So... whats this then ?

[Chris Boonzaier]

Any guesses?

[Hendrik]

Any guesses?

The usual UN medal but with a non-official French bar is what I think.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi,

close.

I dont think that the UNO knows about it, but all members of Frebat who were stationed in Sarajevo were awarded their medal with this bar on it.

there is also a small one for the ribbon bar.

It is made just like an Outre-mer bar.

best

Chris

[Ed_Haynes]

I fear that like most States, the UN knows very little about their own medals. I agree totally with Hendrik's analysis that this is an unofficial bar, and I suspect basis Chris' evidence that there are a lot of them around.

Beyone the legitimate bars (O.S.G.A.P., CONGO, UNGOMAP, etc.) and the true swamp of bars for the U.N. Special Service Medal, I think there are a lot more yet to be discovered. Curiously, the U.N. seems not to realise that these bars exist (ref. my long and untimately fruitless quest for my UNAMA clasp -- I use the AFGHANISTAN bar of the Canadians, as do most UNAMA folks).

Thanks for adding one more data point (however unofficial) in the UN medal list!

[Hendrik]

all members of Frebat who were stationed in Sarajevo were awarded their medal with this bar on it.

Ha, yes, but who awarded these ? Not the French government I think, so .. the local CO ?

A similar event occured in the Belgian Navy where the Navy's Chief of Staff, on a visit to the Belgian ships on patrol during the first Gulf War, awarded a medal with a non-existing Persian Gulf bar to the crews. The medal is quite wrong for this kind of operation and the bar is up till now not officially recognized ... Shows that admirals (at least Belgian ones) do make mistakes !Oh, and there are two versions of it, a French language one and a Flemish type ! Here's the Flemish one :

[attachmentid=19388]

[Chris Boonzaier]

I think it was our regimental commander. What is unusual is that in the legion they are very strict with people weariing non officialbits of uniforms or non standard things and this was accepted right off the bat, I never heard anyone even even wonder if it was official or not 8of course, it is not)

best

Chris