Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal
Encyclopedia
The Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal is a campaign medal
created in 1988 to recognize the contributions of all Canadian Peacekeepers
towards the ultimate goal of peace, after the United Nations
Department of Peacekeeping Operations
was awarded that year's Nobel Peace Prize
.
was awarded to United Nations Peacekeepers, in recognition of their efforts over more than 50 years to establish and maintain peace. This act inspired the creation of the Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal, its purpose being to recognize all Canadians
, including serving and former members of the Canadian Forces
, members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
, other police services, and Canadian civilians, who contributed to peace on certain missions. Some time was involved in getting the medal to the presentation stage, but, as with the creation of any major honour or award, the approval of this award involved consultation with a large number of interested individuals.
and is in the form of a 36 millimetres (1.4 in) diameter disc
with, on the obverse, the words PEACEKEEPING • SERVICE DE LA PAIX, separated by maple leaves, surrounding a rendition of the three Canadian Peacekeeper figures that top the Peacekeeping Monument
in Ottawa
; one is an unarmed United Nations
Military Observer, holding binoculars
, the second, a woman, shoulders a radio
, while the third stands guard with a rifle
, and above them is a dove
, the international symbol of peace. The medal's reverse shows the word CANADA below a maple leaf surrounded by a laurel wreath and bearing the Royal Cypher
of Queen Elizabeth II, symbolizing her roles as both fount of honour
and Commander-in-Chief
of her various forces. A single-toe claw attaches the top of the medal to the centre of a slotted bar on which is another maple leaf. This medallion is worn at the left chest, suspended on a 31.8mm wide ribbon coloured with vertical stripes in the shade of blue used by the United Nations, green (representing service), and Canada's official colours: red (also indicitave of blood shed in the service of peace), and white (also the colour of peace).
, other police officers, and civilians who served with the forces on peacekeeping missions. As of September 2003, some 68,000 Peacekeeping Service Medals had been awarded.
Campaign medal
A campaign medal is a military decoration which is awarded to a member of the military who serves in a designated military operation or performs duty in a geographical theater...
created in 1988 to recognize the contributions of all Canadian Peacekeepers
Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
towards the ultimate goal of peace, after the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Department of Peacekeeping Operations
Department of Peacekeeping Operations
The Department of Peacekeeping Operations is a department of the United Nations which is charged with the planning, preparation, management and direction of UN peacekeeping operations.-History of the DPKO:...
was awarded that year's Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
.
History
In 1988, the Nobel Peace PrizeNobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
was awarded to United Nations Peacekeepers, in recognition of their efforts over more than 50 years to establish and maintain peace. This act inspired the creation of the Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal, its purpose being to recognize all Canadians
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, including serving and former members of the Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
, members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
, other police services, and Canadian civilians, who contributed to peace on certain missions. Some time was involved in getting the medal to the presentation stage, but, as with the creation of any major honour or award, the approval of this award involved consultation with a large number of interested individuals.
Design
The Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal was designed by Bruce W. BeattyBruce W. Beatty
Bruce W. Beatty, CM, CD, FRHSC is a Canadian graphic designer best known as being chiefly responsible for designing the emblems of the Canadian Honours System, starting with the badge of the Order of Canada in 1967. The emblem is the shape of a snowflake - just as every snowflake is different, so...
and is in the form of a 36 millimetres (1.4 in) diameter disc
Disk (mathematics)
In geometry, a disk is the region in a plane bounded by a circle.A disk is said to be closed or open according to whether or not it contains the circle that constitutes its boundary...
with, on the obverse, the words PEACEKEEPING • SERVICE DE LA PAIX, separated by maple leaves, surrounding a rendition of the three Canadian Peacekeeper figures that top the Peacekeeping Monument
Peacekeeping Monument
Reconciliation: The Peacekeeping Monument is a monument in Ottawa, the capital of Canada, commemorating Canada's role in international peacekeeping and the soldiers who have participated and are currently participating, both living and dead....
in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
; one is an unarmed United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Military Observer, holding binoculars
Binoculars
Binoculars, field glasses or binocular telescopes are a pair of identical or mirror-symmetrical telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point accurately in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes when viewing distant objects...
, the second, a woman, shoulders a radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
, while the third stands guard with a rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
, and above them is a dove
Dove
Pigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably...
, the international symbol of peace. The medal's reverse shows the word CANADA below a maple leaf surrounded by a laurel wreath and bearing the Royal Cypher
Royal Cypher
In modern heraldry, a royal cypher is a monogram-like device of a country's reigning sovereign, typically consisting of the initials of the monarch's name and title, sometimes interwoven and often surmounted by a crown. In the case where such a cypher is used by an emperor or empress, it is called...
of Queen Elizabeth II, symbolizing her roles as both fount of honour
Fount of honour
The fount of honour refers to a nation's head of state, who, by virtue of his or her official position, has the exclusive right of conferring legitimate titles of nobility and orders of chivalry to other persons.- Origin :...
and Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of her various forces. A single-toe claw attaches the top of the medal to the centre of a slotted bar on which is another maple leaf. This medallion is worn at the left chest, suspended on a 31.8mm wide ribbon coloured with vertical stripes in the shade of blue used by the United Nations, green (representing service), and Canada's official colours: red (also indicitave of blood shed in the service of peace), and white (also the colour of peace).
Eligibility
The Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal recognizes Canadian Peacekeepers deployed outside Canada for a minimum of 30 days, which includes members of the Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceRoyal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
, other police officers, and civilians who served with the forces on peacekeeping missions. As of September 2003, some 68,000 Peacekeeping Service Medals had been awarded.
See also
- Canadian order of precedence (decorations and medals)Canadian order of precedence (Decorations and Medals)The following is the Canadian order of precedence for decorations and medals. Where applicable, post-nominal letters are indicated.-Awards of valour:-National orders:-Provincial orders:-National decorations:-National medals:...
- Peace Prize Medal (Denmark)Peace Prize Medal (Denmark)The Peace Prize Medal was instituted in 1995 by Queen Margrethe II and may be awarded to any Dane who has completed a tour of duty on a UN mission and has received a medal for it...