What does a rose mean on a medal?

A rosette /roʊˈzɛt/ is a small, circular device that is typically presented with a medal. The rosettes are either worn on the medal to denote a higher rank, or for situations where wearing the medal is deemed inappropriate, such as on a suit. Rosettes are issued in nations such as Belgium, France, Italy and Japan.
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What do the ribbons on war medals mean?

Their own colours often have a symbolic significance: the equal stripes of the '1939 to 1945 Star,' for example, are dark blue to represent the service of the Royal and Merchant Navies, red, to represent that of the Armies and light blue to represent that of Air Forces.
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What is the difference between the British War Medal and the Victory Medal?

The Victory Medal was issued to all those who received the 1914 Star or the 1914-15 Star, and to most of those who were awarded the British War Medal. It was never awarded on its own. 149 sitting MPs and 192 Peers were among the 5,725,000 or so recipients.
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What do the medals symbolize?

A medal may be awarded to a person or organisation as a form of recognition for sporting, military, scientific, cultural, academic, or various other achievements. Military awards and decorations are more precise terms for certain types of state decoration.
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What does a bar mean on a medal?

When used in conjunction with decorations for exceptional service, such as gallantry medals, the term "and bar" means that the award has been bestowed multiple times.
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Miraculous Medal Explained



What does a leaf on a medal mean?

In Commonwealth countries, a bronze oak leaf signifies a Mention in Despatches, and is worn as a gallantry award in its own right, rather than to signify multiple instances of campaign service. The Commonwealth equivalent of a United States oak leaf cluster is a medal bar worn with a campaign medal.
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What does an oak leaf mean on a medal ribbon?

The oakleaf on the ribbon of this medal indicates the award of the King's Commendation for Brave Conduct.
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What are the 3 types of Medal of Honor?

There are three different types of Medal of Honor today: the original star shape established in 1861, which the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard have retained; a wreath version designed in 1904 for the Army; and an altered wreath version for the Air Force, adopted in 1965.
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Why do athletes bite their gold medals?

Biting metal is a tradition

During the California gold rush in the late 1800s, people would bite into gold to test if it was real. The theory was that pure gold is a soft, malleable metal. If a bite left indentation marks on the metal, it was most likely real. If it wasn't, you could break a tooth.
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What is the symbol in Olympic medal?

The rings are five interlocking rings, coloured blue, yellow, black, green, and red on a white field, known as the "Olympic rings". The symbol was originally created in 1913 by Coubertin. He appears to have intended the rings to represent the five inhabited continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas.
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What is the rarest medal in the world?

The Victoria Cross is the 'holy grail' for medal collectors because there are only 1,357 in existence. Bearing the inscription 'For valour' and known as a VC, this medal was first awarded for 'conspicuous bravery' in 1856 and later backdated to the Crimean war of 1854.
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What is the clasp and roses?

A clasp was instituted in 1919, as published in Army Order no. 361 of 16 October 1919. The clasp, together with two small silver roses, was awarded to those who had served under fire or who had operated within range of enemy mobile artillery in France or Belgium during the period between 5 August and 22 November 1914.
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Do war medals have names on them?

The name, rank and number of the individual will appear on the medal. The Ministry of Defence is not able to issue or replace First World War medals under any circumstances.
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What are the top 3 Army medals?

The five highest-ranking military medals for bravery in combat include the Congressional Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC), the Navy Cross, the Air Force Cross and the Silver Star Medal.
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What is the rosette for on the Afghan medal?

As of June 2022, two clasps have been authorised with the medal. The "Afghanistan" Clasp is awarded for service specifically in Afghanistan. A silver rosette on the ribbon denotes entitlement to the clasp when no medal is worn.
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What is the hardest medal to get in the military?

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration that may be awarded by the United States government.
...
It is awarded for gallantry in action:
  • While engaged in action against an enemy of the United States;
  • While engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or.
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Why aren t Olympic medals real gold?

Olympic gold medals have some gold in them, but they're mostly made of silver. According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), gold and silver medals are required to be at least 92.5 percent silver. The gold in gold medals is in the plating in the outside and must consist of at least 6 grams of pure gold.
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Do Olympians get to keep their medals?

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the governing body of the Olympic Games, and as such, can rule athletes to have violated regulations of the Games, for which athletes' Olympic medals can be stripped (i.e., rescinded). Stripped medals must be returned to the IOC by the offending athlete.
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How much is a gold medal worth?

What's an Olympic gold medal from the 2022 Winter Olympics worth? It's priceless, of course, but it also happens to be worth at least $750 at current metal prices. IOC regulations are generally understood to require that Olympics gold medals contain at least 92.5% silver, plated with at least 6 grams of gold.
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Has anyone ever won 2 medals of honor?

To date, the maximum number of Medals of Honor earned by any service member has been two. The last living individual to be awarded two Medals of Honor was John J. Kelly October 3, 1918; the last individual to receive two Medals of Honor for two different actions was Smedley Butler, in 1914 and 1915.
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How much money does a recipient of the Medal receive?

A Monthly Pension and Special Retirement Pay

As of Dec. 1, 2020, Medal of Honor recipients receive a $1,406.73 monthly pension with annual cost-of-living increases in line with the Social Security Administration's increases.
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Can a Medal of Honor be taken away?

The Stolen Valor Acts of 2005 and 2013 (Public Law 109-437 and 113-12) address this issue. The 2005 Law makes it illegal to buy or sell the Medal of Honor, its ribbon or its rosette, including replicas or reproductions.
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What does a star on a ribbon mean?

A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star 3⁄16 inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or service period.
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How many Purple Hearts can you get?

A Purple Heart is awarded for the first wound suffered under conditions indicated above, but for each subsequent award an oak leaf cluster or 5/16 inch star is worn in lieu of another medal. Not more than one award will be made for more than one wound or injury received at the same instant.
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Are all purple hearts engraved?

Most often, Purple Hearts are engraved with the Veterans name. This normally signifies them as “Presentation Purple Hearts”, which means the Veteran was killed in combat and the government had the medal engraved and sent it to the family.
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