Decoration of Merit
The Decoration of Merit is an important military decoration for bravery in the Netherlands. The medal was established by the Dutch minister of defence, Wim van Eekelen, on 16 April 1987. The award was created by ministerial decree and is therefore a medal of the Netherlands Ministry of Defence and not a royal decoration. Defence ministries in Germany and the Czech Republic award similar decorations. This way chivalric orders keep their exclusivity. The ministerial decree requires four criteria for granting: exceptional merits towards the armed forces which are incidentally of nature, individual courage in life-threatening situations, brave action in conflict situations in peace time, and particular merits of Dutch and foreign civil and military authorities. In 2002, minister Benk Korthals added a fifth criteria for granting the medal: exceptional activities for the Netherlands Armed forces. The award is granted in silver or gold. The medal is the sixth highest military decoration, after the Medal of Recognition, still being awarded for bravery. Design The medal has the shape of an old Dutch fortresses in the style that was introduced in the late 17th century by the Dutch fortress builder Menno van Coehoorn. The moat of the hexagonal fortresses has been reflected