Cross of Aeronautical Merit facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cross of Aeronautical Merit
Template of the Cross Aeronautical Merit decorations
Presented by	Spain

The Cross of Aeronautical Merit (which in Spanish is Cruces del Mérito Aeronáutico) is a special military award from Spain. It's given to people who show great bravery or do something really good in the air. This award can be given during wartime or in times of peace. It's for members of the Spanish Armed Forces, the Guardia Civil (a police force), or even civilians.

What Does the Award Look Like?

The main part of this award is shaped like a Greek cross. This means all its arms are the same length. The arms are colored red for the Red Decoration award. For other types, they are white.

The Blue Decoration and Yellow Decoration crosses have an extra thin bar. This bar is blue or yellow and goes across the bottom arm of the cross. At the top of the cross, there's a Spanish royal crown. There's also a small space to write the date the award was given.

In the middle of the front side of the cross, there's a round shield. This shield shows the coats of arms (symbols) of old Spanish kingdoms like Castile, León, Aragon, Navarre, and Granada. In the very center of this shield, there's a blue oval with the symbol of the Bourbon-Anjou family. This central shield also has golden wings that spread out to the sides of the cross. A royal crown sits on top of these wings.

On the back of the cross, you'll see the letters "MA" on a red background. These letters stand for Mérito Aeronáutico, which means "Aeronautical Merit". You wear the cross on a ribbon on the left side of your chest. If someone receives the award more than once, a small bar with the date is added to the ribbon.

The Grand Cross

There's also a higher version of the award called the Grand Cross. It looks similar to the regular cross. However, it's worn on a wide sash that goes over the right shoulder.

People who receive the Grand Cross also get a special star. This star is gold and has eight points. The cross itself is placed on top of this star. Today, between the arms of the cross on the star, you can see alternating towers (for Castile) and lions (for León).

Who Receives This Award?

Many important people have received the Cross of Aeronautical Merit. Here are a few examples:

• Alfonso XIII
• Felipe VI of Spain (the current King of Spain)
• Antonio Ibáñez Freire
• Asghar Khan
• Francisco Franco
• Michael E. Ryan

Other Similar Awards

Spain has other awards that are similar to the Cross of Aeronautical Merit, but for different areas:

• Cross of Military Merit (Spain) (for military actions on land)
• Cross of Naval Merit (Spain) (for actions at sea)

Images for kids

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  Grand Cross - Red Decoration

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  Grand Cross - Red Decoration (ribbon)

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  Grand Cross - Blue Decoration

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  Grand Cross - Blue Decoration (ribbon)

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  Grand Cross - Yellow Decoration

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  Grand Cross - Yellow Decoration (ribbon)

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  Grand Cross - White Decoration

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  Grand Cross - White Decoration (ribbon)

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  Cross - Red Decoration

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  Cross - Red Decoration (ribbon)

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  Cross - Blue Decoration

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  Cross - Blue Decoration (ribbon)

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  Cross - Yellow Decoration

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  Cross - Yellow Decoration (ribbon)

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  Cross - White Decoration

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  Cross - White Decoration (ribbon)

See also

In Spanish: Cruces del Mérito Aeronáutico para niños