was established by Congress by Public Law on July 7, 1960, and superseded the Byrd Antarctic Expedition Medal, the Second Byrd Antarctic Expedition Medal, and the United States Antarctic Expedition Medal. The Bronze Medal was awarded retroactively to January 1, 1946, to both the United States Armed Forces and civilian personnel in recognition of service on the Antarctic Continent South of 60 degrees latitude. No minimum time of service was required prior to June 1, 1973, however, since then, a minimum of 15 to 30 days of service on the Antarctic Continent South of 60 degrees latitude is required to qualify for the award. The Medal may also be awarded to flight crews performing transport missions to Antarctica in recognition of a minimum of 1 day of service for each flight performed within 24 hours, and to civilians in recognition of research over a cumulative period of 10 days or 30 days prior to October 10, 2008.

Posthumous awards of the Medal may be made.

Personnel who served in the qualifying area during the winter months, between mid-March and October, are authorized to wear a bronze clasp that is inscribed with the words "WINTERED OVER" on the ribbon. A gold clasp is awarded for the second winter, and a silver clasp is awarded for 3 or more winters. When the ribbon is worn alone, a bronze, silver, or gold disc featuring a depiction of an outline of the Antarctic Continent is worn on the ribbon to denote the award of a clasp.