Honours, Medals and Awards in the Army
One
thing the military world over are known for is pomp and splendor. From colorful
parades during public events to ostentatious displays of military arms and
equipment, the military inspires both awe and curiosity. One aspect that especially
arouses the curiosity of many is the military uniform and all its
embellishments. Indeed, one can not help but wonder what the colorful ribbons,
medals and insignias on the military uniform stand for, if at all they have any
significance beyond beautification and why some have more than others.
Basically, military honours, medals and awards are given to military personnel for individual acts of bravery, commendable service and outstanding achievement. They are primarily intended as a means of acknowledging meritorious service beyond the call of duty. Historically, the award of medals and decorations has been traced to the Egyptian Old and New Kingdoms which had what were known as the Order of the Golden Collar and Order of the Golden Fly respectively. The Celts, Romans and Dayaks are also said to have had their own decoration which included a spear without a tip and tattoos. In the military circles, notable and enduring military decorations include: Sweden's För tapperhet i fält (For Valour in the Field) and För tapperhet till sjöss (For Valour at Sea) instituted by Swedish king Gustav III in 1789; the Austro-Hungarian Tapferkeits Medaille Honour Medal for Bravery instituted by the Emperor Joseph II in 1789 and Poland's War Order of Virtuti Militari (For Military Valour) first awarded in 1792.
World over, there are literally hundreds of different military awards and
decorations each with their own significance and criteria for award. However,
the difference in criteria notwithstanding, since time immemorial, competition for
honours and awards has always been intense and the qualities required of
nominees are extremely high. For instance, one of the ways in which the French
Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte became such an inspiration to his troops was through
the emphasis he placed on bravery and the ways he celebrated battlefield
courage. Napoleon wanted his best soldiers to stand out in life as well as in
death and encouraged his marshals to wear elaborate uniforms covered in gold
brocade normally awarding decorations each time he visited his men in camp.
In the case of African troops, it was only until the First and Second World Wars (WWI and WWII) that the bravery of the African soldiers or Askari was recognized by the award of decorations. An example was during the action on the Tug Argan Gap in British Somaliland. After traversing an open hillside of over 100 yards under extremely heavy fire from two enemy machine-guns to retrieve a weapon that would later save his entire unit, Private Mutale of the 1st Northern Rhodesia Regiment (1st NRR) received the Distinguished Conduct Medal for conspicuous gallantry in action. Military Medals during the Great Wars were equally awarded to other Askari including 451 Colour Sergeant Yasi for carrying out orders across the battlefield under fire; and 229 Sergeant Chichasi who was awarded an Imperial Distinguished Medal with the citation;
"For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty at Fusse's [sic] Village on 4th/5th October 1918. This NCO set a fine example to his section under heavy machine-gun fire and rifle fire at close range, and by encouraging the young Askari was largely instrumental in breaking off the enemy attack".
Tracing its origin from of the NRR, since independence, the Zambia Army
has continued with the tradition of honouring bravery and devotion to duty
through medals and awards. On 28th December 2019, the Army held its
first public medals award ceremony officiated by the Republic President and
Commander-In-Chief of the Defence Force Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu. During the event several awards and honours
were bestowed upon deserving officers and soldiers. These included: Operations Medals for successful completion
of a military operation, Defence Force Commissioned Service Medal for long and
diligent service, the Defence Force Star Medal for having diligently commanded
a unit and of course the much-coveted Proficiency Medal for exhibiting
excellent performance and professional conduct during service. Among the
recipients of the Proficiency Medal were the Army Commander Lieutenant General W
M Sikazwe and the Deputy Army Commander and Chief of Staff Major General S D Alibuzwi.
All in all, honours, medals and awards serve a function much great than the beauty that the add to the military uniform. They represent not only the achievements but also the character of the bearer and as Winston Churchill once aptly put it, "the object of giving medals, stars and ribbons is to give pride and pleasure to those who have deserved them. At the same time a distinction is something which everybody does not possess. If all [had] it, it would become of less value".