The new medal will come in two versions, an "expeditionary" form for those who served in combat areas and a "service" version for those who did support work.

Estimating that thousands will likely qualify for one or the other versions of the medal, Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Cmdr. Jane Campbell said no cutoff date for issuing it has been set because the war on terrorism is ongoing.

The expeditionary form of the medal initially will be awarded only to those who have served in Iraq, Afghanistan, eastern Turkey, the Philippines and the island of Diego Garcia, as well as airspace above these areas and on adjacent seas, Campbell said.

"Depending on where the war on terrorism goes in the future, that could change," she added.

Service members who "engaged in actual combat against the enemy and under circumstances involving grave danger of death or serious bodily injury from enemy action" will qualify for "battle stars" to add to the Terrorism War Expeditionary Medal, according to the presidential order creating the honor.

The service version of the medal for now will be restricted to those who actively supported the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as Operation Noble Eagle, the homeland defense effort that followed the Sept. 11 attacks.

It will be awarded to those who guarded airports only for service from Sept. 27, 2001, to May 31, 2002.

Creation of the Global Terrorism Medal has met with some unhappiness in the ranks.

"A lot of the troops who served in Iraq or Afghanistan are disturbed that the award doesn't differentiate between their specific operations and other places," said one active-duty officer who served in southwest Asia and spoke on condition of anonymity. "Some of these guys are already on their second tour in Iraq. Some have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. What are they going to get, extra battle stars on their ribbons?"

The officer also complained that the medal does not differentiate between the kinds of contributions service members make, noting that crewmen even on stateside bases who load aircraft with bombs perform more dangerous work than do many soldiers stationed in Iraq.

Defense analyst Lawrence Korb, who was assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration, questioned using a blanket approach in awarding such honors.

"Terrorism is a tactic," he said. "Describing it as a war is like calling World War II a `war on blitzkrieg.' Certainly anybody who served in Iraq or Afghanistan deserves a medal and ought to be recognized. But beyond that we have got to be careful we don't diminish the value of medals."

The Pentagon was severely criticized for diluting the prestige of awards and medals after the U.S. invasion of Grenada in 1983. It issued 8,612 medals for the campaign, though only some 7,000 military personnel set foot on the Caribbean island.

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