Medal of
Military Virtue
'Medalia Virtutea
Militara'
The
Medal of
Military Virtue was instituted by royal decree on May 17, 1872. The
medallion
has a diameter of 30 mm and on the obverse is a bust of King Carol I.
It
is inscribed around the edge "Carol I Domnul Romaniei".
The
reverse
has a wreath of laurel and olive leaves and is inscribed "Virtute
Militara".
The
medallion
is hung below a laurel wreath which also serves as a suspension device
for the ribbon.
The
medal is
hung from a red ribbon flanked by stripes of light blue.
The
medal was
instituted in two classes: Gold for officers (1st Class) and silver for
enlisted men (2nd class).
It was awarded for
life to reward
either long service or deeds of merit, courage and devotion, but could
not be transmitted to others upon the recipient's death.
Only enlisted
soldiers holding the
rank of Sergeant could receive the medal for service. It required
a total of 12 years of honorable service at the rank of Sergeant.
Time served during wartime was doubled when applied to the 12 year
requirement.
An award for 12 years service was designated by the addition of a white
metallic bar on the ribbon marked 'XII'. The bar was 5-6 mm in
height
and was 30 mm wide.
In addition, the
enlisted recipient
was awarded a pension of 300 lei per year. This pension was lost
if the recipient was promoted to the officer ranks.
In cases where
recipients were promoted
to the officer grades, the silver medal continued to be worn, however
the
recipient was then eligible to earn the gold medal. In cases
where
both the silver and gold medals were awarded (silver as enlisted man,
gold
as an officer), the recipient would wear both medals.
In
1880 the
medal was reformed by royal decree. Soldiers who had earned the
medal
during wartime were authorized to turn in their medals for a new 'war'
medal (Medalia Virtutea Militara de Razboi). The new medal was in
the form of a cross and was awarded for bravery only during
wartime.
In
the center
of the cross is a medallion with a bust of Carol I surrounded by the
inscription,
"Carol I Domunul Romaniei".
On
the reverse
is the inscription "Virtute Militara".
Beginning
in
1918, the medal was awarded exclusively to enlisted men in both grades,
and was the highest award for bravery that could be awarded to enlisted
soldiers.
Of
interesting
note is that Romanian Orders often used the ribbon of the Medal of
Military
Virtue to signify that an award was given for bravery;
specifically,
the Orders of the Star and Crown of Romania.
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