Guide To Alliance Military Awards

ALLIANCE HIGH COMMAND

Military Decorations Guide




Table of Contents


Chapter 1
Introduction
Why The GM Should Give Awards
Award Presentation
Order Of Precedence

Chapter 2
Alliance Military Individual Awards
Combat and Special Skill Badges
High Command Citations

Chapter 3
Campaign Service Decorations

Chapter 1

Introduction

This regulation set prescribes Alliance policy, criteria, and administrative instructions concerning military awards. These awards are given to promote a sense of mission, and as compensation for exemplary or meritorious action while in the service of the Alliance to Restore the Republic.

Why The GM Should Give Awards

Medals are an excellent way to reward your PCs for a job well done, and are easy to work into a campaign if you are playing members of the Alliance. One of the brightest reasons for giving medals as reward is avoiding the pitfall that most GMs inevitably fall into.  The players roleplay well, and rightly expect to be rewarded for a job well done. So the GM arranges for a valuable piece of hardware to fall out of the sky, with no relation whatsoever to the plot. The characters lick their greedy lips over their acquisition, and turn it to gaining more assets. Using medals as reward encourages altruistic roleplaying, with an emphasis on heroic acts. Besides, you'll definitely appreciate the smile on your player's faces when they learn they have received the Kalidor Crescent for bravery.

Award Structure: Many awards, especially individual citations, are uniform throughout all branches of the Rebel Alliance Military.  For example, the Corellian Cross may be presented to any member of the military, Navy, Army or Starfighter Command.  This promotes a sense of interservice cooperation within the Rebel Alliance and highlights the need for all branches to work together.

Award Presentation

specific award has its own requirements as to who must present it, and how.  Each award is to be presented in a formal ceremonial atmosphere, befitting the honor being bestowed.  The President of the Provisional Council, or a duly appointed representative will present the Coruscant Star of Valor.

Posthumous Awards
Awards given posthumously will be presented to next of kin, or, if due to interference that is made impossible, will be held in trust by the Alliance military until such time as the award can be presented.  If there is no next of kin, the award will be presented, along with a memorial to the fallen comrade.

Order of Precedence

When wearing decorations in conjunction with an Alliance military uniform, there is a clearly delineated precedence of medals.
They are as follows:
- Alliance Military Decorations
- Alliance Service or Campaign Tabs
- Alliance Nonmilitary Decorations and Proficiency Badges
- Non-Alliance Military Decorations

Chapter 2

Alliance Military Individual Awards

These awards are always presented for valor, bravery, or exceptional service to the Rebel Alliance.

The Coruscant Star of Valor

This award was initiated after the New Republic captured Coruscant, approximately 3 years after the events in Return of the Jedi. It is presented "For service and bravery beyond the bounds of what can be asked of a citizen by a government, and a willful commitment to put the good of the many above their own personal welfare." At the time of its inception, it was intended to be the highest honor the New Republic could bestow upon members of its military.  Any member of the Army, Navy, or Starfighter Corps can be awarded this medal, so long as they fit the stated qualification.  The Chief of State of the New Republic always gives this award.

The Correlian Cross

This award has existed since the inception of the Rebellion, and continues to be issued. The award parameters have never changed, and still entail, "Any person serving in any capacity in the military, who has distinguished themselves in action with the military, or in operations conducted with friendly foreign forces, by taking extraordinarily heroic action at the risk of life sufficient to set the individual apart from his or her comrades." This award is often given in lieu of another, higher award is not appropriate, or when the action or actions was thought insufficient for a higher award.

The Mantooine Medallion

This award has also existed since the Alliance's birth, and is awarded "for any person serving in any capacity in the Alliance military who has distinguished himself by exceptionally meritorious service to the Government in a duty of great responsibility." This award, unlike the ones previously mentioned, may be awarded in peacetime, but must be awarded for great contributions to the overall readiness of the military.

The Star of Alderaan

This award was established after the horrible Alderaan tragedy, and is awarded "to a person who, while serving in any capacity in the Alliance military, is cited for gallantry in action against an enemy of the Alliance while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing force, or while with friendly foreign forces in armed conflict with an enemy." This award is only given for wartime operations, and is generally awarded when the action is thought insufficient to receive a Corellian Cross.  This award is always presented by a survivor of the Alderaan tragedy, and might be phased out when the last Alderaanian-born person dies, out of respect for the tradition of Alderaan.

Badge of Merit

This award has existed since the Alliance's inception, and is awarded "To any member of the Alliance military serving in any capacity who has distinguished himself by outstanding or meritorious achievement or service." This badge can be awarded for combat or non-combat actions, and is generally awarded when the action or service is not judged sufficient for presentation of the Mantooine Medallion.

Alliance Civilian Battle Award

This award is given to nonmembers of the Alliance who, "through meritorious or gallant action in combat, although not members of the Alliance military, have distinguished themselves through bravery, in combat against an enemy of the Alliance." This award is often presented to smugglers, and others who, while not formally members of the Rebel Alliance, their action on behalf of the Alliance merits recognition.

The Kalidor Crescent

The Kalidor Crescent is one of the most prestigious awards that can be presented to Alliance military personnel. Its history is traced back to the times of the Clone Wars, and was awarded to the most competent and deadly fliers of the Old Republic. It was only logical that the Alliance to Restore the Republic revive this award as a way of saying thank you to the pilots that form its foundation. This medal specifically is awarded for "A demonstration of superior piloting skills and exceptional heroism at extreme risk of one's own life." This award can be given to any member of the Alliance military showing these attributes, but is always given by a representative of Starfighter Command.  A pilot may, in addition, earn embellishments to this medal for further acts of heroism. For each act that is worthy of a Kalidor Crescent, they are awarded another embellishment. There are a total of five, and there have been no reported instances of anyone earning them all.
They are, in order of precedence:
- Bronze Cluster
- Silver Talons
- Golden Wings
- Diamond Eyes
- Silver Scimitar

Combat and Special Skill Badges

Combat and Special Skill Badges are given to show proficiency in a specific area of military operations involving hazardous service, or to show completion of a rigorous training set.  All badges are to be awarded at the senior officer's discretion, and units or individuals serving with particular distinction will be awarded a senior badge.
The various badges are as follows:
- Combat Infantry Badge - given for completing basic Alliance infantry training, or completion of one combat mission against the enemy.
- Expert Infantry Badge - given for demonstrating superior combat skills, or completion of five missions
- Combat Medic Badge - given for completion of Alliance Field Medic Training Course
- Expert Medic Badge - given for completion of five missions as a medic
- Surgeon Badge - given to all fully qualified surgeons upon enlisting
- Explosives Technician Badge - given for completing Alliance Explosives Training
- Air Assault Badge - given for completion of Alliance Air Assault School
- Starfighter Combat Badge - given for completion of Starfighter training, or one mission involving combat

There are many other, more obscure badges. Check with your quartermaster or CO.

High Command Citations

If a particular individual merits the positive attention of one of his superiors, often times an Alliance High Command citation is in order. The hierarchy of the awards is quite simple: the higher the rank of the person who presents the award, the more prestigious it is. These citations come with service ribbons, and are awarded specifically for exceptional or meritorious service in fulfilling one's role in the military.
They are as follows:
- Commander's Citation - Usually presented by a direct superior: squadron commander, gunnery commander, platoon leader, etc.
- Group Commander's Citation - Usually presented by a higher superior: wing commander, Chief Engineering Officer, company commander, etc.
- Admiral of the Fleet Commendation - Peculiar to the navy, this award may be presented to any personnel whose performance is worthy of the admiral's notice.
- High Command Citation - If one's actions are infamous enough, word will reach the Alliance Military High Command, who can then deign to issue this award. This award is often accompanied by a promotion
- Presidential Citation - Given by the President of the Provisional Council, or President of the New Republic (as opposed to the Chief of State), this award is the most prestigious Citation, and is often accompanied by a promotion effective immediately after receiving the citation.

Chapter 3

Campaign Service Decorations

These decorations are given out specifically for participation in the various campaigns of the Rebel Alliance. Special efforts have been made for the most famous of the campaigns (Hoth, Yavin, Endor, etc.) to create a special medallion. The Service awards listed below are only from the most famous and well-known campaigns. There have been so many actions and campaigns against the Empire that much liberty is given to local commanders to create service tabs. These tabs are officially recognized by the Alliance High Command, and are authorized with use on any Alliance military uniform. (Read: GMs, feel free to make your own, to commemorate your players' victories.)

Shield of Yavin

This is one of the first campaign medals ordered by Alliance High Command. It is awarded to all who served in the defence of Yavin in any capacity, whatsoever. Unfortunately, many of these were awarded posthumously. The Shield of Yavin was dedicated to General Jan Dodonna, who ingeniously designed the Death Star defence, and who heroically gave his life in the defence of Yavin IV.

Hoth Service Medal

This medal is awarded to any member of the Rebel Alliance who served at Hoth base, fought in the Battle of Hoth, or any of the subsequent actions that saved so many Allied lives.  Those who actually fought in the Battle of Hoth are further presented with the Hoth Defence Service Pin, to be affixed to the Hoth Campaign Ribbon.

Battle of Endor Hero Medal

This service medal is given to all Alliance personnel involved in either the fleet engagement, fighter attack, or ground assault that lead to the destruction of the second Death Star. At this time, the Alliance has decided upon tabs, as opposed to medals to denote campaigns in which one served, so the hero medal was also offered as a service tab. However, the previous campaigns will not be assigned tabs, and can still be worn as service medals. The Endor service tab has special embroidering to denote one's role in the battle. A black dot in the middle signifies the Death Star run, an X-Wing fighter signifies participation in small ship combat, a Mon Calamari Cruiser signifies any role on a capital ship, and members of the ground assault team get stylized images of the Death Star shield array in the center of the patch.

Bakura Service Star

This tab was awarded for participation in the Bakura campaign that took place almost immediately after the Battle of Endor.  It is awarded for any service that involved the Bakura campaign, and is the first Alliance service recognition award to be awarded exclusively as a tab.  It consists of two hands shaking; one representing the Empire, the other representing the Alliance, with a bronze star above it.  This award was dedicated to the Captain and crew of the Corellian Gunship, which so bravely died in battle during that campaign.

Coruscant Liberation Award

This is given to all intelligence agents, fleet members, fighter squadrons, and other agents involved in the campaign against Coruscant.  It depicts an image of Coruscant, with the symbol of the Alliance emblazoned on it in blood red.  This award is dedicated to all the members of Rogue Squadron, who made the liberation of Coruscant possible.

Iron Fist Campaign Tab

This is given to members of the Alliance who participated in the hunt for Grand Admiral Zsinj and the hunt for the Iron Fist.  It depicts a Super Star Destroyer, listing badly, with gouts of flame spewing from every possible place on the hull.  Han Solo was once quoted as saying that this was the only award he ever really earned. It is therefore fitting to know that this award is dedicated to him and the valiant crew of the Mon Remonda, who opposed Zsinj at every turn.

As always, my e-mail is rvharmon@bellsouth.net, and I would like to hear from you.  By the way, if any artists would like to render some of these ideas into visual form, send me some pictures, and I will look at them and maybe put them in.