The Pro Memoria Medal is a Polish civil

state decoration A state decoration is an object, such as a medal or the insignia of an order, that is awarded by a sovereign state to honor the recipient. The term includes: *Civil awards and decorations *Military awards and decorations See also * State order ...

awarded by the head of the Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression. Established 25 January 2005, the medal is awarded for outstanding contributions in perpetuating the memory of the people and deeds in the struggle for Polish independence during World War II.

Description

The medal is disc shaped made of silver colored metal. 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, ...

of the medal shows the

Polish Eagle The coat of arms of Poland is a white, crowned eagle with a golden beak and talons, on a red background. In Poland, the coat of arms as a whole is referred to as ''godło'' both in official documents and colloquial speech, despite the fact that ...

sitting on a sword crossed with barbed wire. In the background is a breached fence. On the reverse around the rim is the inscription ''URZĄD DO SPRAW KOMBATANTÓW I OSÓB REPRESJONOWANYCH (Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression)''. In the center is the inscription ''PRO MEMORIA'' over crossed oak and laurel branches, and the date: ''8 MAJA 2005'', the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. The medal is suspended from a ribbon in the colors blue, magenta, and black. The colors refer to the ribbons of the

Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', pl, Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was created in 1792 by Polish King St ...

, the

Cross of Valor The Cross of Valour ( pl, Krzyż Walecznych) is a Polish military decoration. It was first introduced by the Council of National Defense on 11 August 1920. It is awarded to an individual who "has demonstrated deeds of valour and courage on the fi ...

, and the

Cross of Merit with Swords The Cross of Merit with Swords () is a Polish military award established October 19, 1942, by the Polish Government in Exile. Criteria The Cross of Merit with Swords is awarded for deeds of bravery and valor during time of war not connected wit ...

Notable recipients

* Philip Bujak *

John Drewienkiewicz Major General Karol John Drewienkiewicz is a retired British Army officer, generally known as "DZ". Early life and education Drewienkiewicz attended Stamford School, an independent boarding school in southern Lincolnshire, alongside Mike J ...

Bjørn Egge Bjørn Egge CBE (19 August 1918 – 25 July 2007) was a Major General of the Norwegian Army and President of the Norwegian Red Cross (1981–1987). He served as deputy head of the NATO Defence College (1976–1980). Egge was a soldier during th ...

Franciszek Gągor Franciszek Gągor (8 September 1951 – 10 April 2010) was a Polish general, Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces between 2006 and 2010. He died in the 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash near Smolensk with the President of P ...

Wojciech Jaruzelski Wojciech Witold Jaruzelski (; 6 July 1923 – 25 May 2014) was a Polish military officer, politician and ''de facto'' leader of the Polish People's Republic from 1981 until 1989. He was the First Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party b ...

Andrzej Karweta Andrzej Karweta (11 June 1958 – 10 April 2010) was rear admiral (NATO code OF-7) of the Polish Navy and its commander-in-chief from November 2007 until his death in April 2010 in the Smolensk air crash. He was posthumously promoted to the ran ...

Teresa Klimek Teresa Klimek (1929-2013) was a Polish people, Polish educator and activist. Educated to teach mathematics, she taught in various schools in Gorzów Wielkopolski from 1953 to 1984 and was honored for her skill as an educator. She helped found the ...

* Teresa Potocka * Bernard Skarbek * Maria Skarbek *

Gunnar Sønsteby Gunnar Fridtjof Thurmann Sønsteby DSO ( 1918 – 10 May 2012) was a member of the Norwegian resistance movement during the German occupation of Norway in World War II. Known by the nickname "Kjakan" ("The Chin") and as "Agent No. 24", ...

References

{{Authority control Civil awards and decorations of Poland Awards established in 2005