- Military Merit Medal (Vietnam)
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Vietnam Military Merit Medal 
Vietnam Military Merit RibbonAwarded by South Vietnam Type Medal Eligibility Enlisted military personnel only Awarded for Soldiers who had performed extreme acts of bravery or had given their lives in armed combat with enemy forces of Vietnam. Status Discontinued on April 30, 1975 Statistics Established August 15, 1950 Last awarded 1973 Precedence Next (higher) None Individual
equivalentNational Order of Vietnam Next (lower) Vietnam Distinguished Service Order Related Modelled after Médaille militaire The Vietnam Military Merit Medal was the highest military decoration of South Vietnam during the years of the Vietnam War. Created August 15, 1950, the Military Merit Medal was modelled after the French Médaille militaire, and was the Vietnamese equivalent to the United States Medal of Honor and was authorized to those soldiers who had performed extreme acts of bravery or had given their lives in armed combat with enemy forces of Vietnam.
A stipulation of the Vietnam Military Merit Medal was that it could only be bestowed upon enlisted personnel. For military officers, the National Order of Vietnam was considered an equivalent decoration.
The United States military authorized the Vietnam 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 enlisted personnel who had been killed in action fighting the forces of North Vietnam or the guerrilla forces of the Viet Cong.
The Vietnam 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.
See also
- Vietnam Service Medal
- Vietnam Gallantry Cross
- Vietnam Campaign Medal
- Awards and decorations of the United States military
External links
Military of South VietnamCorps I · II · III · IV
Divisions 1 · 2 · 3 · 5 · 7 · 9 · 18 · 21 · 22 · 23 · 25 · Airborne
Branches Air Force · Army · Civilian Irregular Defense Group · Marine Corps · Navy · Popular Forces · Regional Forces · Rangers · Special Forces
Air bases Coup attempts and mutinies Notable officers Cao Van Vien · Chung Tan Cang · Do Cao Tri · Duong Van Minh · Hoang Xuan Lam · Huynh Van Cao · Lam Van Phat · Le Minh Dao · Le Nguyen Khang · Le Van Hung · Le Van Kim · Mai Huu Xuan · Nguyen Cao Ky · Nguyen Chanh Thi · Nguyen Huu Co · Nguyen Khanh · Nguyen Van Thieu · Nguyen Viet Thanh · Ngo Quang Truong · Pham Ngoc Thao · Pham Van Phu · Ton That Dinh · Tran Thien Khiem · Tran Van Don
Categories:- Military awards and decorations of Vietnam
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