The Cross of Honour for Military Service Abroad ( nl, Erekruis voor Militaire Dienst in het Buitenland}, french: Croix d'Honneur pour Service Militaire à l'Étranger) is a
Belgian military decoration originally established for award to Belgian servicemen who served for a long period of time in the
Federal Republic of Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between ...
,
Zaire
Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...
(now
Congo
Congo or The Congo may refer to either of two countries that border the Congo River in central Africa:
* Democratic Republic of the Congo, the larger country to the southeast, capital Kinshasa, formerly known as Zaire, sometimes referred to a ...
),
Rwanda
Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...
or
Burundi
Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...
. It was established on 16 June 1997 in three classes.
Classes and award prerequisites
The Cross of Honour is awarded in three classes based on the duration of service in the relevant territory. Years of service do not have to be continuous:
* The First Class is awarded for 15 years of service
* The Second Class for 10 years of service
* The Third Class for 5 years of service
However, depending on the region where the services were performed, one year of actual service may count for more than one year for the purpose of awarding the Cross of Honour. One year of service in the Congo, Rwanda or Burundi counted as five years, one year of service at the border between the former
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
and the former
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
counted for three years, and one year of service performed in the central region of the former
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
counted for two years.
Insignia
The medal is a gold star with a red pearl at each tip. The star is suspended to the ribbon by a royal crown and a ring. The obverse bears a central medallion with a golden lion on a black enamelled background surrounded by a ring of blue enamel with the motto in gold letters ''Pro Patria''. The reverse medallion bears a crown of laurels surrounding two crossed swords.
The ribbon is azure blue with a purple vertical border on each side and in the centre a vertical stripe the colour of which depends on the class: gold for first class, silver for second class, and red for third class.
See also
*
Orders, decorations, and medals of Belgium Belgium has established numerous orders of knighthood, decorations and medals since its creation in 1830. Below is a list of the main awards.
Orders
Order of Leopold
Order of the Crown
Order of Leopold II
Order of the African Star
Royal Or ...
References
* Royal Decree of 16 June 1997 Creating a Cross of Honour for Military Services Abroad (''Moniteur Belge'' of 18 July 1997)
* Belgian military regulation DGHR-REG-DISPSYS-001 of 20 February 2006
Other sources
* 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)
External links
Cross Of Honour For Military Service Abroad
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cross Of Honour For Military Service Abroad
1997 establishments in Belgium
Military awards and decorations of Belgium
Awards established in 1997
Long service medals