Rocket

Andrew's Ukrainian "For Our and Your Freedom" medal arrived in the mail today. I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed though. Instead of the medal coming in the standard case with the small certificate booklet inside, they sublimated the certifcate onto a wooden plaque and glued the medal to the plaque. Thankfully, they didn't use permanent glue so the medal can be removed. As you can see, the back of the medal has his name engraved. Oh well...my wife and I are just happy to have finally received the medal. John

Thanks for the kind words Chris. It's hard to believe it's been 2 years now since we lost him. John

I just realized that the serial number on the certificate is 006. I checked the website and confirmed that Andrew's the 6th person to be awarded the medal. I joked to my wife that it's too bad the serial number wasn't 007 since Andrew was a huge James Bond fan as you can see from his chest tattoo. lol

My wife and I just received word from the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv that our son Andrew Peters has been awarded the For Our Freedom and Yours medal. Once we receive it in the mail I'll be sure to share some detailed pics of it. John

After checking out the vgo-Orden website I get the impression that very few of these have been awarded so far. According to the website only 7 have been awarded.

Thanks Ura87. I'll pass this information along to the family.

Hi Ura87, Another family of a fallen volunteer was awarded this medal for their son's service. Are you able to identify it for me so I can pass the information on to the family? Thanks. John

My son Andrew Peters was finally awarded the Order for Courage III Class for his service and sacrifice in helping defend the people of Ukraine. I attended the award ceremony on August 29th in Washington DC. August 29th is the "National Memorial Day of Defenders of Ukraine". A total of 7 families of fallen American volunteers attended the event. Needless to say, it was a very emotional event with not a dry eye in the house. As a token of my appreciation I gave the ambassador one of Andrew's spare U.S. Army dog tags. She got quite emotional by the gesture, as did I. I don't know if or when Andrew might receive any other awards. Maybe once this terrible war is finally over. John

Thanks Ura87...I'll relay this information to the family. John

Ura87, I've been in contact with the family of another fallen legion member. I mentioned Andrew being awarded the Order of Courage, III Class. The family said their son was awarded this medal...but they didn't know the name of it. Can you help identify this medal so I can relay the information to the family? Thanks. John

I'm happy to annouce that the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington DC has informed us that our son, Andrew Peters, has been posthumously awarded the "Order of Courage, III Class" for his service and selfless sacrifice. Once we receive the medal, I'll post a picture. John

Ura87, Do you have any information on this particular medal called the "Defender of Ukraine" medal? Who issues the medal? What are the award eligibility requirements? The medal and the ribbon with the gold gilt is beautiful! Thanks. John

I purchased mine off of GunBroker. They also have some for sale at Indiana Surplus. Here's a link: https://www.indianaarmysurplusstore.com/product/16-naval-battle-ship-projectile/

Thank you Ura87!

Hi Ura87 I've been in contact with the family of another fallen legion member. He traveled to Ukraine to attend his son's funeral since he was buried over there. He sent me pics of the 2 medals they gave him for his son's service. However, he has no idea what the medals are called and what they are for. If you can assist in identifying these...I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks John