Remembrance National Defence Medal

With the large number of casualties in Afghanistan in the last twelve month, this year’s Remembrance Sunday will be especially poignant and painful for many families and communities.

Yet as we remember and salute the sacrifice of so many over all too many wars, it is slightly shocking that this Autumn the Ministry of Defence rejected the proposal for a National Defence Medal to recognise the efforts of everyone who has served in our armed forces.

The British Veterans’ National Defence Medal (NDM) Campaign has a simple objective: to give full official recognition to our sailors, marines, soldiers and airmen who have served the nation since the Second World War.

So whether they served during the Korean War, or in Cyprus, or the Cold War – when hundreds of men and women died on duty – or in the troubles in Northern Ireland, the veterans leading this campaign want to ensure that all our ex-servicemen and women are honoured.

Before backing this campaign, I asked the obvious question: “Won’t this devalue the honours system more widely?” The answer “no” was compelling – not least as it came by way of example after example of men and women who had risked their lives for us whilst in the armed forces yet had received little or no recognition, beyond a lapel badge.

In a recent report* examining all the arguments for and against such a new medal, the situation in other countries is compared. Australia, New Zealand and the USA all have the type of medal our British veterans seek.

Is it so very much to ask, for the British Government to the same for our “Forgotten Heroes”?

* Veterans Recognition Report, September 2009