Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Distinguished Service

Infobox Military Award
name=Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Distinguished Service




caption=
awarded_by=the Turkish Armed Forces
type=Medal
eligibility=Civilian or soldier, of any nationality
for=Extraordinary service to the TAF
status=Currently awarded
first_award=1967, since 1983 in its current form
last_award=
total=
posthumous=
recipients=
individual=


caption2=

Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Distinguished Service ( _tr. Türk Silahlı Kuvvetleri Üstün Hizmet Madalyası) was first created on July 27, 1967 and took its current form on July 29, 1983.

Technical specifications

General

Five large and five small stars on dark blue background circling an insignia of a crescent moon and a star on red background, the symbol of the Turkish flag, pointing upwards.

Decoration (regular size)

Made of eight pieces
*Metal: Bronze
*Minting: 5 micrometre polished silver-plating
*Weight: 54 grams
*Diameter: 6 cm

Decoration (miniature size)

Made of three pieces
*Metal: Bronze
*Minting: 5 micrometre polished silver-plating
*Weight: 14 grams
*Diameter: 1 cm

Ribbon

*Color: Red

Criteria

During war or peace, it is bestowed upon individuals whose contributions to the strengthening of the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) have been extraordinarily high. In other words, it is awarded to any individual that has served national interests with exemplary determination and has contributed greatly to the prestige and strength of the TAF. This encompasses any military, scientific, material or administrative contribution, in or outside the territory of the Republic of Turkey, that has been greater than any of that person's predecessors thanks to his/her great courage and self-sacrifice.

The medal can be given to civilians or soldiers, regardless of nationality. Its bestowment is proposed by any of the Commanders of the four branches of the TAF, namely the Army, the Navy, the Air Force or the Gendarmerie (with the exception of the Commander of the fifth branch, the Coast Guard). The outcome of any proposition depends on the approval of the Chief of the General Staff.

See also

* Turkey
* Turkish Armed Forces
* Turkish Medal of Independence
* Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Honor
* Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Distinguished Courage and Self-Sacrifice

References

* [http://www.tsk.mil.tr/eng/genel_konular/serefmadalyasi.htm TAF website with a list of its medals]
* [http://www.kkk.tsk.mil.tr/GenelKonular/RutbeIsaretler/MadalyaAciklama/ Turkish Army website with a list of its medals]

External links

* [http://www.tsk.mil.tr/eng/index.htm TAF website in English]