The Sacrifice Medal () is a

military medal The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the British Armed Forces, armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, below commissioned o ...

that was created in 2008 as a replacement for the

Wound Stripe A wound stripe is a distinction of dress bestowed on soldiers wounded in combat. It was typically worn on military uniform jackets. France In the French Army, the wound chevron or '' Insigne des blessés militaires'', was awarded beginning in 1 ...

. It is awarded by the

Canadian monarch The monarchy of Canada is Canada's Government#Forms, form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is one of the key components of Canadian sovereignty and sits at the core of Canadian federalism, Canada's cons ...

, usually through the

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...

, to members of the

Canadian Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

or allied forces wounded or killed in action, and to members whose death under honourable circumstances is a result of injury or disease related directly to military service.

Design

The Sacrifice Medal is in the form of 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. ...

disc Disc or disk may refer to: * Disk (mathematics), a two dimensional shape, the interior of a circle * Disk storage * Optical disc * Floppy disk Music * Disc (band), an American experimental music band * ''Disk'' (album), a 1995 EP by Moby Other ...

topped by St. Edward's Crown, symbolizing the

's role as the

fount of honour The fount of honour () is a person, who, by virtue of their official position, has the exclusive right of conferring legitimate titles of nobility and orders of chivalry on other persons. Origin During the High Middle Ages, European knights ...

. On the obverse is an effigy of the reigning sovereign and

Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces The commander-in-chief of the Canadian Armed Forces () exercises supreme command and control over Canada's military, the Canadian Armed Forces. Constitutionally, command-in-chief is vested in the Monarchy of Canada, Canadian monarch, currently . ...

wearing a

diadem A diadem is a Crown (headgear), crown, specifically an ornamental headband worn by monarchs and others as a badge of Monarch, royalty. Overview The word derives from the Ancient Greek, Greek διάδημα ''diádēma'', "band" or "fillet", fro ...

of maple leaves and snowflakes, surrounded by the inscriptions and ''Canada''. On the reverse is the word ''sacrifice'' alongside a depiction of the statue ''Mother Canada'', one of

Walter Seymour Allward Walter Seymour Allward (18 November 1874 – 24 April 1955) was a Canadian monumental sculptor best known for the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. Featuring expressive classical figures within modern compositions, Allward's monuments evoke them ...

's allegorical figures adorning the

Canadian National Vimy Memorial The Canadian National Vimy Memorial is a war memorial site in France dedicated to the memory of Canadian Expeditionary Force members killed during the Military history of Canada during World War I, First World War. It also serves as the place o ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The recipient's name, along with his or her rank and service number for those in the military, is inscribed around the medal's edge. This medallion is worn at the left chest, suspended on a 31.8 mm wide ribbon coloured with vertical stripes in purposefully sombre red (recalling spilled blood), black (symbolizing grief and loss), and white (representative of both hope and peace). Should a person already possessing a Sacrifice Medal be awarded the medal again for subsequent injuries, he or she is granted a

medal bar A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It most commonly indicates the Military campaign, campaign or Military operation, operation the recipient received t ...

—in silver with raised edges and bearing a maple leaf—for wear on the ribbon from which the original medal is suspended.

Eligibility

On 29 August 2008, Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

, on the advice of her

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

under Prime Minister

Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. He is to date the only prime minister to have come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ser ...

, created the Sacrifice Medal to recognize any member of the

, soldier of an allied force, or a civilian working for the Canadian Forces, who after 7 October 2001 was killed or wounded under honourable circumstances and as a result of hostile action or perceived hostile action. If not fatal, the wound received must be serious enough to require attention from a medic, and the treatment must have been recorded in the individual's medical file. These tenets were later augmented when, on 19 October 2009, the

Department of National 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 divided ...

announced that all service related deaths would qualify for the Sacrifice Medal, whether as a result of direct hostile action or not.

References

External links

* * * {{Canadian Honours System Military awards and decorations of Canada Wound decorations

Design

Eligibility

See also

References

External links