| Vietnam Military Merit Medal | |
|---|---|
Vietnam Military Merit Ribbon |
|
| Awarded by Republic of Vietnam | |
| Type | Military Decoration |
| Eligibility | Enlisted military personnel only |
| Awarded for | Soldiers who had performed extreme acts of bravery or had given their lives in armed combat with the enemy of South Vietnam. |
| Status | Discontinued on April 30, 1975 |
| Statistics | |
| Established | August 15, 1950 |
| Last awarded | 1973 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | None |
| Individual equivalent |
National Order of Vietnam |
| Next (lower) | Vietnam Distinguished Service Order |
| Related | French Médaille Militaire |
The Republic of Vietnam Military Merit Medal was the highest military award of the former Government of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) during the years of the Vietnam War. The medal was established on August 15, 1950. The Vietnamese Military Merit Medal was modeled after the French Médaille Militaire and was the Vietnamese equivalent to the United States Medal of Honor and was awarded to those servicemen who had performed extreme acts of bravery or had given their lives in armed combat with the enemy. A stipulation of the Military Merit Medal was that it could only be bestowed to non-officers. The National Order of Vietnam medal was considered the equivalent award for military officers.
The United States military authorized the Military Merit Medal as a foreign decoration and permitted the medal to be worn on U.S. uniforms. A high number of bestowals, however, were made posthumously as the medal was most often awarded to United States servicemen who had been killed in action with enemy guerrilla forces (Viet Cong) or enemy soldiers from North Vietnam.
The Military Merit Medal was last issued to U.S. personnel in 1973 and was discontinued after the fall of South Vietnam in 1975. The decoration is now only available through private dealers in military insignia.
Meritorious citation for the posthumous award of the Military Merit Medal:
"Servicemen of courage and rare self-sacrafice, they displayed at all times the most tactful cooperation while aiding the Armed Forces of the Republic of Vietnam to repel the Red wave undermining South Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
With a ready zeal and commendable responsibility, they fought on to the end in every mission and set a brilliant example for their fellow soldiers.
They died in the performance of duty. Behind them they leave the abiding grief of their former comrades-in-arms, Vietnamese as well as American."
Posthumous awards of the Military Merit Medal may include the Gallantry Cross with Palm.
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