A short history of military medals and decorations

The first known instance of a medal being awarded comes from the historian Josephus who, writing long after the event, accounts that in the fourth century BCE the High Priest Jonathan led the Hebrews in aid of Alexander the Great, and that in return for this, Alexander " sent to Jonathan... honourary awards, as a golden button, which it is custom to give the king's kinsmen." Another early example of medals is found used by the Roman Republic, which adopted an elaborate system of military awards that included medals called phalerae to be issued to soldiers and units for a variety of achievements.

Medals made to commemorate specific events, including military battles and victories, continued to be commissioned and awarded in the Roman fashion, and from this grew the practice of pinning such military medals onto one's uniform.

Many military decorations are often mistakenly referred to and confused with true medals. 'Military decoration' is an all-encompassing term that includes medals, but is generally applied to the other types of awards that do not meet the qualification of a true medal. The technical difference is that these other decorations take on a different shape, such as a cross or star, other than the generally circular one that is required. This difference does not necessarily imply any lessened honour for military decorations, as the Victoria Cross demonstrates, which is technically a decoration, as it is the highest British award for bravery in war.

An order tends to be the most elaborate of military decorations, typically awarded for distinguished services to a nation or cause. Orders are distinguished from other forms of decoration in that they often imply membership in an organisation or association of others that have received the same award. This practice originates with the mediaeval fraternities of knighthood, some of which even exists into the present and are still awarded to persons. While most of these modern orders no longer have roots in true knighthood, they still tend to carry over the terms of their historic counterparts, and terms such as knight, commander, officer, members and so on are still commonly found as ranks. A military order may use a medal as its insignia, however, most tend to have a unique badge or a type of plaque specifically designed for an emblem.

3.65 Military awards and commendations – decorations of the Knights Templar (armed and civilian efforts)

The following commendations – decorations, medals are awarded to Justiciar Knights and civilians involved in the efforts to liberate Europe from cultural Marxism.

The three primary distinguished military commendations of the PCCTS, Knights Templar are:

· Distinguished Destroyer of cultural Marxism (DCM) commendation

· Distinguished Saboteur Master (SM) commendation

· Distinguished Wielder of the Furious Scimitar (WFS) commendation

Earning one of the above commendations entitles the candidate to the following 5 base commendations:

· National Defence Service Medal

· Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal

· Honourable Crusader Medal

· Legacy of Charles Martel & John III Sobieski Medal

· Defender of Christendom Medal