The Medal of Heroism ( cz, Medaile Za hrdinství) is principally a

military award 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 ...

, but has occasionally been awarded to

civilian Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not " combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant ...

s. It rewards acts of "heroism in combat" or those "deeds aimed at saving other human lives or substantial material values" which put the recipient at significant risk of death.Annex to Act 157/1994, regarding the Medal for Heroism
It is unique amongst current Czech decorations in that it has only a single grade or class. The medal was designed by Erna Masarovičová.

Appearance

The medal is a simple breast

ribbon A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily as decorative binding and tying. Cloth ribbons are made of natural materials such as silk, cotton, and jute and of synthetic mat ...

, primarily gold in color, but with three equal-width stripes running the vertical length of the ribbon. From left to right, the colors of the stripes are white, red and blue. Suspended from this ribbon is a silver medal, bearing the Greater Coat of Arms of the Czech Republic on one side, and a symbol representing heroism (double-tailed lion) on the other with an inscription "za hrdinství" (''"of/for heroism"'').

History

The Medal of Heroism predates the Czech Republic, having been created in 1990 by the Parliament of the

Czechoslovak Federative Republic After the Velvet Revolution in late-1989, Czechoslovakia adopted the official short-lived country name Czech and Slovak Federative Republic ( cz, Česká a Slovenská Federativní Republika, sk, Česká a Slovenská Federatívna Republika; ' ...

in 1990. However, the distinction was only awarded once prior to its reauthorization by the Czech Republic in 1992. There are additional recipients after 1992, most notably during the events of the

2014 Bagram Airfield bombing On 8 July 2014, a Taliban suicide bomber riding a bicycle attacked a joint Afghan-ISAF reconnaissance mission in the vicinity of Qalandar Khel Village in front of the Korean Clinic. Events The attack occurred at approximately 5:15 (UTC) A.M., as t ...

, after which 5 Czech soldiers were posthumously awarded the medal for their actions in support of the war in Afghanistan.

References

{{reflist Medal of Herosim Awards established in 1990