Badge of Honour of the Bundeswehr

Decorations for meritorious service have been awarded since 1980 and are not rare. However, only 30 awards - of which 14 have been to foreign service members - have been bestowed upon soldiers for outstanding achievements and conspicuous gallantry so far. The recipients were:

Cross of Honour for Valour

for bravery in a life-threatening situation on October 20, 2008

• Sergeant 1st Class Jan BERGES, Paratrooper Battalion 263, German Army
• Sergeant 1st Class Alexander DIETZEN, Paratrooper Battalion 263, German Army
• Sergeant 1st Class Henry LUKÀCS, Paratrooper Battalion 263, German Army
• Staff Sergeant Markus GEIST, Paratrooper Battalion 263, German Army

A suicide bomber attacked a German patrol in Kunduz, North Afghanistan on October 20, 2008. The Mungo infantry carrier the Germans had travelled in caught fire and large quantities of ammunition exploded. A German soldier and five Afghan children were immediately killed by the blast. Three other troopers and a child were seriously injured. Sergeants Berges, Dietzen, Lukács, and Geist rushed to their aid and were eventually able to rescue two German soldiers and one child at the risk of their lives. They also rescued another soldier who had suffered mortal wounds and was trapped inside the destroyed vehicle.[7]

for conspicuous gallantry in combat on June 4, 2009

• Sergeant 1st Class Daniel SEIBERT, Mechanized Infantry Battalion 212, German Army
• Sergeant 1st Class Jan HECHT, Mechanized Infantry Battalion 391, German Army

Seibert, a squad leader, and Hecht, a platoon leader, led their platoon to the rescue of a small reconnaissance team surrounded by an overwhelming insurgent force near Basoz, Afghanistan on June 4, 2009. The combined forces - still greatly outnumbered - managed to fend off the attackers in a fight that partly developed into a close quarters combat.[8] Scores of insurgents were killed but thanks to Seibert's and Hecht's leadership, the Germans suffered no casualties.

for conspicuous gallantry in combat on June 7, 2009

• Staff Sergeant Steffen KNOSKA, Air Assault Regiment 1, German Army

Knoska, a squad leader, led his soldiers during a firefight with insurgents when a German trooper was seriously injured near Kunduz, Afghanistan on June 7, 2009. Knoska charged into incoming fire to rescue the immobilised and helpless soldier, and did not even give in when a bullet hit his helmet.[9]

for conspicuous gallantry in combat on April 2, 2010

• Sergeant 1st Class Mario KUNERT, Paratrooper Battalion 373, German Army
• Sergeant 1st Class Philipp Oliver PORDZIK, Paratrooper Battalion 373, German Army
• Sergeant 1st Class Ralf RÖNCKENDORF, Paratrooper Battalion 373, German Army
• Corporal Maik MUTSCHKE, Paratrooper Battalion 373, German Army
• Corporal Robert HARTERT, Paratrooper Battalion 373, German Army (posthumous)
• Private First Class Martin AUGUSTYNIAK, Paratrooper Battalion 373, German Army (posthumous)

On April 2, 2010, a parachute infantry platoon of 32 men was ambushed during an IED sweep in Chardara's Isa Khel neighbourhood and surrounded by thrice as many hostiles. Cut off from reinforcements, the troops fought for their lives for nine hours with the platoon basically ending up incapacitated. The honoured soldiers distinguished themselves by showing great courage and self-abandonment according to the citation.[10]

for conspicuous gallantry in combat on April 15, 2010

• Captain Jakob KLÖTZNER

In the course of Operation Taohid II, an ISAF offensive against insurgent forces in Baghlan province, a German Mowag Eagle armored vehicle was hit by an IED. Three soldiers were killed and five other wounded. Captain Klötzner gathered his troops and commanded the rescue under enemy fire, bringing back the injured soldiers to safety.[11]

for conspicuous gallantry in combat on October 7, 2010

• Lieutenant Colonel Jared SEMBRITZKI

Sembritzki, a battalion commander, led his troops during an insurgent assault on a combat outpost near Shahabuddin, Afghanistan while under massive fire on October 7, 2010. His actions, described as particularly dauntless and courageous, were crucial to keeping control of the outpost and averting a possible threat to coalition efforts in the entire province.[12]

Award ceremony for 14 Gold Crosses of Honour for Outstanding Deeds on April 2, 2010

for valor in combat on April 2, 2010

• Captain Robert McDONOUGH, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army
• Chief Warrant Officer 3 Steven HUSTED, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army
• Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jason LaCROSSE, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army
• Chief Warrant Officer 3 Nelson VISAYA, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army
• Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jason BROWN, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army
• Chief Warrant Officer 2 Sean JOHNSON, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army
• Chief Warrant Officer 2 Eric WELLS, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army
• Staff Sergeant Travis BROWN, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army
• Sergeant William EBEL, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army
• Sergeant Antonio GATTIS, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army
• Sergeant Steven SHUMAKER, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army
• Sergeant Matthew BAKER, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army
• Sergeant Todd MARCHESE, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army
• Sergeant Gregory MARTINEZ, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army

The U.S. MEDEVAC crewmen were honoured with the Gold Cross of Honour for Outstanding Deeds for risking their lives to come to the rescue of German soldiers, who were ambushed by as many as 200 Taliban fighters during a patrol north of the city of Kunduz on April 2. Their reluctance to abandon the Germans had a great impact upon the result of the battle; of 11 German troops seriously wounded in action that day, only three succumbed to their wounds.[13]

for valor in combat on April 2, 2010

• Sergeant 1st Class Nils BRUNS, Paratrooper Battalion 373, German Army (posthumous)

On April 2, 2010, a parachute infantry platoon of 32 men was ambushed during an IED sweep in Chardara's Isa Khel neighbourhood and surrounded by thrice as many hostiles. Cut off from reinforcements, the troops fought for their lives for nine hours with the platoon basically ending up incapacitated. Bruns was killed in combat when he rushed to the aid of a severely wounded soldier. He was posthumously awarded the Gold Cross of Honour for Outstanding Deeds.[14]

for great civil courage on September 21, 2010

• Recruit Roman WINS, Naval Infantry Battalion, Eckernförde

Wins (a conscript doing his military service) was travelling on a commuter bus in Kiel when a man attacked the bus driver with a knife and injured her severely. Wins went to the driver's rescue together with another passenger. When the attacker fled Wins followed and overwhelmed him. For his courage Wins was awarded the Gold Cross of Honour for Outstanding Deeds.[15]

for great civil courage on April 6, 2010

• Private 1st Class Martin SCHLAFLECHNER, Armoured Troops School, German Army

The trooper was off-duty when he witnessed a brawl. He stepped in, held the brawlers off each other, and handed them over to the police, by doing so ending a confrontation which could have come to a more serious end. For his courage, he was honoured with the Silver Cross of Honour for Outstanding Deeds.[16]

for great civil courage on September 12, 2001

• Specialist Kenneth CRAFT, 132nd Engineer BN, California Army National Guard

On September 12, 2001, the soldier was part of an exchange program with German and National Guard soldiers when he was the initial medical response person to a near fatal stabbing to a civilian contractor by German military personnel. The assailants were still in the building where he was performing advance medical care. Had he not been there, the end could have been more serious. He is acknowledged to be the first United States Army Soldier to have been awarded the Silver Cross of Honour.

for an outstanding contribution to international partnership and cooperation

• Col. David E. Shank, commander, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command

Under Shank’s leadership, NATO-integrated air and missile defense within Germany and Europe were strengthened, culminating in a combined exercise.