THE INDONESIAN UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING MEDAL

EDWARD EMERING

Indonesia’s recent participation in the hybrid United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) reflects its ongoing commitment to United Nations peacekeeping efforts, which can be traced back to the 1955 Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung, Indonesia. Indonesia’s United Nations peacekeeping efforts began with the dispatch of troops to serve in ONUC in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1960. Since then, Indonesia has participated in the following United Nations Missions:

inscription on two straight lines REPUBLIKINDONESIA

The ribbon measures 45mm by 35ram and is attached by

a ring/ball suspension. The red and white stripes measure

3mm each. A silvered metallic Roman numeral device

is affixed to the ribbon drape to indicate the number of

missions served.

The medal is awarded by the Minister of Defense based on the recommendations of the Commander of the Armed Forces via the Chief of Staff of the National Army or

United Nations Mission ONUMOZ UNAMIC UNEF II

UNIIMOG UNIKOM

UNMIBH/IPTF UNMIL

UNMOP UNMOT

UNOMIG UNOMSIL/UNAMSIL

UNOSOM UNPREDEP

UNPROFOR UNPSG

UNCRO UNTAC

UNTAES UNAMID

Dates

1962-1995

1991-1992

1973-1979

1988-1991

1991-2003

1995-1996

2003-

1996-2002

1994-2000

1993-2009

1998-2005

1992-1995

1995-1999

1992-1995

1997-1998

1995-1996

1992-1993

1996-1998

2007-

Country/Region Mozambique

Cambodia

Egypt/Israel Iran/Iraq

Iraq/Kuwait

Bosnia-Herzegovina Liberia

Prevlaka, Croatia Tajikistan

Georgia Sierra Leone

Somalia Macedonia

Croatia Croatia

Croatia Cambodia

Eastern Slavonia, Serbia Darfur, Sudan

In addition to qualifying for the appropriate United Nations issued medal, Indonesian military and police personnel (members of the National police are considered a branch of the military), who serve in overseas peacekeeping missions with good character for a minimum of two months, may be awarded the Satya Lancana Santi Dharma Medal (Dharma Santi Satayalancana) upon return to Indonesia. The two-month time requirement is waived for those killed while on a mission. The award was instituted on August 8, 1973 in State Gazette Number 3011 of the Republic of Indonesia.

The yellow-bronze pentagonal planchet with small circles on each of the five points, representing the Armed Forces philosophy of life, measures 35rnm high by 40mm wide (Figure 1). The official distance between each point is 35mm. The central obverse design is the padama (sacred lotus) flower, symbolizing friendship, encircled by a wreath, composed of a sprig of cotton and a sprig of paddy (rice), below and the curved inscription, SANTI- DHARMA above. The reverse is blank except for the

Chief of the National Police and the specific mission commander. Civilians attached to a mission may also be nominated for the award.

Figure 1: Obverse (left) and reverse (right) of the Indonesian

United Nations Peacekeeping Medal.

Vol. 62, No. 5 (September-October 2011) 41

A SECOND VERSION OF THE AL BA’ATH PARTY MEDAL

ROBERT E. MISSLING

The first version of the A1 Ba’ath Party medal was issued in the early 1980s and was manufactured outside of Iraq (primarily in Italy). This medal was in gold and had a smooth edge.

After 1991, an Iraqi-made version of the medal was

awarded which was manufactured by the official Iraqi

Orders and Medals factory (Figures 1 and 2). This type is

of lower quality, made from base metal, and gilted. The

medal has a milled edge (Figure 3) and is believed to

have been awarded to important Ba’ath Party members.

Figure 3: Milled edge of the second version of the AI Ba’ath Party Medal.

Figure 1: Obverse of the second version of the A1Ba’ath Party Medal.

Figure 2: Reverse of the second version of the AI Ba’ath Party Medal.

BOOK REVIEW (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28):

action after 1975. He begins with Operation Babylift in

1975 and finishes with the "Global War on Terrorism"

which commenced in 2001, but has yet to finish.

While the citations for all the awards in Caubarreaux’s book are readily available what makes this book valuable is that it has biographical details of awardees. For example, the recipient’s date and place of birth, highest rank attained, service number (where known), and other United States decorations awarded, are included. The book also has nine appendices, which cover award criteria and list recipients both alphabetically and by date of action. A small number of black and white photographs (some of recipients) also enhance the text.

My chief concern it that the author has included more than a few social security numbers in the biographical details of recipients who were killed in action or have since died (but not of the living). But this is a minor criticism of what otherwise is a fine addition to the growing number of books and medals on United States decorations.

Fred Borch

42 JOMSA

SECRETARY’S REPORT June-July

Those listed as new members have applied for 2011 membership in the Orders and Medals Society of America. If no proper written

objection to such membership is received from any member in good standing within sixty (60) days of publication, the applicant shall

be admitted to membership (Article III, Section 3 of the OMSA Constitution, and Article III, Section 2 of the OMSA By-Laws). The

collecting interests of each new member as provided on the membership application follow each new member’s address.

NEW MEMBERS - 2011

#8123 #8124 #8125 #8144 #8145

James C. Zellner (Internet) PO Box 144, Lehighton, PA 18235

Xiao A. Sessler (Internet) PO Box 778426, Henderson, NV 89077-8426

D. Wayne Johnson (Internet) 139 Thompson Dr. Torrington, CT 06790

William L. Farrell (Internet) 86 Spring St. Newport, RI 02840

Rolando J. Pierues (Internet) PO Box 7386, San Juan, PR 00916

DECEASED Ohr, Richard A. #2131,93 Osborne Ave., Bay Head, NJ 08742-4623

Pabich, Eugene #5959, 183 Channel Dr., Henderson, NV 89002

ADDRESS CHANGES & CORRECTIONS

Coulston, Peter #3689 710 W. Indiana Ave., Urbana, IL 61801 Ludvigsen, Cathy #8006, PO Box 15280, Sarasota, FL 34277-1280 Margulies, W. Paul, Jr. #7538, 5800 Valletta P1., Dulles, TX 20189-5800 O’Shea, Michael H. #4464, 936 Ocean Ave., Sea Bright, NJ 07760-2121

Patten, David #4042, 322 Buttermere Ln., Amherst, OH 44001 Playford, Christopher C. #7723, 7837 Flight Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90045 Pritzker Military Library, #8135,104 S. Michigan Ave., Ste 500, Chicago, IL 60603-5958 Womack, James A. #7900, 1175 Remagen Rd., Seaside, CA 93955-7415

End of Report Clyde L. Tinklepaugh, Jr. Secretary

PURCHASE OMSA BADGES

AND MEDALS

(FULL-SIZED OR MINIATURES)

CONTACT: CLYDE L. TINKLEPAUGH, JR.,

OMSA SECRETARY PO BOX 540 CLAYMONT, DE 19703-0540

Vol. 62, No. 5 (September-October 2011) 43