The Military Cross of Merit (Polish: ''Wojskowy Krzyż Zasługi''), Navy Cross of Merit (''Morski Krzyż Zasługi''), Air Force Cross of Merit (''Lotniczy Krzyż Zasługi'') are

military decoration Military awards and decorations are distinctions given as a mark of honor for military heroism, meritorious or outstanding service or achievement. A decoration is often a medal consisting of a ribbon and a medallion. Civil decorations award ...

s awarded to members of the

Polish Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland (, ; abbreviated SZ RP), also called the Polish Armed Forces and popularly called in Poland (, roughly "the Polish Military"—abbreviated ''WP''), are the national Military, armed forces of the Poland, ...

. The crosses with swords ''(z Mieczami)'' are conferred for meritorious service in combat operations against acts of terrorism at home or during military, peacekeeping or stabilization missions overseas; the crosses without swords are conferred for outstanding non-combat meritorious achievement or service.

History

The crosses were established by the Law of 14 June 2007, which amended the Act of 16 October 1992, concerning medals and decorations. This law saw the creation of the crosses along with the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

and the

Medal for Long Service The Medal for Long Service (Polish: ''Medal za Długoletnią Służbę'') is a Polish decoration awarded in three classes (gold, silver and bronze) to members of the Polish Armed Forces and other uniformed services, and to Civil Servants, civil se ...

. The change was implemented on October 9, 2007. In the order of precedence of Polish medals it ranks between the Bronze Cross of Merit and the Medal for Sacrifice and Courage.

Eligibility

The crosses are presented by the

President of Poland The president of Poland ( ), officially the president of the Republic of Poland (), is the head of state of Poland. His or her prerogatives and duties are determined in the Constitution of Poland. The president jointly exercises the executive ...

, on his own initiative or at the request of the

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

. The president also has the right to revoke the award. The crosses with swords are to be awarded no later than three years after the end of combat operations. Each of the crosses may be awarded twice to any single person, the second award being denoted by a bar on the ribbon and ribbon bar. A particular cross may be awarded to members of the service it represents, however in exceptional cases it can be conferred to members of the other services as well. Civilians and members of non-military uniformed services are not eligible.

Design

The design of the crosses is patterned on that of the Order of the Military Cross. It is a massive

Greek cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Jesus, Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a crucifix and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

, in bronze for the Military Cross of Merit, in silver for the two other crosses. The center of the crosses is as follows: * Military Cross of Merit: an eagle sitting on a sword; * Navy Cross of Merit: an armed hand (the symbol of the

Polish Navy The Polish Navy (; often abbreviated to ) is the Navy, naval military branch , branch of the Polish Armed Forces. The Polish Navy consists of 46 ships and about 12,000 commissioned and enlisted personnel. The traditional ship prefix in the Polish ...

); * Air Force Cross of Merit: the

Polish Air Force checkerboard The Air Force checkerboard () is a national marking for the aircraft of the Polish Air Force, equivalent to roundels used in other nations' air forces. It consists of four equal squares, of which the upper left and lower right are white, and t ...

. The reverse looks the same for all three crosses and is inscribed "POLSKA SWEMU OBROŃCY" (''Poland to her defender'') with two laurel twigs on the sides.

References

External links

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History

Eligibility

Design

References

External links

See also