Silver Medal of Military Valor Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Silver Medal of Military Valor Medaglia d'argento al valor militare
Silver Medal of Military Valor (Royal version & Republican version)

Country	Italy
Type	Military decoration
Eligibility	Junior officers and soldiers
Awarded for	Deeds of outstanding gallantry in war
Statistics
Established	21 May 1793
Precedence
Next (higher)	Cross of Honour for Victims of Acts of Terrorism
Next (lower)	Silver Medal for Army Valor
Ribbon bar of the medal

The Silver Medal of Military Valor (which in Italian is called Medaglia d'argento al valor militare) is an important Italian award given for bravery. It's like a special badge of honor for soldiers who show amazing courage.

History of the Medal
Notable recipients
See also

History of the Medal

How the Medal Started

The idea for Italian medals of bravery began a long time ago. On May 21, 1793, Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia created two medals: a gold one and a silver one. These were meant for younger officers or regular soldiers who did something very brave in battle.

Changes Over Time

These medals were not used for a while during the time of Napoleon's rule. But then, on April 1, 1815, Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia brought them back. However, he changed his mind just a few months later, on August 4, 1815. He replaced them with a different award called the Military Order of Savoy, which is now known as the Military Order of Italy.

Medals Reinstated

In 1833, Charles Albert of Sardinia realized that the Military Order was only for high-ranking people. He wanted to honor brave acts by all soldiers, no matter their rank. So, he brought back the gold and silver medals for valor. These could be given for brave actions both during war and in peacetime.

Rules for Receiving the Medal

At first, there was a rule that a person could only receive a valor medal (silver or gold) up to three times. After that, they would get a promotion instead. This rule was set in 1915. But in 1922, this limit was removed, meaning someone could receive the medal more than three times if they kept performing heroic acts.

The Medal in World War I

During World War I, the Silver Medal of Military Valor was given to soldiers, military groups (larger than a company), and even regular people. It was awarded for showing amazing bravery when facing the enemy.

In World War I, this medal was given out about 38,614 times for individual acts of heroism. To compare, the Gold Medal was given 368 times, and the Bronze Medal was given 60,244 times. The Italian Silver Medal is similar in how often it was given and how important it is to the British Military Cross. The British Military Cross was awarded about 40,253 times during World War I.

The Medal Today

The Italian government still awards the Silver Medal for Military Valor today. It is part of a group of medals that also includes the Gold and Bronze medals for Military Valor. There's also the "Croce di Guerra al Valor Militare" (War Cross of Military Valor), which is only given during wartime.

These medals were officially set up by a Royal Decree on November 4, 1932. The main goal of these medals is "to recognize and publicly honor people who perform heroic military acts." This includes brave actions done during peacetime, as long as they are connected to the purpose of the Armed Forces. It doesn't matter who the person is or what their rank is.

Notable recipients

Many brave people have received the Silver Medal of Military Valor. Here are some of them:

Ernest Hemingway as a Red Cross ambulance driver during World War I.

Italo Balbo
William George Barker VC
Nicola Bellomo (received it twice)
Alfred-Ingemar Berndt
Aaron Bradshaw Jr.
Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia
Federico Cafiero
Mark W. Clark
Gino De Giorgi (received it twice)
Ludovico De Filippi
Arturo Ferrarin
Alfred Gause
Joachim Helbig
Ernest Hemingway
Sir William Holmes
Hans Kroh
Alfredo Madau [it]
Hans-Joachim Marseille
Mario Masciulli
Walther Nehring
Erwin Rommel
Hans-Ulrich Rudel
Hippolyte De La Rue
Emanuele Ruspoli
Nazario Sauro
Achille Starace
Johannes Streich
Walkiria Terradura
Attilio Teruzzi
Marcello Serrazanetti
Edmond Thieffry
Cervi Brothers
Hans von Luck
Guido Jung
Ada Gobetti
Armando Diaz
Alessandro Sinigaglia

Silver Medal of Military Valor facts for kids

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