The Military Cross of Merit (Polish: ''Wojskowy Krzyż Zasługi''), Navy Cross of Merit (''Morski Krzyż Zasługi''), Air Force Cross of Merit (''Lotniczy Krzyż Zasługi'') are

military decoration Military awards and decorations are distinctions given as a mark of honor for military heroism, meritorious or outstanding service or achievement. DoD Manual 1348.33, 2010, Vol. 3 A decoration is often a medal consisting of a ribbon and a medal ...

s awarded to members of the

Polish Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Siły Zbrojne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, abbreviated ''SZ RP''; popularly called ''Wojsko Polskie'' in Poland, abbreviated ''WP''—roughly, the "Polish Military") are the national armed forces of ...

. The crosses with swords ''(z Mieczami)'' are conferred for meritorious service in combat operations against acts of terrorism at home or during military, peacekeeping or stabilization missions overseas; the crosses without swords are conferred for outstanding non-combat meritorious achievement or service.

History

The crosses were established by the Law of 14 June 2007, which amended the Act of 16 October 1992, concerning medals and decorations. This law saw the creation of the crosses along with the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

and the

Medal for Long Service The Medal for Long Service (Polish: ''Medal za Długoletnią Służbę'') is a Polish decoration awarded in three classes (gold, silver and bronze) to members of the Polish Armed Forces and other uniformed services, and to civil servants who have ...

. The change was implemented on October 9, 2007. In the order of precedence of Polish medals it ranks between the Bronze Cross of Merit and the Medal for Sacrifice and Courage.

Eligibility

The crosses are presented by the

President of Poland The president of Poland ( pl, Prezydent RP), officially the president of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), is the head of state of Poland. Their rights and obligations are determined in the Constitution of Polan ...

, on his own initiative or at the request of the

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from coun ...

. The president also has the right to revoke the award. The crosses with swords are to be awarded no later than three years after the end of combat operations. Each of the crosses may be awarded twice to any single person, the second award being denoted by a bar on the ribbon and ribbon bar. A particular cross may be awarded to members of the service it represents, however in exceptional cases it can be conferred to members of the other services as well. Civilians and members of non-military uniformed services are not eligible.

Design

The design of the crosses is patterned on that of the

Order of the Military Cross The Order of the Military Cross ( pl, Order Krzyża Wojskowego) is a Polish order established on October 18, 2006. It is awarded for "distinguished service, sacrifice, and courage in actions against terrorism in the country or during foreign dep ...

. It is a massive

Greek cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a ''crucifix'' and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

, in bronze for the Military Cross of Merit, in silver for the two other crosses. The center of the crosses is as follows: * Military Cross of Merit: an eagle sitting on a sword; * Navy Cross of Merit: an armed hand (the symbol of the Polish Navy); * Air Force Cross of Merit: the

Polish Air Force checkerboard The Air Force checkerboard ( pl, szachownica lotnicza) is a national marking for the aircraft of the Polish Air Force, equivalent to roundels used in other nations' air forces. It consists of four equal squares, of which the upper left and lo ...

. The reverse looks the same for all three crosses and is inscribed "POLSKA SWEMU OBROŃCY" (''Poland to her defender'') with two laurel twigs on the sides.

References

External links

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History

Eligibility

Design

References

External links

See also