The Commemorative Medals for Army Marches are two distinct medals awarded for participating in the two marches organised yearly by the Belgian Army. They are not decorations, but they may be worn by members of the Belgian Armed Forces on their uniform during the year following the participation if they request it. For members of the Belgian Army, participating in the marches counts as operational training.
The European March of Remembrance and Friendship is a four-day international march originally organised in 1967 by the 3rd Battalion of the Ardennes Chasseur Regiment in remembrance of the operations performed by the unit at the beginning of World War II in the Ardennes region. The march is now organised on a yearly basis and also focusses on honouring the towns in the region regularly changing its course to do so. The march is divided into four legs of thirty-two kilometers each in the Ardennes region of Belgium as well as the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg.
The circular silver medal bears on its obverse the relief left profile of a wild boar's head surrounded by a 3mm wide ring along the entire medal's circumference and bearing the relief inscription "3 CHASSEURS ARDENNAIS" in the upper half and "125 km" at the bottom. The reverse bears the relief inscription on four lines "MARCHE" "DU SOUVENIR" "ET DE L'AMITIE" "ARLON-VIELSALM". The medal hangs from a ribbon secured by a hook through a suspension loop at its top. The medal is secured to clothing with a safety pin backed metal clasp displaying in relief the year of the event, or in the case of older medals, the inscription M.S.A. or M.S.E.A.. The ribbon is dark green with the national colours of Belgium in three narrow 1mm edge stripes and two narrow 1mm wide red stripes centered 1 cm apart on the green field.
The Four Days of the Yser is a four-day international march organised since 1967 by the Order of the Horse Fishermen of Oostduinkerke, in order to honour the tradition of shrimping on horseback on the one hand and to emphasize the scenic attractions of the Westhoek, the western part of the Belgian coast. Since 1972 it is organised by the Belgian Armed Forces to strengthen the bond between the Belgian Armed Forces and society, to commemorate the casualties of both World Wars, particularly those who fell on the battlefields of the Westhoek during the First World War, and to introduce the hikers to the historical and touristic values of the Westhoek. The march was initially four times thirty-two kilometers long, but now currently has 8,16,24 and 32 km routes including detours for disabled access and pushchairs. https://4daagse.be/index.php/nl/huidige-editie/aandenkens
The medal is round or triangular, made in silver or bronze, and showing the imprint of a World War I Belgian soldier, but the shape of the medal can change every five years. The ribbon is dark blue with a large vertical scarlet stripe. Small metal bars are added to the ribbon when the bearer has completed the march more than one time.
The Resistance Medal was a decoration bestowed by the French Committee of National Liberation, based in the United Kingdom, during World War II. It was established by a decree of General Charles de Gaulle on 9 February 1943 "to recognize the remarkable acts of faith and of courage that, in France, in the empire and abroad, have contributed to the resistance of the French people against the enemy and against its accomplices since 18 June 1940".
The Medal "For the Victory over Japan" was a campaign medal of the Soviet Union established on September 30, 1945 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union to commemorate the Soviet victory over the Empire of Japan in the Soviet–Japanese War at the end of World War II. The medal's statute was later amended on July 18, 1980 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR № 2523-X.
The King Albert Medal was a Belgian medal established by royal decree on 7 April 1919 and awarded to both Belgians and foreigners who were exceptionally meritorious in promoting, organising or administering humanitarian and charitable work that assisted Belgians in need during the First World War.
The Commemorative Medal of the 1940–45 War was a military decoration of Belgium. It was established by royal decree of the Prince Regent on 16 February 1945 to recognise Belgian servicemen and women who served during World War II. It was also awarded to members of the Belgian Resistance and members of Belgium's Merchant Navy on the side of the Allies. Later decrees allowed for its award to foreign recipients of the Belgian Croix de Guerre.
The Military Decoration is a military award of the Kingdom of Belgium. It was established on December 23, 1873 and is awarded to non-commissioned officers and other ranks of the Belgian Armed Forces for long service. Initially, the medal was created in 2 versions. The version for exceptional service, gallantry or devotion to duty was created by the same royal decree, has the same jewel, but a different ribbon. Currently, both medals still exist, but are considered to be separate awards, not variations of the same award.
The Croix de guerre (French) or Oorlogskruis (Dutch) is a military decoration of the Kingdom of Belgium established by royal decree on 25 October 1915. It was primarily awarded for bravery or other military virtue on the battlefield. The award was reestablished on 20 July 1940 by the Belgian government in exile for recognition of bravery and military virtue during World War II. The post-1940 decoration could also be awarded to units that were cited. The decoration was again reestablished by royal decree on 3 April 1954 for award during future conflicts.
The Medal "In Commemoration of the 1500th Anniversary of Kiev" was a state commemorative medal of the Soviet Union established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on 10 May 1982 to commemorate the 1500th anniversary of the Hero City of Kiev.
The Jubilee Medal "Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" was a state commemorative medal of the Soviet Union established on May 7, 1965 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to denote the twentieth anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
The Jubilee Medal "Thirty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" was a state commemorative medal of the Soviet Union established on April 25, 1975, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to denote the thirtieth anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
The Medal "Veteran of the Armed Forces of the USSR" was a long service award of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union established on May 20, 1976 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and awarded for twenty-five years of impeccable service to troops of the army, navy, of internal forces and of border troops. Its statute was twice amended by further decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, first on July 18, 1980 and lastly on January 10, 1984.
The Jubilee Medal "50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" was a state military commemorative medal of the Soviet Union established on December 26, 1967 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to denote the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of the Soviet Armed Forces. Its statute was amended on three occasions, by decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of February 22, 1968, of December 19, 1969, and of July 18, 1980.
The Jubilee Medal "60 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" was a state military commemorative medal of the Soviet Union established and bestowed to military personnel to denote the sixtieth anniversary of the creation of the armed forces of the Soviet Union. It was established on January 28, 1978 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Its statute was amended by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on July 18, 1980.
The Jubilee Medal "70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" was a state military commemorative medal of the Soviet Union established on January 28, 1988 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to denote the seventieth anniversary of the creation of the Soviet Armed Forces.
The Medal "For the Defence of the Soviet Transarctic" was a World War II campaign medal of the Soviet Union.
The Medal "For Impeccable Service" was a Soviet military award for long service awarded to deserving members of the military personnel of the armed forces of the USSR, of the Interior Ministry of the USSR and of the Ministry for the Protection of Public Order of the USSR, to recognise ten, fifteen and twenty years of faithful and impeccable service to the state.
The Yser Medal was a Belgian campaign medal of World War I, established on 18 October 1918 to denote distinguished service during the 1914 Battle of the Yser in which the Belgian Army stopped the German advance of the German invasion of Belgium.
The Commemorative Medal for Security Operations and the Maintenance of Order is a French commemorative medal established in the late 1950s for award to members of the French armed forces and French civil servants under military authority for service in French North Africa during the hectic years that would become the end of French colonialism in the region.
The Civilian Disobedience Medal was a war service medal of the Kingdom of Belgium established by royal decree on 12 February 1951 and awarded to Belgian citizens refusing to support the German war effort during the Second World War.
The Medal for Services Rendered is a Belgian military service medal that was proposed to be created on 18 April 1988 by ministerial decree. It was intended to be awarded to members of the army, navy, air force and medical services of the Belgian Armed Forces for service rendered in particularly difficult circumstances over an extended time period. However, the creation of the medal was presented to the Council of State under the form of a ministerial decree and the Council ruled that the creation of such an award should be done by the King, thus via a Royal Decree. As a Royal Decree was never adopted, the medal was never officially created and has not or cannot be awarded.
The Military Decoration for Exceptional Service or Acts of Courage or Devotion is awarded to personnel of the Belgian Armed Forces for either displayed herorism or for display of extraordinary devotion to duty. In history, sometimes it is referred to as an 'Article 4' award, as originally, the medal was created as a variation of the military decoration for long service. However, nowadays, both medals are distinct awards, albeit still having the same guilt cross.
