Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Distinguished Service () was first created on July 27, 1967 and took its current form on July 29, 1983.

Technical specifications

General

Five large and five small stars on dark blue background circling an insignia of a crescent moon and a star on red background, the symbol of the Turkish flag, pointing upwards.

Decoration (regular size)

Made of eight pieces *Metal:

Bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

*Minting: 5 micrometre polished

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. ...

-plating *Weight: 54 grams *Diameter: 6 cm

Decoration (miniature size)

Made of three pieces *Metal: Bronze *Minting: 5 micrometre polished silver-plating *Weight: 14 grams *Diameter: 1 cm

Ribbon

*Color: Red

Criteria

During war or peace, it is bestowed upon individuals whose contributions to the strengthening of the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) have been extraordinarily high. In other words, it is awarded to any individual that has served national interests with exemplary determination and has contributed greatly to the prestige and strength of the TAF. This encompasses any military, scientific, material or administrative contribution, in or outside the territory of the

Republic of Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, that has been greater than any of that person's predecessors thanks to his/her great courage and self-sacrifice. The medal can be given to civilians or soldiers, regardless of nationality. Its bestowment is proposed by any of the Commanders of the four branches of the TAF, namely the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

, the

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

, the

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

or the

Gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...

(with the exception of the Commander of the fifth branch, the

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a Maritime Security Regimes, maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with cust ...

). The outcome of any proposition depends on the approval of the Chief of the General Staff.

References

TAF website with a list of its medalsTurkish Army website with a list of its medals

External links

{{Orders, decorations, and medals of Turkey Military awards and decorations of Turkey * Awards established in 1967 1967 establishments in Turkey