Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Distinguished Courage and Self-Sacrifice ( tr, Türk Silahlı Kuvvetleri Üstün Cesaret ve Feragat Madalyası) is one of the highest medals that can be bestowed upon an individual by the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and was created on July 3, 1975.

Technical specifications

General

Silver laurels encircling the gold medal that has an engraving of the

Mehmetçik ''Mehmetçik'' (, "little" here denoting diminutive endearment rather than actual age) is a term generally used to affectionately refer to soldiers of the Turkish Army. It is similar to the colloquialisms ''Tommy Atkins'', ''Doughboy'', and '' D ...

, the legendary and symbolic Turkish soldier, on top.

Decoration (regular size)

Made of three pieces *Metal:

Bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids suc ...

*Minting: 5 micrometre

silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

and 0.2 micrometre

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

-plating *Weight: 59 grams *Diameter: 3,5 cm

Decoration (miniature size)

Made of three pieces *Metal: Bronze *Minting: 5 micrometre silver and 0.2 micrometre gold-plating *Weight: 15 grams *Diameter: 1 cm

Ribbon

*Color: Red with a golden crescent moon and a star on top

Criteria

During war or peace, it is bestowed on individuals or regiments who have accomplished their missions with great courage and self-sacrifice while risking their lives. The medal can be given to civilians or soldiers, regardless of nationality. Its bestowment is proposed by either the Deputy Minister for National Defense or by any of the Commanders of the four branches of the TAF, namely the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

, the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

or the

Gendarmerie Wrong info! --> A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...

(with the exception of the Commander of the fifth branch, the

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

). The outcome of any proposition depends on the approval of the

Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff. List * Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( United States) * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff (Af ...

References

TAF website with a list of its medalsTurkish Army website with a list of its medals

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turkish Armed Forces Medal Of Distinguished Courage And Self-Sacrifice Military awards and decorations of Turkey 1975 establishments in Turkey Awards established in 1975