The Military Medal is the highest military decoration

Military decoration

A military decoration is a decoration given to military personnel or units for heroism in battle or distinguished service. They are designed to be worn on military uniform....

 of Luxembourg. Established on 30 October 1945 by Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg was the reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg from 1919 to 1964.-Early life and life as Grand Duchess:...

, at the suggestion of then Prince Jean

Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg

Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg ruled Luxembourg from 1964 to 2000. He is the father of the current ruler, Grand Duke Henri, and the son of Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma...

, it can be awarded for outstanding achievements and extraordinary deeds to all military personnel, without distinction of rank.

Appearance

The medal is a bronze circular disc. The obverse

Obverse and reverse

Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags , seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse...

 depicts the left facing profile of Grand Duchess Charlotte. Around the edge is the inscription Charlotte Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (Charlotte Grande-Duchesse de Luxembourg). The reverse depicts the Lesser coat of arms of Luxembourg

Coat of arms of Luxembourg

The coat of arms of Luxembourg has its origins in the Middle Ages, and was derived from that of the Duchy of Limburg, in modern day Belgium and the Netherlands...

. To the left of the arms is 19 and to the right 40.

Recipients

• Prime Minister Winston Churchill
  Winston Churchill
  Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
  
  
• Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery
• General of the Army
  General of the Army (United States)
  General of the Army is a five-star general officer and is the second highest possible rank in the United States Army. A special rank of General of the Armies, which ranks above General of the Army, does exist but has only been conferred twice in the history of the Army...
  
   Dwight D. Eisenhower
  Dwight D. Eisenhower
  Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
  
  
• Prince Regent
  Prince Regent
  A prince regent is a prince who rules a monarchy as regent instead of a monarch, e.g., due to the Sovereign's incapacity or absence ....
  
   Charles of Belgium
• General Charles de Gaulle
  Charles de Gaulle
  Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
  
  
• Lieutenant Colonel
  Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
  In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
  
   Patrick F. Cassidy
• The Unknown Soldier of the United States for World War II