Military awards and decorations facts for kids
Military awards and decorations are special honors given to people in the military. They show that someone has been very brave, done excellent service, or achieved something important. Often, a decoration is a medal with a ribbon and a round metal piece.
Sometimes, people in the military also receive civilian awards. But these are not considered military decorations. Some special groups, called orders of chivalry, might have awards for both military and civilian people. Awards given to police or fire brigade members are usually not military awards, even if they look similar.
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History of Military Awards
People have been giving out awards for a very long time. Even in ancient times, there were special honors. For example, in ancient Egypt, there was the Order of the Golden Collar. Later, in the New Kingdom, they gave out the Order of the Golden Fly.
The Celts and Romans wore special torc necklaces or received other military decorations. One Roman award was the hasta pura, which was a spear without a sharp tip. Some Dayak people even used tattoos as a form of award. During the early Middle Ages, people gave out necklaces and bracelets. These later became large, fancy necklaces with jewels and often a pendant, which was usually a medal.
Oldest Awards Still Used
One of the oldest military awards still around is from Sweden. It's called För tapperhet i fält (which means 'For Valour in the Field') and För tapperhet till sjöss ('For Valour at Sea'). These awards are for Swedish soldiers and officers who showed bravery in battle on land or at sea during wartime. King Gustav III of Sweden started this medal on May 28, 1789, during a war with Russia. Even though it's technically still active, it hasn't been given out since 1915.
Another very old military award is the Austro-Hungarian Tapferkeits Medaille (Honour Medal for Bravery). Emperor Joseph II started this medal on July 19, 1789.
Poland also has one of the oldest military awards still in use. It's called the War Order of Virtuti Militari, which means 'For Military Valour' in Latin. It was first given out in 1792.
Faking Medals
Sometimes, people try to fake medals. They might do this to make a medal seem more valuable. Or, they might want to pretend they are a more decorated soldier than they really are. Faking medals can involve adding extra parts, engraving a famous soldier's name, or even creating a whole new fake medal. In most countries, faking medals is against the law. People who do this can face serious consequences, like going to prison.
Modern Military Awards
Today, military awards come in many forms:
- Orders of merit: These are awards for outstanding service or achievement.
- Bravery awards: These are given for acts of courage. They often look like a cross, star, or medal on a ribbon.
- Distinguished service awards: These are for excellent service. They also often look like a cross, star, or medal on a ribbon.
- Campaign medals: These are given for serving in a specific military campaign or war. They are worn on a ribbon.
- Service medals: These are given for completing a certain amount of service or for specific duties. They are also worn on a ribbon.
- Awards for entire units: Sometimes, a whole military unit gets an award. These can be battle honors, campaign streamers, fourragères, or unit citations.
In many modern armies, especially those in NATO, soldiers usually wear only the small service ribbons on their everyday uniforms. They save the actual medals for special events.
See also
In Spanish: Distinción militar para niños
- List of military decorations
- List of highest military decorations by country
- Civil decoration
- State decoration
- Neck decoration
- Awards and decorations of the United States military
- Awards and decorations of the Russian Federation
- Awards and decorations of the Soviet Union
- Israeli military decorations
