The Military Decoration for Exceptional Service or Acts of Courage or Devotion ( nl, Militair ereteken voor buitengewone dienst of voor daad van moed of toewijding french: Décoration militaire pour service exceptionnel ou acte de courage ou de dévouement) is awarded to personnel of the
Belgian Armed Forces
The Belgian Defense Forces ( nl, Defensie; french: La Défense) is the national military of Belgium. The King of the Belgians is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The Belgian Armed Forces was established after Belgium became independ ...
for either displayed herorism or for display of extraordinary devotion to duty. In history, sometimes it is referred to as an 'Article 4' award, as originally, the medal was created as a variation of the military decoration for long service. However, nowadays, both medals are distinct awards, albeit still having the same guilt cross.
Award Criteria
During both World wars, the medal was almost exclusively awarded for acts of bravery and thus extremely rare. In the period 2009-2013, the Military Decoration for Exceptional Service or Acts of Courage or Devotion second class was awarded 58 times. During the same period, the Military Decoration for Exceptional Service or Acts of Courage or Devotion first class was not awarded.
Presently, the award of the medal is a bit more common as it is more often awarded for exceptional service. Examples of awards for exceptional service are the automatic award of the medal to navy personnel below the rank of officer for 20 years of service on board of Navy vessels or the award of 72 medals to military personnel engaged in the
Non Combatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) Red Kite
The red kite (''Milvus milvus'') is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species currently breeds in the Western Palearctic region o ...
in 2021
[https://beldefnews.mil.be/medaille-voor-de-militairen-van-operatie-red-kite/].
The medal can be awarded in 2 classes. Usually, only the second class of the medal is awarded.
The first class of the medal is awarded for very exceptional heroism or devotion. Only commissioned and non-commissioned officers are eligible to the first class of the medal.
Award description
The medal is a gilt
cross pattée
A cross pattée, cross patty or cross paty, also known as a cross formy or cross formée (french: croix pattée, german: Tatzenkreuz), is a type of Christian cross with arms that are narrow at the centre, and often flared in a curve or straight ...
surmounted by the royal crown of Belgium with four rays between the cross arms. The
obverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ...
bears a circular central medallion with a lion and the circular relief inscription "L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE" (STRENGTH IN UNITY). The reverse is identical except for the central medallion, the center bears the
royal monogram of the reigning monarch at time of award surrounded by the relief inscription "ARMÉE * MÉRITE * ANCIENNETÉ" ("ARMY * MERIT * SENIORITY").
It hangs from a red silk
moiré ribbon with narrow longitudinal gold and black stripes near the edges.
Devices
An inverted gilt chevron is worn on the ribbon, denoting award of the medal "first class".
During the World Wars, the medal was sometimes awarded with a silver palm, worn on the ribbon denoting awards during wartime. The silver palm device is currently obsolete.
See also
*
*
Belgian order of precedence (decorations and medals) Order of precedence of Belgian national orders and awards.
Grey text indicates dormant awards.
The list is established based on the official current order of precedence as stated in military regulations, combined with the list established in 1985 b ...
References
* Clarke JD,''Gallantry Medals & Awards of the World''
* Royal Decree of 23 December 1873 creating the Military Decoration
* Belgian military regulation DGHR-REG-DISPSYS-001 of 20 February 2006
* Quinot H., 1950, ''Recueil illustré des décorations belges et congolaises, 4e Edition.'' (Hasselt)
* Cornet R., 1982, ''Recueil des dispositions légales et réglementaires régissant les ordres nationaux belges. 2e Ed. N.pl''., (Brussels)
* Borné A.C., 1985, ''Distinctions honorifiques de la Belgique, 1830-1985'' (Brussels)
* Report of written questions and answers in the Belgian House of Representatives, 17 March 2014 (QRVA 53-152)
External links
Belgian Military Decoration at Northeastmedals
{{Belgium honours
Military awards and decorations of Belgium
Awards established in 1873