Foreign Decorations

[Opening Batsman]

http://www.defence.gov.au/gallery/content/C0222402.jpg
Bronze Star for the SAS
LT COL Rowan Tink was presented with the United States Bronze Star for commanding operations with the Special Air Service in Afganistan.

I am a bit curious about personell recieving decorations from other countries. How does it all work? And can they wear the awards alongside their own country's?

[mack pl]

I am a bit curious about personell recieving decorations from other countries. How does it all work? And can they wear the awards alongside their own country's?
well, 2 frm commanders of GROM, general Petelicki and colonel Polko received Medal of Military Merit(Polko twice), and it wasn't a problem to wearing them alongside polish medals.

regards

[username]

i wonder if he is retired? it's a bit odd for somone(in this case the australian government themselfs) to post a picture of someone in special forces like SAS, SASR, SBS, NZSAS, SFOD-D, GIGN, KSK, GROM etc.. without the face being blurred

[mack pl]

i wonder if he is retired? it's a bit odd for somone(in this case the australian government themselfs) to post a picture of someone in special forces like SAS, SASR, SBS, NZSAS, SFOD-D, GIGN, KSK, GROM etc.. without the face being blurred
he is an commander, so its not a problem. Polish GROM commanders aren't Top Secret(face, name) ;)

Regards

gen Petelicki(fmr GROM cmdr) with Delta cmdr(col. BMC)
http://acn.waw.pl/grom1/grom312.jpg

and with GSG9 cmdr
http://grom.wp.fm.interia.pl/grom425.jpg

[digrar]

I don't think he is CO any more so he doesn't really need to hide his identity, if anything a high profile would probably help his career whether it is in the Army or out on civvy street.
As for wearing foriegn medals the men from Delta Company 6RAR have just been given permission to wear the decorations they recieved for actions during the battle of Long Tan, 38 years ago.
Try here for info on Australian protocol on wearing gongs, www.itsanhonour.gov.au

[Opening Batsman]

Try here for info on Australian protocol on wearing gongs, www.itsanhonour.gov.au

Thanks, good site. woot

[PRKL]

High ranking officers and heads of states gets decorations from other countries and it's normal to wear foreign medals in uniform. There are some rules in which order one should wear them.

Medals and other insignias could tell interesting stories about person who's wearing them. I have seen a Swedish nurse who had medals received from Saudi-Arabia, UK and Nato because she was in first Gulf war. I have seen a German officer and I counted at least five different jump wings he was wearing and I have seen a Finnish commander who had SEAL trident.

[Deuterium]

In the US we can wear awards given to us by other nations. I have been awarded German jump wings and I wear them with my uniform.

[Bartok5]

Canadian soldiers can wear foreign decorations (eg. medals & commendations) only if they are recognized and accepted by the Canadian Government. Typically this means that the award and recipient must be published in the "Canada Gazette", indicating that the award has made its way throught the appropriate channels between the awarding government and the Canadian government. The process for formal Canadian acceptance of foreign decorations takes time, which often leads to the Canadian media assuming that the awards are somehow being "stalled" by the Canadian government. Nothing could be further from the truth. It simply takes time for the respective military and then political bureaucracies to process the awards. The U.S. Army Bronze Stars awarded to members of 3 PPCLI Battlegroup serving within TF Rakassan of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) during combat operations in Afghanistan back in 2002 are a perfect case in point. It took well over a year for the the Bronze Star commendations to wind their way from TF Rakassan up through the U.S. Army, across to the U.S. State Department, over to the Canadian government, and then back down to the recipients. The awards were drafted in mid-2002, and presented by U.S. Ambassador Celluci in December 2003. I know this, simply because I happened to receive one. The truth of the matter is that it was no big deal - meritorious service - a "thanks for coming out" from our Allies. The 5 Bronze Stars with "V for Valour" device awarded to Canadian snipers were a different story of course, and those were presented in a private ceremony.

As far as foreign qualifications are concerned (very different from decorations and commendations), the Canadian Forces fully recognizes such accomplishments. Indeed, the Canadian Army routinely loads selected personnel on the U.S. Army Ranger and Special Forces Qualification ("Q") Courses, along with SERE and a few others. We also send selected folks on the British SAS Combat Survival Course and various others international qualification courses. The graduates of such courses are permitted to wear the foreign qualification "tabs" on their dress uniforms and mess dress.

Foreign para wings are even "looser" as far as regulations are concerned. Foreign "wings exchanges" happen all of the time through small-unit exchanges, etc. Those who earn foreign para wings by completing a jump from a host-nation aircraft using the host's para equipment and having been dispatched by a foreign Jump-master can wear the applicable wings on their Mess dress.

Hope this helps shed some light on the subject of foreign awards and qualifications - at least from the Canadian perspective.

Cheers,

Mark C

[HarleyDoc]

In the US we can wear awards given to us by other nations. I have been awarded German jump wings and I wear them with my uniform.

Same here. I was able to jump with the Germans back in the early 90's. It was quite the experience. The JMPI standards were much more casual, and we had the old "dial of death" harness. The Germans were excellent hosts, and it was the only time I was able to drink a beer in an "O" club, snort some snuff from a ceremonial jar, and then jump out of an airplane!