Riflemen's Star () is a decoration bestowed by the Minister of National Defence of the

Republic of Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

. The star is awarded to distinguished members of the

Lithuanian Riflemen's Union The Lithuanian Riflemen's Union (LRU, ), also referred to as Šauliai (''the Riflemen''; from for ''rifleman''), is a paramilitary organization supported by the Government of Lithuania and regulated by the dedicated law. It is active in three ...

, other citizens of Lithuania and foreign countries for merits to the Riflemen's Union and the Republic of Lithuania. The Riflemen's star is recognised as an

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

History

The idea of an award for the members of the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union was raised in 1927, before the tenth anniversary of the Union. However, the description and the statute of the order was approved only in 1930. The star was designed by the sculptor

Petras Rimša Petras Rimša (, 3 November 1881 in Naudžiai, Vilkaviškis district – 2 October 1961 in Kaunas) was one of the first professional Lithuanian sculptors and medalists. Biography Rimša was born to a family of farmers in Suvalkija, which was then ...

. The first stars were awarded on 24 June 1931. 892 people received the award in interwar Lithuania. The bronze Riflemen's Star Medal was established in 1939 for the 20th anniversary of the Riflemen and was awarded to 2,156 people. The order was reestablished in 1991 along with other orders, decorations, and medals of Lithuania. Initially, it was awarded on behalf of the

Seimas The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania (), or simply the Seimas ( ; ), is the unicameralism, unicameral legislative body of the Lithuania, Republic of Lithuania. The Seimas constitutes the legislative branch of Government of Lithuania, govern ...

. Since 2003, it is awarded on behalf of the Ministry of National Defence.

Description

The Riflemen's Star measures in diameter. It consists of three petal-shaped rays, resembling a

lily ''Lilium'' ( ) is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large and often prominent flowers. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. Most species are ...

, coated in green enamel, upon a

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

sun. The top middle vertical ray depicts the Cross of the Jagiellons, one of the varieties of the

Cross of Lorraine The Cross of Lorraine (), known as the Cross of Anjou in the 16th century, is a heraldry, heraldic two-barred cross, consisting of a vertical line crossed by two shorter horizontal bars. In most renditions, the horizontal bars are "graded" with ...

found on the

coat of arms of Lithuania The coat of arms of Lithuania features an armoured knight on horseback, wielding a sword and carrying a shield with a Jagiellonian cross. This emblem is known as ''Vytis'' (). Since the early 15th century, it has served as the official coat of ...

and used by the Riflemen's Union as its logo. Two other rays depict a

rifle stock A gunstock or often simply stock, the back portion of which is also known as a shoulder stock, a buttstock, or simply a butt, is a part of a long gun that provides structural support, to which the barrel (firearms), barrel, action (firearms), act ...

and a bell of a

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

. A shield with the coat of arms of Lithuania is placed in the middle of the order. The reverse has inscriptions LŠS (Lithuanian acronym for the Riflemen's Union), dates 1919 (establishment of the union), 1930 (establishment of the order), and (For Merits). The ribbon bar of the order is dark green with two white bands on the sides and a red band in the middle. The same ribbon is used in the flag of the Riflemen's Union.

Bestowal

The Riflemen's Star is bestowed by Minister of National Defence on behalf of the leader of the Riflemen's Union. The Riflemen's Star is awarded to: : riflemen who, upon received a responsible role in the Riflemen Union, showed exceptional organisational talents, : riflemen privates who showed honesty, determination, and resilience, : citizens who merited the Riflemen Union or the Republic of Lithuania, : riflemen and citizens of foreign countries may be awarded the Riflemen's Star for showing significant benevolence to the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union. Riflemen are awarded during the following national holidays: :

16 February Events Pre-1600 *1249 – André de Longjumeau, Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khagan of the Mongol Empire. *1270 – The Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Livonian Order ...

(Act of Independence of Lithuania) :

24 June Events Pre-1600 * 1312 BC – Mursili II launches a campaign against the Kingdom of Azzi-Hayasa. * 109 – Roman emperor Trajan inaugurates the Aqua Traiana, an aqueduct that channels water from Lake Bracciano, northwest of Rome. ...

(Riflemen Day) :

6 July Events Pre-1600 * 371 BC – The Battle of Leuctra shatters Sparta's reputation of military invincibility. * 640 – Battle of Heliopolis: The Muslim Arab army under 'Amr ibn al-'As defeat the Byzantine forces near Heliopolis (Egypt) ...

(Statehood Day) : 23 November (Lithuanian Military Day) In special cases, the Riflemen's Star may be awarded on other dates. The same decoration is not awarded twice to the same person. A certificate of decoration is received with the star. People awarded with Riflemen's Star have the right to wear it on the uniform as well as civilian clothing.

Notable recipients

Antanas Žmuidzinavičius Antanas Žmuidzinavičius (, 31 October 1876 – 9 August 1966) was a Lithuanian painter and art collector. Educated at the Veiveriai Teachers' Seminary, Žmuidzinavičius worked as a teacher while pursuing art education in the evenings in Warsa ...

(1931) *

Mykolas Kalmantas Mykolas Kalmantas (born Mykolas Kalmantavičius; 18 October 1895 – 6 June 1976) was a Lithuanian military officer. Apart from being one of the founders of the Aeroclub of Lithuania, Kalmantas had a significant role in commanding a contingent of ...

(1931, 1939) * Lauri Malmberg *

Stasys Raštikis Stasys Raštikis (September 13, 1896 – May 3, 1985) was a Lithuanian military officer, ultimately obtaining the rank of divisional general. He was Chief of Defence (Lithuania), the commander of the Lithuanian Army from September 21, 1934, to Apr ...

* Antanas Gustaitis (1939) * Petras Ciunis (1939) *

Bernardas Brazdžionis Bernardas Brazdžionis (January 11, 1907 in Stebeikėliai – July 11, 2002 in Los Angeles) was a Lithuanian poet. Bernardas Brazdžionis also used various pen names, such as '' Vytė Nemunėlis'', ''Jaunasis Vaidevutis''. Biography Bernarda ...

(1996) *

Valdas Adamkus Valdas Adamkus (; born Voldemaras Adamkavičius; November 3, 1926) is a Lithuanian politician, diplomat and civil engineer who served as the fifth and seventh president of Lithuania from 1998 to 2003 and again from 2004 to 2009. Adamku ...

References

{{reflist, 30em Orders, decorations, and medals of Lithuania 1930 establishments in Lithuania Awards established in 1930