This coin was presented "For Excellence" by the Commander, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) (SFG(A)),Task Force Legion (TF Legion), Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Arabian Peninsula (CJSOTF-AP) during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) - Strength and Honor.

By July 2003, CJSOTF-AP had drawn down to the 5th Special Forces Group Headquarters, consisting of one Naval Special Warfare Task Unit (NSWTU) (SEAL) and one FOB. The FOB commanded 14 ODAs, few of them at full strength. The bulk of these forces remained in Baghdad with outstations covering Al Qaim, Ramadi/Fallujah, Najaf/Nasiriyah, Hillah, Kut/Amarah, Tikrit, Balad, Samarra, and Kirkuk.