The Department of Defense announced yesterday that campaign stars are authorized for wear on the Afghanistan Campaign Medal (ACM) and Iraq Campaign Medal (ICM). That’s no real surprise; the wars have been going on for quite some time and the practice is typical.

I was initially authorized two campaign stars for my Southwest Asia Service Medal, one each for Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Nearly two years later — after I was already out of the Army — they decided that I had actually participated in a third “campaign,” the postwar ceasefire period.

The “campaign phases” for both wars are somewhat interesting:

(1) Liberation of Afghanistan — Sep. 11, 2001 to Nov. 30, 2001.

(2) Consolidation I — Dec. 1, 2001 to Sep. 30, 2006.

(3) Consolidation II — Oct. 1, 2006 to a date to be determined.

Consolidation I and Consolidation II are rather amusing. One would think consolidation would either be accomplished or not. I’m guessing the latter.

For Iraq, the phases are more surreal:

(1) Liberation of Iraq — March 19, 2003 to May 1, 2003.

(2) Transition of Iraq — May 2, 2003 to June 28, 2004.

(3) Iraqi Governance — June 29, 2004 to Dec. 15, 2005.

(4) National Resolution — Dec. 16, 2005 to a date to be determined.

One would think “national resolution” would be a prerequisite to “governance.”