The Médaille militaire is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, after the Legion of Honour, a civil and military order, and the Order of Liberation, a Second World War-only order. The Médaille militaire is therefore the most senior entirely military active French decoration.
The fourragère is a military award, distinguishing military units as a whole, in the form of a braided cord. The award was first adopted by France, followed by other nations such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, and Luxembourg. Fourragères have been awarded to units of both national and foreign militaries, except for that of Luxembourg, which has not been awarded to any foreign units.
The French commemorative medal is a French decoration intended to recognize civilians and soldiers who took part in specific missions ordered by the French government carried out outside of French national territory after 1 March 1991. It was established by decree 95-1098 on 9 October 1995 on the initiative of the then Defence Minister, François Léotard.
The Médaille de la Famille française is a decoration awarded by the government of France to honour those who have successfully raised several children with dignity. The decoration was created by a decree of May 26, 1920, under the name Médaille d'honneur de la famille française, with the aim of honouring mothers of large families. Although the medal rewards those with large families, the children must be "raised well" and the eldest be at least 16 years old.
The Ordre du Mérite Maritime is a French order established on 9 February 1930 for services rendered by seafarers to recognise the risks involved and the services rendered by seamen, and reflect the important economic role of the Merchant Navy to the country. The order was reorganized in 1948, and again by decree on 17 January 2002.
The Cross for Military Valour is a military decoration of France. It recognizes an individual bestowed a Mention in Dispatches earned for showing valour in presence of an enemy, in theatres of operations which are not subject to the award of the Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures. The Cross for Military Valour is usually awarded for security or peacekeeping operations, always outside the French territory.
The Meritorious service medal for personnel of the Belgian Defence Forces and Foreign Armed Forces is a military decoration of Belgium. It was established on 23 February 2005 as a more rewarding successor of an earlier Medal of Military Merit and is awarded to members of the Belgian Armed Forces and civilians working for the Belgian Defence who show an exemplary meritorious behaviour in the completion of their duties or who have accomplished an exemplary meritorious act.
Benoît Puga is a general in the French Army and the Grand Chancellor of the National Order of the Legion of Honour and the National Order of Merit.
The Médaille de la Gendarmerie nationale is a French military decoration created on 5 September 1949 on proposition of the then Minister of Defence, mister Paul Ramadier. It was originally created in a single grade for award to officiers and NCOs of the Gendarmerie nationale who were cited in the orders of the entire service. Such a citation in the orders of the entire service, and all potential subsequent ones would be denoted by a grenade device on the ribbon as the medal could, and can still only be awarded once to any potential recipient. The medal could also be exceptionally awarded to persons not members of the service for important services rendered to the gendarmerie or for help during special missions. These presentations were made without a citation and thus without any ribbon device.
The Medal of the Nation's Gratitude is a French state decoration established on 12 April 2002 by decree 2002-511 and awarded to civilians, veterans of civil or military service, and to members of the French armed forces previously awarded the "Title of the Nation's Gratitude", a governmental scroll certifying to honorable service abroad.
The Honour medal of the National Police is the highest award of the French National Police, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior.
The National Defence Medal is a French military decoration. It was created by Charles Hernu, Minister of Defence and established by decree on 21 April 1982. It rewards particularly honourable service rendered by military personnel for their participation in operational activities. The medal has three levels: Gold, Silver and Bronze.
The Honour medal for firefighters is a state decoration of France bestowed by the Ministry of the Interior to members of the French Fire Service.
The Medal for Voluntary Military Service is a French military decoration established on 13 March 1975 by decree 75-150. It was established in three grades to recognize voluntary military service in the reserves.
The Honour medal for courage and devotion is a French decoration than can be bestowed to individuals and whole units. It is awarded for acts of courage during a rescue. The Honour medal for courage and devotion was created on 2 March 1820 by King Louis XVIII. It has gone through several designs during its long history. The award was given its present name by a decree of 16 November 1901.
The Honour medal of railroads is a state decoration bestowed by the French Republic in the form of an honour medal for work. It was originally meant to reward, depending on the quality and length of time calculated in calendar years, the services rendered by French agents and labourers and to nationals of the French Union or protectorates, in service with the railroads. The Honour medal of railroads was created by decree on 19 August 1913 as a reward for thirty years of service. Since then, many modifications were instituted by consecutive decrees amending the original text.
Known for a long time as the President's medal, the Honour medal of Foreign Affairs is a state decoration bestowed by the French Republic in the form of an honour medal for work. It was originally created by a Royal decree of 28 July 1816 as a single grade medal to reward acts of courage displayed by French nationals on foreign soil. An 1861 Imperial decree saw it be split into the silver and gold grades. The year 1887 saw the addition of swords to the medal for award to both French or allied military personnel for acts of courage in favour of the French in time of war. Although still bestowed in wartime for courage, the modern award is now aimed at rewarding civil servants of the ministry for Foreign Affairs.
The Medal for the Military Protection of the Territory is a French state decoration established on 13 July 2015 by presidential decree 2015-853 and awarded to military personnel of the French Armed Forces for service during national security operations on French national territory. It was created to recognize service following the need for an increased military presence during national security operations following the rise of international terrorism and the many incidents in France over the past years.
The Defence and Internal Security Volunteer Reservists Medal is a civil and military service medal of France. Established on 1 July 2019, it replaces the Medal for voluntary military service.
The Military Medal of Annam, also known as the Military Medal of Emperor Đồng-Khánh; officially the Military and Native Guard Merit Medal, was a short lived Order of Merit of the French protectorates of Annam and Tonkin within the federation of French Indochina. The Military Medal of Annam was awarded to Annamese and Tonkinese soldiers of the Tirailleurs indochinois, the Garde indigène de l'Annam er du Tonkin, and other Indochinese military forces as well as police officers in the Garde Civil indigène for distinguished action or serious wounds.
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