FFL Veteran - Chris, Ring Any Bells?

[Michael Johnson]

Chris, maybe you recognize this Polish Legion veteran? Apparently finished as a Captain.

Posted on the BMF, here's the poster's list of the medals he identified:

1. Medaille Militaire
2. Ordre national du Merite (awarded by the President)
3. Croix de la Valeur Militaire (like the Croix de Guerre, MID level)
4. Croix du combatant
5. Medaille d’Outre-Mer (Overseas Medal) with clasp TCHAD
6. Medaille de la Defense Nationale, en Argent (version 2 – took me a while to work this out), two clasps INFANTERIE and LEGION ETRANGERE.
7. Medaille de Reconnaissance de la Nation, with clasp, OPERATIONS EXTERIEURES
8. Medaille commemoration francaise, with clasp, EX-YOUGOSLAVIE
9. Medaille des blesses de guerre (Medal for War Wounded), later version
10. UN UNPROFOR, I’m pretty sure with clasp KOSOVO (can’t see other examples of this)
11. ?? Big foreign award, blue and white ribbon, crown with leaves at top?
12. Foreign medal, silver and green star, Arabic writing. Can’t identify. Saudi colours.
13. Medal itself completely obscured by ‘Big foreign award’, ribbon sixth blue, sixth yellow, third black, sixth green, sixth red.

Michael

Edited December 27, 2019 by Michael Johnson
Add detail photo

[pat66]

hello from France,

10 - the french clasp is not official on this médal

11- j think tha's a modern (and bad) issue, a knight of the merite order of the Malaguasy republic.

12 - that's a knight of the order of the star of the great comore island 

13 - that's a sport medal of deutchland.

sorry for my poor englich please 

regards, pat66

[Chris Boonzaier]

I think Pat nailed it.... not an everyman bar, but a very possible selection.... Unfortunately the system works like this... you get wounded... and you do not just get the wound medal, you get the wound medal, you get the VM, and you get the MM.... he has 3 bars on the N, there is a mission d'assistance as well... he was probably with the DLEM at some stage to pick up the 11 and 12.... and the German sport medal is a joke... I seriously wonder why they allow that on a bar!!!

I am thinking a NCO, maybe Adjudant Chef, Chef de Section. ..

I think it may be a Sarajevo bar on the UN, I think that was the only one awarded (unofficially) by the French, but I may be wrong on that.

 

[Michael Johnson]

Thank you, gentlemen.

Merçi messieurs

Michael

Edited December 29, 2019 by Michael Johnson
bilingualism

[aubagne98]

Hi

 

12, Etoile de Comores, for serving DLEM.

10, I think it is the Sarajevo clasp, which Chris got too.

13. German DSB or later DOSB Sport Medal.

[Dave Danner]

On 28/12/2019 at 08:08, Chris Boonzaier said:

and the German sport medal is a joke... I seriously wonder why they allow that on a bar!!!

I think that, especially in the 1970s, a lot of European officers, especially Germans and French, were annoyed that they lacked the fruit salad of some other NATO officers, especially Americans. Unless you were a legionnaire or other soldier routinely deployed overseas, you had little to wear. So they approved some questionable foreign awards like the German sport badge and the Dutch Cross for Marching Proficiency (Kruis voor Betoonde Marsvaardigheid), also known as the Cross for the Four Day Marches (Vierdaagsekruis).

Then they added the National Defense Medal in 1982. France also later changed the rule keeping conscripts from being deployed overseas, so regular army units could also be sent to foreign missions. And conscription was ended in 1996-2001 anyway. Then they added some more medals, such as the Médaille commémorative française (1995), the Médaille d'Afrique du Nord (1997), the Medaille de Reconnaissance de la Nation (2002), the Médaille de la protection militaire du territoire (2015).

I doubt they will ever catch up to the US Air Force or Russians, though. Since 1980, the USAF has added the Air Force Achievement Medal (1980), Air Force Recognition Ribbon (1980), Air Force Overseas Long Tour Service Ribbon (1980), Air Force Overseas Short Tour Service Ribbon (1980), Air Force Training Ribbon (1980), Aerial Achievement Medal (1988), Air and Space Campaign Medal (2002), Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon (2003), Air Force Gallant Unit Citation (2004), Air Force Meritorious Unit Award (2004), Air Force Combat Action Medal (2007), Air Force Special Duty Ribbon (2014), Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal (2014), and the Remote Combat Effects Campaign Medal (2019). 

During the same period, USAF personnel also became eligible for other US armed forces awards which were awarded to all services. These include the Southwest Asia Service Medal (1991), Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal (1993), Armed Forces Service Medal (1996), Kosovo Campaign Medal (2000), Korea Defense Service Medal (2002), Global War on Terrorism Service Medal (2003), Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal (2003), Afghanistan Campaign Medal (2004), Iraq Campaign Medal (2004), and the Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal (2016). Add in foreign and international awards, such as the two Kuwait Liberation Medals, the UN Medal, and the NATO Medal, and some people aren't hurting for bling. 

I know I am picking on the Air Force. The US Army, Navy and Marine Corps have also added decorations and awards, but at nowhere near the pace of the USAF. For service-specific awards, for example, the US Army has only added one decoration and 6 service ribbons since 1980: the Army Achievement Medal (1981), Army NCO Professional Development Ribbon (1981), Army Service Ribbon (1981), Army Overseas Service Ribbon (1981), Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon (1984), Army Superior Unit Award (1985), and Army Sea Duty Ribbon (2006).

And don't get me started on Canada, mainly because I don't have a clue about Canadian ODM.

 ?

(that's a Tim Hortons doughnut in place of a smiley-face, in case you were wondering)

[Paul R]

There was an explosion in the Coast Guard awards in the 1980s and 90s too. 

[aubagne98]

Cne Leszek Michalik

[Chris Boonzaier]

2 hours ago, aubagne98 said:

Cne Leszek Michalik

aaaahhhh... I knew him, not closely, just someone in the heard... would not have recognised him