Military awards and decorations

Not to be confused with Military order (religious society).

Wall of Medals in the French Foreign Legion Museum

Military awards and decorations are a distinction given as a mark of honor for military heroism, meritorious or outstanding service or achievement. It is often a medal consisting of a ribbon and a medallion.

While the United States Government does not consider all its military awards and medals as being "decorations", other countries tend to refer to all their military awards and medals as "decorations". Civil decorations awarded to military personnel should not be considered military decorations, although some orders of chivalry have civil and military divisions. Decorations received by police and fire brigade personnel may sometimes be considered alongside military decorations, on which they may be modelled, although they are strictly not military awards.

History

Decorations have been known since ancient times. The Egyptian Old Kingdom had the Order of the Golden Collar while the New Kingdom awarded the Order of the Golden Fly. Celts and Romans wore a torc or received other military decorations such as the hasta pura, a spear without a tip. Dayaks wore and still wear tattoos, etc. Necklaces and bracelets were given during the early Middle Ages, evolving into richly jewelled big necklaces, often with a pendant (commonly a medal) attached.

The oldest military decorations still in use is Sweden's För tapperhet i fält ("For Valour in the Field") and För tapperhet till sjöss ("For Valour at Sea") awarded to officers and soldiers of the Swedish Armed Forces who have—as the medal names suggest—shown valour in the field or at sea in wartime. The medal was instituted by Swedish king Gustav III on 28 May, 1789, during his war against Russia. Whilst technically it is still active, it is for practical purposes inactive, not having been awarded since 1915.
The next oldest was the Austro-Hungarian Tapferkeits Medaille Honour Medal for Bravery 1789–1792. This medal was instituted on 19 July, 1789, by the Emperor Joseph II.
Another of the oldest military decorations still in use is Poland's War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin for "For Military Valour"). It was first awarded in 1792.

Forgery

Medals have been forged by many people to make the medal appear more valuable or to make one look like a more decorated soldier. Medal forgeries can include: adding bars, engraving a famous soldier's name on it or creating a whole new medal. Medal forgery is illegal in most countries and can be punishable by imprisonment.

Spotting a fake

Alas many medals are faked, a medal gains value in direct relation to the owner of the medal; as 90% or so of all British Military Medals are named this allows the collector to research the man and place him on a battlefield in the heat of the action, for example a Zulu War medal to a man who took part in the Campaign in 1879 would cost some £700 however  the same campaign  medal to a man who you can place at the defence of the mission station at Rourke’s Drift, made famous by the film Zulu, would command a price of £50,000 to £60,000.

A knowledge therefore of the exact styles of naming is a crucial key to purchasing a real medal, however a quick tip is just to look at the medal on a  flat surface, is the medal completely round or does it and have an egg-shaped appearance and thinning of the rim towards the 6 o’clock point, if so this usually means that the original naming has been removed and a new name impressed or engraved around the rim taking the name of a man who was at a famous action solely to deceive and make the medal worth more money, always make sure the medal is completely round, the forger will be happy to take your money for a medal he has re-named!

If in doubt take your medal to one of the well know reputable dealers or auction houses who specialise in Military Medals, such as Mark Smith - a Military Medals specialist who works at the recognised heritage brand A. H. Baldwin & Sons and a familiar face on BBC's Antiques Roadshow - they will happily and quickly tell you if your medal is real or has come from the forgers workshop.

Contemporary use

U.S Army Chief of Staff Mark A. Milley wearing a number of military decorations

Today military decorations include:

• Order of merit;
• Bravery awards, in the form of a cross, star or medal on a ribbon;
• Distinguished service awards, in the form of a cross, star or medal on a ribbon;
• Campaign medals worn on a ribbon;
• Service medals worn on a ribbon;
• Awards for entire units, in the form of Battle honours, Campaign streamers, Fourragères, or unit citations.

In most NATO militaries, only the service ribbons are normally worn on everyday occasions (as opposed to the actual medals).

See also

• List of military decorations
• List of highest military decorations
• Civil decoration
• State decoration
• Neck decoration
• Commonwealth Realms orders and decorations
• Awards and decorations of the United States military
• Awards and decorations of the Russian Federation
• Awards and decorations of the Soviet Union
• Israeli Military decorations
• Orders, decorations, and medals of Spain
• Awards and decorations of the German Armed Forces
• Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom