Medal of the Nation's Gratitude

Medal of the Nation's Gratitude
Medal of the Nation's Gratitude with North Africa clasp
Awarded by  France
Type	Civil and Military Award
Awarded for	Recipients of the Certificate of the Nation's Gratitude
Status	Currently Awarded
Statistics
Established	12 April 2002
Precedence
Equivalent	North Africa medal
Next (lower)	French commemorative medal
Ribbon of the Medal of the Nation's Gratitude

Reverse of the Medal of the Nation's Gratitude

Admiral Édouard Guillaud, a recipient of the Medal of the Nation's Gratitude

General Elrick Irastorza, a recipient of the Medal of the Nation's Gratitude

The Medal of the Nation's Gratitude (French: "Medaille de Reconnaissance de la Nation") is a French state decoration established on 12 April 2002 by decree 2002-511^[1] and awarded to civilians, veterans of civil or military service, and to members of the French armed forces previously awarded the "Title of the Nation's Gratitude", a governmental scroll certifying to honorable service abroad.^[2]

The medal was primarily established to replace the North Africa medal with broader and more inclusive prerequisites following years of pressure on the French government by veterans' organizations.^[1]

Award statute

The Medal of the Nation's Gratitude is awarded to persons who have previously been awarded the Title of the Nation's Gratitude, its particular award criteria were fixed by law No. 93-7 of 4 January 1993.^[1] Potential recipients must meet the following conditions:^[2]

• People who, as members of the military, and for at least 90 days, consecutive or not, served in a formation of the French army or who were detached to a foreign army during the time periods and in the theatres of operation determined by the law;
• Civilians of French nationality who were involved in these conflicts, operations or missions and meeting the prerequisites set by the Minister of Defence.

The Title of the Nation's Gratitude is automatically bestowed to personnel prematurely evacuated due to injuries suffered or diseases caught while in theatre.^[2]

The list of theatres of operations determined by the laws of eligibility for the Title of the Nation's Gratitude are:^[1]

• First World War;
• Operations between 1918 and 1939;
• Second World War;
• Indochina War;
• The fighting in Tunisia between 1 January 1952 and 2 July 1962;
• The fighting in Morocco between 1 June 1953 and 2 July 1962;
• The Algerian War between 31 October 1954 and 2 July 1962;
• Military operations on the territory of Algeria between 3 July 1962 and 1 July 1964;
• Armed conflicts and operations and missions conducted in accordance with international obligations and commitments of France since 1945. The complete list is contained in the amended order of 12 January 1994.

Award description

The Medal of the Nation's Gratitude is a 34mm in diameter circular medal struck from bronze and gilded. Its obverse bears the effigy of the Republic head on surrounded by the relief inscription "RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE" (English: "FRENCH REPUBLIC"). The reverse bears the relief inscription on four lines "MÉDAILLE" "DE" "RECONNAISSANCE" "DE LA NATION" (English: "MEDAL" "OF" "GRATITUDE" "OF THE NATION") over the relief image of a sprig of three oak leaves.^[2]

The medal hangs from a ribbon passing through a ring through the medal's ball shaped suspension loop. The 34mm wide sand coloured silk moiré ribbon bears inverted 34mm wide and 3mm thick blue chevrons. The undress ribbon bears three such chevrons.^[2]

The medal is always awarded with a clasp and may be awarded with multiple clasps. Five clasps are currently approved for wear on the ribbon of the Medal of the Nation's Gratitude:^[2]

• 1914–1918
• 1939–1945
• INDOCHINE (English: INDOCHINA)
• AFRIQUE DU NORD (English: NORTH AFRICA)
• OPERATIONS EXTERIEURES (English: FOREIGN OPERATIONS)

Notable recipients (partial list)

• General Denis Mercier
• General Marcel Valentin
• General Bruno Dary
• Admiral Édouard Guillaud
• General Philippe Houbron
• General Elrick Irastorza
• General Bertrand Ract-Madoux
• Sergeant Gilles Mourey
• French Resistance heroine Andrée Peel
• French Resistance member Léopold Rabinovitch
• World War 2 intelligence operative Marte Cohn

See also

• World War One
• World War Two
• Indochina War
• Algeria War
• French Armed Forces

References

External links

• Museum of the Legion of Honour (in French)
• National Association of the bearers of the Title of the Nation's Gratitude (in French)

Orders, decorations and medals of France National orders Legion of Honour Order of Liberation* National Order of Merit Ministry orders Ordre des Palmes Académiques Order of Agricultural Merit Ordre du Mérite Maritime Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Other civilian distinctions Médaille d’honneur pour acte de courage et de dévouement Médaille d'honneur de l'Aéronautique Médaille d'honneur agricole Médaille d'honneur des Chemins de Fer Médaille d'honneur départementale et communale Médaille d'honneur des Douanes Médaille d'honneur des Eaux et Forêts Médaille d'honneur de l'Enseignement du 1er degré Médaille d'honneur Pénitentiaire Médaille d'honneur des personnels civils relevant du ministère de la défense Médaille d'honneur de la Police nationale Médaille d'honneur des Sapeurs Pompiers Médaille d'honneur de Sociétés musicales et Chorales Médaille d'honneur de la protection judiciaire de la jeunesse Médaille d'honneur du travail Médaille d'honneur des Travaux publics Insigne des blessés civils Médaille de la Famille française Médaille de la Jeunesse et des Sports Médaille des Mines Médaille du Tourisme Ordre de Tahiti Nui Military medals Military Medal 1914–1918 War Cross** 1939–1945 War Cross* War Cross for foreign operational theaters* Cross for Military Valour Médaille de la Gendarmerie nationale Médaille de la Résistance* Médaille des Évadés* Croix du combattant volontaire 1914–1918** Croix du combattant volontaire 1939–1945* Croix du combattant volontaire de la Résistance* Croix du combattant Médaille de l'Aéronautique Médaille d'Outre-Mer Médaille de la Défense nationale Médaille des services militaires volontaires Medal of the Nation's Recognition Other military distinctions Médaille d'honneur du service de santé des armées Insignia for the Military Wounded Com- memorative medals 19th century Saint Helena Medal** Commemorative medal of the 1859 Italian Campaign** Commemorative medal of the 1860 China Expedition** Commemorative medal of the Mexico Expedition** Commemorative medal of the 1870–1871 War** Tonkin Expedition commemorative medal** Commemorative medal of the Dahomey Expedition** Madagascar commemorative medal** Colonial Medal 1900–1914 1901 China expedition commemorative medal** Morocco commemorative medal (1909)** First World War 1914–1918 Médaille Interalliée 1914–1918** Médaille commémorative de la bataille de Verdun** Médaille de la Marne** Médaille commémorative de la bataille de la Somme** Médaille commémorative de la guerre 1914–1918** Médaille de la Reconnaissance française* Interwar Period 1918–1939 Syria-Cilicia commemorative medal** Dardanelles campaign medal** Orient campaign medal* Médaille de la Fidélité Française* Médaille des victimes de l'invasion** Medal for civilian prisoners, hostages and prisoners of the 1914-1918 Great War** Second World War 1939–1945 Médaille commémorative de la bataille de la Somme* Commemorative medal for voluntary service in Free France* 1943-1944 Italian Campaign medal* Medal for deportation and internment for acts of resistance* Deportation and political internment medal* Médaille commémorative de la guerre 1939–1945* Medal of a liberated France* Defaulter's medal* Since 1945 United Nations operations in Korea commemorative medal* Indochina Campaign commemorative medal* Middle East operations commemorative medal (1956)* Médaille commémorative des opérations de sécurité et de maintien de l'ordre en Afrique du Nord* North Africa medal* United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon medal French commemorative medal Defunct orders Ministry orders Ordre du Mérite combattant* Ordre du Mérite militaire* Ordre du Mérite civil* Ordre du Mérite social* Ordre du Mérite du Travail* Ordre du Mérite touristique* Ordre de l'Économie nationale* Ordre du Mérite commercial et industriel* Ordre du Mérite artisanal* Ordre de la Santé publique* Ordre du Mérite postal* Ordre du Mérite sportif* Colonial orders Ordre du Mérite indochinois* Ordre du Mérite saharien* Ordre de l'Étoile Noire* Ordre de l'Étoile d'Anjouan* Ordre du Nichan el Anouar* Ordre impérial du Dragon d'Annam* Ordre royal du Cambodge* * no longer awarded. ** no longer awarded, no living recipient France portal