The United States Department of Defense presents the Humanitarian Service Medal as an individual service medal to that military personnel who performed exceptional service during the evacuation of non-combatants from a hostile zone, natural disaster relief, and human support to refugees. The Humanitarian Service Medal has been active since April 2, 1975. The ribbon is bisected at the center by a thin vertical black stripe followed by blue stripes, a thin vertical white stripe, and a thin vertical purple stripe at the edge on both sides.