For reservists to qualify, they must have been called to regular active duty, at which point their eligibility can be determined by the previous chart.

From the late 1880s until 1960 Somalia was under control of the British and Italian powers seperating the region of Somaliland and the rest of Somalia respectively (see the images below). This was done through signing treaties turning the two regions into protectorates. The history is long and a bit complicated, so we will not go into depth in this post, but only summarize the big dates and the flags.

1950 – 1960: Trust Territory of Somaliland was created as a trusteeship of the United nations (UN) and administered by Italy. The Italian trusteeship took control in April 1950 and was supposed to govern Somalia for the next 10 years.

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To qualify for DIC, a surviving spouse must meet the following requirements. The surviving spouse was one of the following:

The official name of Somalia is the Federal Republic of Somalia, and the blue flag with the white star in the center is the official flag of Somalia. It was created in 1954, and has been used ever since.

1889–1936: Somalia was controlled by various sultans, who each entered into a treaty with the Italian protectorate creating Italian Somaliland.

It is not necessary that an applicant have completed the minimum service for wartime or peacetime campaign if s/he served some time in the campaign and was awarded the Purple Heart, or suffered a service-connected disability per the Discharge Certificate, or died in the service under honorable conditions.

Active service in the armed forces, as used in this clause, shall not include active duty for training in the Army or Air National Guard or active duty for training as a Reservist in the armed forces of the United States.

It was October 1954, and Somalia was known as the “Trust territory of Somaliland” (see the timeline above) which had a legislative council, consisting of members from different countries. Its goal was to prepare the laws for Somalia for its independence, and one of the tasks was the creation of the Somali flag. Mohammed Awale Liban, the Galkacyo born Somali scholar who was a member of this council, suggested this should be decided among the Somali members themselves. They chose Sheik Omar as a chairman of this task and the discussion of the Flag was set for the next day.Mohammed Awale Liban went home and began designing the flag, and the result was the blue flag which as mentioned above represents the Sky, Somali waters, and the color of the UN (who was helping Somalia gain its independence) and the star representing regions where the Somali people live.The next day, when Mohammed Awale Liban was given the word at the meeting he stood up, stretched out the Somali flag on his chest which he had made in 1 day, which resulted in a long standing ovation by the legislative council members. This is the flag currently used for Somalia.

The short story is, that the blue flag with the white star representing all of Somalia was created on 12th October 1954 by Mohammed Awale Liban through adapting (1) the coats of arms designed by the colonial powers and (2) the UN flag. Read the section below to see how he created the flag.

Finding the tale of the actual creation of the Somali flag is not easy, however there is a source reporting on it. To summarize:

For more information on how to apply and for tips on making sure your claim is ready to be processed by VA, visit the How to Apply page on the Veteran Affairs site.

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6 April 1981 – 18 May 1991: Somaliland’s war for independence from the rest of Somalia, resulting in the creation of modern day Somaliland, a de facto state that is still considered to be a part of the republic of Somalia internationally.

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is a tax-free monetary benefit paid to eligible survivors of military Service members who died in the line of duty or eligible survivors of Veterans whose death resulted from a service-related injury or disease.

The 5-pointed star is known as the Star of Unity, meant to represent the 5 geographical locations Somalis mainly reside;

Up October 1954, only the Italian flag was used by the trusteeship after which the UN flag was also used until the day of independence in 1960. On independence day 1 July 1960, the UN flag and the colonial flags were lowered and replaced by the flag of Somalia:

Active duty service in the armed forces shall not include active duty for training in the Army or Air National Guard or active duty for training as a Reservist in the Armed Forces of the United States.

Any Merchant Marine who served for a period of 90 days in armed conflict between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946, and who received an honorable discharge from the Army, Navy, or Coast Guard of the United States.

At the end of the day, the so-called Somali flag was adopted and redesigned based on the Italian Somali emblem. In that case no one can’t claim that it was created by a Somali person. The same goes for the name of Somalia (which rhymes with Italia) that was the idea of Luigi Robecchi-Bricchetti.

Regardless of different flags belonging to the different regions and the Somali people split between multiple countries, many of whom have even fled the harsh conditions in the Horn of Africa, the more important goal for all Somalis is a better and more prosperous future in which we have overcome many of the dificulties the region is currently facing. It is the hope of @moresomalia, that through a better understanding of the country/region and the Somali people, we can contribute to the needed ‘growth, development and sustainability’ process in a more informed way. Knowledge is power, and you cannot expect to change something you don’t understand to begin with. I hope you enjoyed reading this 1st post of MoreSomalia. Feel free to follow along and come with suggestions to either the curent topic or future topics on the website 🙂

For Reservists to qualify, they must have been called to regular active duty, at which point their eligibility can be determined by the following chart.

Note: Naval and Marine DD Form 214 must indicate Expeditionary Medal. All DD Form 214’s must specify the campaign: Lebanon, Granada, or Panama.

Somalia is a federation, meaning that it consists of partially self-governing states in a union under the central federal government. Oficially there are 6 federal states of Somalia, and each of those have their own flag.

Somalia and its different terrotories do have other flags for different purposes though. You can check out this comprehensive list of the different flags here.

The Town lowers the Town Hall flag upon a state or federal order to honor the life, service, and contributions of a deceased person or persons.

The most popular of those flags is the flag of Somaliland. With the Shahada on the green top, black star on the white middle section, and the red bottom it can be seen during all sorts of events by Somalilanders both in Somaliland and around the world, especially on May 18. Somaliland functions as an autonomous region. Interestingly, the national blue/white Somali flag is reported to be banned in Somaliland, as Somaliland is aiming for independence from Somalia – a political conflict many decades old.

The blue background represents the blue sky and the waters following the coastline of Somalia (The Indian Ocean to the East, Gulf of Aden to the North, and the Guardafui Channel in between).

1st July 1960: The republic of Somalia was created through unification of the the former British- and Italian Somaliland (The State of Somaliland was unified with the Trust territory of Somaliland). This is the official independence day for all of Somalia.

Cremated remains are buried or inurned in national cemeteries in the same manner and with the same honors as casketed remains. Burial benefits available for spouses and dependents buried in a national cemetery include burial with the veteran, perpetual care, with the spouse or dependents name and date of birth and death inscribed on the veteran's headstone. Eligible spouses and dependents may be buried, even if they predecease the veteran.

1941 – 1950: British Military Administration of Somalia (BMAS). The British won over Italy during during “East African campaign” a part of the 2nd world war.

The current coats of arms of Somalia was created on 10th October 1956 – almost 2 years after the flag was created, and resembles the previous coats of arms. The shield, which contains the Somali flag, is supported by two Leopards – the official animal of Somalia! They do look like cheetahs, but lack the black lines on the face. Additionally, the Somali consitution of 2012 describes the two felines as “leopards”.

1st July 1960: The Republic of Somalia was created through unification of the the former Italian Somaliland and British Somaliland. This is the official independence day for all of Somalia. Since then, there has been various name changes during the different governments, but the flag stayed the same.

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The Veterans Administration operates over 100 National Cemeteries around the country, and provides no cost burial for eligible persons. Burial benefits available include a grave site in any cemetery with available space, opening and closing of the grave, perpetual care, a Government headstone or marker, a burial flag, and a Presidential Memorial Certificate at no cost to the family. Some veterans may also be eligible for Burial Allowances.

The Town lowers the Town Hall flag upon a state or federal order to honor the life, service, and contributions of a deceased person or persons.

For guard members to qualify they must have 180 days and have been activated under Title 10 of the U.S. Code -OR- Members who were activated under Title 10 or Title 32 of the U.S. Code or Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 33, sections 38, 40, and 41 must have 90 days, at least one of which was during wartime, per the previous chart.

It is not necessary that an applicant has completed the minimum service for wartime or peacetime campaign if s/he served some time in the campaign and was awarded the Purple Heart, or suffered a service-connected disability per the discharge certificate, or died in the service under honorable conditions.

The Somaliland region is inhabited by Somalis just like the NFD, Somali region and parts of Djibouti, thus the blue flag with the white star is considered a unifying flag for all Somalis and not just representing the former Italian Somaliland.