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Category: Belgium

The Order of the Rooster and the Dog

The Order of the Rooster and the Dog is an order of legendary origins in France. It’s not clear whether it actually existed or not.

The Order is mentioned in the book “Tesoro de todas las ordenes militares antiguas y modernas” (Treasures of all Old and Modern Military Orders), published in 1650 and held by the Pitts Theology Library. You can see this book at Europeana and the Biblioteca Virtual de Defensa.

This is a description I translated from the original book:

“Lisbio Montmorenciaco, son of the Kings of Libya, who was called after his father in France and Belgium, baptized Clodoueo, first Christian in the Kingdom of Orliens and France (…) he was the first to celebrate in Orleans and France mass?. Seeing how the name of Christ and his holy faith were ahead, he instituted the noble “Cavalleria del Perro” (Knighthood of the Dog) as a symbol of fidelity. The collar was solid gold, and the pendant had a dog. Many knights were part of it, and ultimately Philip I armed many, and [the order] flowered in France. After some years, they instituted the Noble Knighthood of the Rooster, which had a gold necklace, and added the dog.”

Original source:

Tesoro de todas las órdenes militares antiguas y modernas...
Order of the Rooster and the Dog

The Centenary of National Independence Commemorative Medal

The Centenary of National Independence Commemorative Medal 1830-1930 (Médaille Commémorative du Centenaire de l’Indépendance Nationale 1830-1930 / Herinneringsmedaille van 100 Jaars de Onafhankelijkheid 1830-1930) is a Belgian commemorative medal established on 20 July 1930 by royal decree to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Belgian independence.

It was awarded to serving members of the Belgian Armed Forces and to veterans of the service as well as to civil servants who served honorably for twenty years or more prior to 1 January 1931.

The Centenary of National Independence Commemorative Medal Design

The medal is octagonal, measures 32mm wide by 30mm high and is struck in silvered bronze. It’s surmounted by a crown giving it a total height of 41mm.

The obverse bears the left-facing profiles of kings Leopold I, Leopold II and Albert I of Belgium. The reverse bears the relief years “1830” and “1930” on two rows slightly offset from center superimposed over oak and laurel leaves.

The ribbon is white 38mm wide silk moiré with the national colors of Belgium as 3mm wide edge stripes (1mm black, 1mm yellow and 1mm red). The medal is suspended by a ring through a suspension loop.

The Four Days of the Yser Commemorative Medal

The Four Days of the Yser Commemorative Medal (Médaille commémorative des “Quatre jours de l’Yser” / Herinneringsmedaille van de “Vierdaagse van de IJzer”) was established in 1967.

The Four Days of the Yser is a four-day international march organized since 1967 by the Order of the Horse Fishermen of Oostduinkerke, in order to honor the tradition of shrimping on horseback on the one hand and to emphasize the scenic attractions of the Westhoek, the western part of the Belgian coast.

Since 1972 it is organized by the Belgian Armed Forces to strengthen the bond between the Belgian Armed Forces and society, to commemorate the casualties of both World Wars, particularly those who fell on the battlefields of the Westhoek during the First World War, and to introduce the hikers to the historical and touristic values of the Westhoek.

The march was initially four times thirty-two kilometers long, but now currently has 8,16,24 and 32 km routes including detours for disabled access and pushchairs.

The Four Days of the Yser Commemorative Medal Design

The medal is round or triangular (the shape of the medal can change every five years), and struck in silver or bronze.

The obverse bears the imprint of a World War I Belgian soldier.

The ribbon is dark blue with a large vertical scarlet stripe. Small metal bars are added to the ribbon when the bearer has completed the march more than one time.

The European March of Remembrance and Friendship Commemorative Medal

The European March of Remembrance and Friendship Commemorative Medal (Médaille commémorative de la “Marche Européenne du Souvenir et de l’Amitié” / Herinneringsmedaille van de “Europese Mars van de Herdenking en de Vriendschap”) was established in 1967 to commemorate the European March of Remembrance and Friendship, a four-day international march originally organized in 1967 by the 3rd Battalion of the Ardennes Chasseur Regiment in remembrance of the operations performed by the unit at the beginning of World War II in the Ardennes region.

The march is now organized on a yearly basis and also focusses on honoring the towns in the region regularly changing its course to do so. The march is divided into four legs of thirty-two kilometers each in the Ardennes region of Belgium as well as the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg.

The European March of Remembrance and Friendship Commemorative Medal Design

The medal is circular and struck in silver.

The obverse bears the relief left profile of a wild boar’s head surrounded by a 3mm wide ring along the entire medal’s circumference and bearing the relief inscription “3 CHASSEURS ARDENNAIS” in the upper half and “125 km” at the bottom. The reverse bears the relief inscription on four lines “MARCHE” “DU SOUVENIR” “ET DE L’AMITIE” “ARLON-VIELSALM“.

The ribbon is dark green with the national colors of Belgium in three narrow 1mm edge stripes and two narrow 1mm wide red stripes centered 1 cm apart on the green field. The medal hangs from a ribbon secured by a hook through a suspension loop at its top.

The Meritorious Service Medal

The Meritorious service medal for personnel of the Belgian Defence Forces and Foreign Armed Forces (Médaille du Mérite en faveur des membres du personnel de la défense et d’armées étrangères / Medaille van Verdienste ten gunste van de personeelsleden van defensie en van vreemde legers) is a military decoration of Belgium established on 23 February 2005.

The medal is awarded to members of the Belgian Armed Forces and civilians working for the Belgian Defence who show exemplary meritorious behavior in the completion of their duties or who have accomplished an exemplary meritorious act. It may also be awarded to foreign military and civilian members of a foreign Armed Force who have provided exceptional support to the Belgian Defence. The medal is awarded by the King based on a proposal from the Secretary of Defence, the Chief of Defence or an officer with the authority of Corps Commander or above, for award to a person who:

  • is more productive than most of their colleagues;
  • tries to achieve perfection in their daily work;
  • has on their own initiative achieved something to the benefit of the Belgian Armed Forces;
  • has not had any previous penal or disciplinary sanctions;
  • behaves in an exemplary manner; and
  • takes into account human and social issues in their work.

The Meritorious Service Medal Design

The medal is circular and struck from bronze.

The obverse bears the Escutcheon-only version of the Coat of arms of Belgium. The plain reverse usually bears the engraved name of the recipient and date of the award.

The ribbon is light blue with four vertical white stripes. The original Medal for Military Merit had the same design and hung from the same ribbon as the new one, only the statute differs. The medal is suspended to the ribbon by a ring though the suspension loop.

The Commemorative Medal for Operations in Defense of the Territory

The Commemorative Medal for Missions or Operations regarding the operational defense of the territory (Médaille commémorative pour les missions ou opérations relatives à la défense opérationnelle du territoire / Herinneringsmedaille voor de opdrachten of operaties met betrekking tot de operationele verdediging van het grondgebied) is a military decoration of Belgium established on 28 March 2018 and is awarded to military and civilian members of the Belgian Armed Forces who participated in operations related to the defense of the Belgian territory or who provided specialized support to such operations for a minimum duration of 30 days.

In order to be eligible for the award, personnel must have shown exemplary behavior during the operation.

The Commemorative Medal for Operations in Defense of the Territory Design

The medal is circular and struck from bronze.

The obverse of the medal bears the Escutcheon-only version of the Coat of arms of Belgium under the royal crown and surrounded by the text “MISSIONS OU OPERATIONS INTERIEURES BINNENLANDSE OPDRACHTEN OF OPERATIES”. The reverse bears a laurel crown along the outer circumference. The blank area within the wreath may be used to engrave the recipients’ name and date of the award.

The ribbon is golden with three thin longitudinal stripes of black, yellow and red in the middle and adorned with an Arabic numeral that denotes the number of operations or missions the recipient has participated in.

The Commemorative Medal for Foreign Operations or Missions

The Commemorative Medal for Foreign Operations or Missions (Médaille Commémorative pour Missions ou Opérations à l’Étranger / Herinneringsmedaille voor Buitenlandse Opdrachten of Operaties) is a military decoration of Belgium established on 13 April 1993 and awarded to military and civilian members of the Belgian Armed Forces who participated in operations or missions outside of the territory of Belgium.

The medal is awarded to those who participated in good standing, in humanitarian, peacekeeping, peace enforcement or international security operations or missions outside the territory of Belgium for a minimum duration of one month. The list of the operations for which the medal is awarded is included in a separate Ministerial Decree, which is amended on a regular basis. If a person participated in more than one such operation, they receive the medal for each of these operations, the number of awards being represented by the number displayed on the ribbon.

The Commemorative Medal for Foreign Operations or Missions Design

The medal is circular and is struck from bronze.

The obverse of the medal bears the Escutcheon-only version of the Coat of arms of Belgium under the royal crown and surrounded by the text “Missions ou opérations à l’étranger – Buitenlandse opdrachten of operaties”. The reverse bears a laurel crown along the outer circumference. The blank area within the wreath may be used to engrave the recipients’ name and date of the award.

The ribbon is golden with three thin longitudinal stripes of black, green, and black near the outer edges. The ribbon is adorned with an Arabic numeral that denotes the number of operations or missions the recipient has participated in.

The Medal for Services Rendered

The Medal for Services Rendered (Médaille pour Services Rendus / Medaille voor Bewezen Diensten) is a Belgian military service medal that was proposed to be created on 18 April 1988 by ministerial decree.

It was intended to be awarded to members of the army, navy, air force and medical services of the Belgian Armed Forces for service rendered in particularly difficult circumstances over an extended time period. However, the creation of the medal was presented to the Council of State under the form of a ministerial decree and the Council ruled that the creation of such an award should be done by the King, thus via a Royal Decree.

Because a Royal Decree was never made, the medal was never officially created and has not or cannot be awarded.

The Medal for Services Rendered Design

The medal measures 36mm in diameter and is circular and struck in bronze.

The obverse bears a relief vertical broadsword pointing up superimposed over the base of a laurel wreath. Inscribed in relief along the medal circumference is, in Latin, “PATRIAM PROTEGO ET SERVIO” (“I PROTECT AND SERVE MY COUNTRY“). The reverse is smooth and plain.

The ribbon is 37 mm wide yellow silk moiré with five longitudinal black stripes. The black stripes are positioned as follows: one in the center, one on each edge, the last two are 4 mm from the edges. The width of the stripes varies according to the ribbon type. The type 1 ribbon has 2 mm edge stripes, 1 mm inner stripes and a 3 mm central stripe, the type 2 ribbon has five equal 1 mm stripes.

The medal hangs by a ring through a suspension loop.

The Commemorative Medal for Armed Humanitarian Operation

The Commemorative Medal for Armed Humanitarian Operations (Médaille commémorative pour opérations humanitaires armées / Herinneringsmedaille voor Gewapende Humanitaire Operaties) is a military decoration of Belgium established on 11 September 1987 and awarded to military and civilian members of the Belgian Armed Forces who participated in armed humanitarian operations.

The list of the operations for which the medal is awarded is included in the Royal Decree creating the medal, it is amended on a regular basis. If a person participated in more than one such operation, he or she will be awarded the same medal for each of these operations, each award represented by an additional clasp on the ribbon.

In the period 2009-2013, the Commemorative Medal for Armed Humanitarian Operations was awarded 119 times.

The Commemorative Medal for Armed Humanitarian Operation Design

The medal is circular and struck in bronze. The obverse bears at its center a blue enameled octagon with a yellow five-pointed star in the center. Along the outer circumference of the medal are thin enameled lines of black, yellow, and red surrounding the relief inscription “ARMED HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS” (OPÉRATIONS HUMANITAIRES ARMÉES / GEWAPENDE HUMANITAIRE OPERATIES). The obverse is plain.

The ribbon is azure blue, with three thin longitudinal bars in the national colors of Belgium (black, yellow and red). Small bronze clasps bear the names of the operations in which the recipient participated.

The Cross of Honor for Military Service Abroad

The Cross of Honour for Military Service Abroad (Croix d’Honneur pour Service Militaire à l’Étranger / Erekruis voor Militaire Dienst in het Buitenland) is a Belgian military decoration established on 16 June 1997 and originally awarded to Belgian servicemen who served for a long period of time in the Federal Republic of Germany, Zaire (now Congo), Rwanda or Burundi.

The medal was awarded in three classes, based on the duration of service in the relevant territory:

  • First Class is awarded for 15 years of service;
  • Second Class for 10 years of service;
  • Third Class for 5 years of service.

Depending on the region where the services were performed, one year of actual service may count for more than one year for the purpose of awarding the Cross of Honor.

The Cross of Honor for Military Service Abroad Design

The medal is a gold star with a red pearl at each tip, suspended to the ribbon by a royal crown and a ring.

The obverse bears a central medallion with a golden lion on a black enameled background surrounded by a ring of blue enamel with the motto in gold letters Pro Patria. The reverse bears a crown of laurels surrounding two crossed swords.

The ribbon is azure blue with a purple vertical border on each side and in the center a vertical stripe the color of which depends on the class: gold for first-class, silver for second class, and red for third class.