Medals Awarded In The Indian Armed Forces

Hello, Warriors!

Indian Armed Forces are no less of brave heroes. Recently, we witnessed the martyrdom of Col Santosh Mahadik safeguarding the nation from terrorists and insurgents. The officer was earlier awarded Sena Medal for exhibiting gallantry and leadership in counter-terrorist operations.

In the previous article, we wrote about the various decorations in the Indian Armed Forces.

Here, we talk about the various medals awarded by the Government of India to its brave and courageous soldiers and civilians.

MEDALS

1. Distinguished Service & Gallantry medals

• Sena Medal (SM)-  It is awarded for gallantry or for distinguished service carried out by any soldier, not in the face of the enemy.

• Nausena Medal (NM)- It is a gallantry award for servicemen in the Indian Navy, synonymous to SM of the Army.

• Vayusena Medal (VM)- It is an Indian military decoration, usually awarded in peacetime for excellence in service. However, it has been granted for acts of gallantry in the face of enemy too.

1. Wartime distinguished service medals

• Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal (SYSM)- India’s highest Wartime Distinguished Service decoration, SYSM is awarded for the highest degree of distinguished services in times of war, conflict, or hostilities.

• Uttam Yudh Seva Medal (UYSM)- Next to SYSM, the award is a wartime equivalent of Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, which is a Peacetime Distinguished Service decoration.

• Yudh Seva Medal (YSM)- The last in the Wartime Distinguished Service Medals, it is awarded for a high degree of distinguished service in an operational context. The Yudh Seva medal may be awarded posthumously and so can the SYSM and UYSM.

1. Peacetime distinguished service medals

• Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM)- It is awarded in recognition to peace-time service of the most exceptional order.

• Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM)- The AVSM is next to PVSM in peacetime service medals. It is awarded for a distinguished service of an exceptional order.

• Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM)- Like the PVSM and AVSM, the VSM is also awarded for exceptional service to the Armed forces and the nation. It is the third and last award in this category.

These were just the major awards and medals of the Indian Armed Forces. There are various other medals and honors apart from these.  If you want to check those out too, you can follow the Miscellaneous Medals of the Indian Armed Forces here.