The Medal for the Martyrs
| The Medal for the Martyrs | |
|---|---|
 Obverse (left) and reverse (right) of The Medal for the Martyrs. | |
| Awarded by foreign volunteers of the Syrian Democratic Forces, People's Protection Units and the Women's Protection Units | |
| Country | Syria |
| Type | Commemorative medal (decoration) |
| Eligibility | Foreign volunteers with SDF, YPG or YPJ forces |
| Awarded for | Killed or died as a result of their service in Syria (Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria) |
| Campaign(s) | Syrian Civil War; Syrian Kurdish–Islamist conflict (2013–present) |
| Status | Awarded as necessary |
| Description | Medal diameter: 34mm
Thickness: 3mm Ribbon width: 32mm |
| Motto | ŞEHÎD NAMIRIN ("Martyrs Never Die") |
| Statistics | |
| Established | February, 2019 |
| First awarded | April, 2020 |
| Total awarded | 15 |
| Posthumous awards | All (15) |
 Ribbon bar | |
The Medal for the Martyrs is a project to commemorate the foreign fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces who died during the Rojava conflict, or who died as a result of their service in Rojava.
Award criteria[edit]
Medal[edit]
The medal is presented to the families (next of kin) of foreign fighters and volunteers with the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), People's Protection Units (YPG) or Women's Protection Units (YPJ) forces in Syria who were killed while fighting against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) or Turkish forces. The families of international fighters and volunteers who after returning home died as a direct result of their service (such as in the case of a suicide relating to PTSD) are also eligible to receive a medal.[1]
Ribbon bar[edit]
A ribbon bar was not issued with the medal. Instead a small number were made and presented to those that significantly contributed to the project as a token of gratitude.[2]
The Project[edit]
Initial concept[edit]
The initial concept first came about in February 2019 as an idea of SDF and YPG veteran Daniel Bourke and an Australian friend with a background in numismatics. They came up with the idea to use an ISIL 25 fals coin and repurpose it as a medal to commemorate the fallen international fighters and volunteers. The initial medal construction involved having an actual ISIL 25 fals coin (as opposed to a replica) joined to a suspension bar. This was not able to be done because the disc and suspension bar in modern medal production are made as one meaning that medal manufacturers refused to make a separate suspension bar and then join it to the coin. Another issue was that not enough coins could be sourced in time to make the right number of medals.
Project launch[edit]
After consulting with other international veterans and related groups, the design was updated and a social media campaign on both Facebook and Instagram was launched. The official camping and project was launched on the 12th of November, 2019, the day after Remembrance Day and Veterans Day to help raise awareness of the project and of the international fighters and volunteers who were lost.[3]
Funding[edit]
On 10 December 2019 a GoFundMe camping was started to raise funds for the project. The campaign was promoted through the Facebook page and Instagram account. The campaign has been unsuccessfully with only raising $810 AUD to date.[4] To deal with this it was decided that a small initial order of medals would be ordered and mostly payed for by one of the project organisers in Australia.
First issue[edit]
On 31 of January, 2020 it was posted on both the Facebook page and Instagram account that the first order of medals have been placed and in production.[5] on the 8 of April, 2020 It was announced on both the Facebook page and Instagram account the first issue of medals had been received and the first few were being sent out.
Design[edit]
The Medal for the Martyrs is constructed around a replica of a captured bronze 25 fals coin that was made and used by ISIL within territory under their control.[6] The metal disc and suspension bar are made as one from a zine die cast and plated bronze with a brushed finish applied. A ribbon is threaded through the suspension bar with a brooch attached behind at the top.[3]
The idea to use a captured coin for the medal was inspired by the Australian Sydney Emden medal and the idea to reappropriate the ISIL coin came from the reappropriation of the Nazi Germany 1939 Iron Cross medal's ribbon for the Israeli Fighters against Nazis Medal.[7]
It was an intentional decision for the medal to replicate an ISIL 25 fals coin as many of these and other similar coins were taken and confiscated by fighters in areas that were liberated from ISIL. ISIL's name and motto from the obverse side were removed and replaced with the acronyms of the three main Kurdish forces and a motto. This was deliberately done to show the liberation of and destruction of ISIL's so-called "caliphate" as well as symbolising an attack on and eradication of their extremist and harmful ideology.
The medal was manufactured and assembled by Cash's Awards and Promotion Solutions located in Frankston, Australia.
Obverse[edit]
The obverse of the medal is a replica of the obverse side of an ISIL 25 fals coin. The medal reads at the top "YPG SDF YPJ" representing the three main forces that the volunteers were part of. This top line also replaces the original Arabic on the coin that read "الدولة الإسلامية" (The Islamic State).[8] The bottom line reads in Kurdish a saying and motto "ŞEHÎD NAMIRIN" (Martyrs Never Die). The motto replaces ISIL's motto that was on the coin "خلافة على منهاج النبوة" (A caliphate upon prophetic methodology).[8] The area around the text "YPG SDF YPJ" and "ŞEHÎD NAMIRIN" is slightly sunken into the surface of the medal to create the illusion that the new text has been overstruck on the original text, symbolising an eradication of ISIL and other hostile entities. In the centre is the coin's value (25 fals) "٢٥ فلسا"[9] within a segmented circle. To the centre right is the coin's original weight (15 grams) "١٥ غرام";[9] and to the centre left is the coin's original metal content "نحاس" (copper).[9] The coin's denomination, weight and metal composition were kept on the medal to create the illusion that the medal was made using a coin.
Reverse[edit]
The reverse of the medal is a replica of the reverse side of an ISIL 25 fals coin. At the centre is the Islamic calligraphy of a Hadith and below is the Gregorian year in Arabic text of the year that the medal was first issued in "٢٠٢٠" (2020); all surrounded by a pattern of interwoven curved lines. The Hadith reads in Arabic "أفضل الصدقة جهد المقل", which translates to in English as "The best charity is the effort of the less wealthy".[8]
One of the reasons why this Hadith was placed on the coin by ISIL was to use Islamic teachings and beliefs to pursued the people under their control to donate these coins back towards their cause. The main reasons why it was decided to keep it on the medal was that it preaches the importance of charity which can be interpreted to preach how important it was for the recipients to volunteer themselves and ultimately pay the highest price for there acts of charity for the Kurdish, Syrian and Iraqi peoples.
Ribbon[edit]
The ribbon in 32 mm wide. At the centre is a 4mm red (Pantone 108) stripe flanked on either side by black (Pantone Black) stripes to symbolise the blood and loss of those that were killed. On either side of the central stripes are two 3mm light brown (Pantone 1205) stripes representing the sandy desert terrain of Syria. On the left is a 5mm yellow (Pantone Yellow) stripe flanked on both sides by 2mm green (Pantone 350) stripes, representing the flag of the YPG. On the right is a 5mm green (Pantone 350) stripe flanked on both sides by 2mm yellow (Pantone Yellow) stripes, representing the flag of the YPJ.
Yellow, red and green also makeup the tricolour Flag of North and East Syria which is used by the Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM), the political coalition that governs the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (NES) also known as Rojava.
Suspension bar[edit]
On the front facing side of the suspension bar is the boxed in text "ROJAVA", the Kurdish name of the semi-autonomous region of north-eastern Syria and the main region in which the recipients fought in. Connecting the suspension bar to the disc is a five-pointed star, the same that is used on many Kurdish flags such as those of the YPG and YPJ. The back side has the laser engraved name of the recipient.
Recipients[edit]
The following is a table detailing all the recipients of the medal.[10][11]
| Name | Nom de guerre | Date and Place fo Birth | Date and Place of Death | Additional Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reece Harding | Bagok Serhed | 31 August 1991, Middle Swan, Western Australia, Australia | 27 June 2015, Girêspî, Silûk, Gundê Genterî | |
| John Robert Gallagher | Gaber Rojava | 30 September 1983, Toronto, Canada | 4 November 2015, Heseke, Al-Hol | |
| Jamie Bright | Gaber Amed | 1971, Australia | 25 May 2016, Sadaddi, Gundê Malha, Northern Syria | |
| Daniel Pascual | Heval Amor | 29 May 1993, Barcelona, España | 12 July 2016, Sant Antoni De Vilamajor, España | Passed after returning home. |
| Levi Jonathan Shirley | Agîr Servan | Nevada, United States | 14 July 2016, Minbic, Northern Syria | |
| Dean Carl Evans | Givara Rojava | Reading, United Kingdom | 21 July 2016, Minbic, Northern Syria | |
| Ryan Lock | Berxwedan Gîvara | 26 June 1996, Chichester, United Kingdom | 21 December 2016, Raqqa, Northern Syria | |
| Paolo Todd | Kawa Amed | Los Angeles, United States | 15 January 2017, Raqqa, Northern Syria | |
| Robert Grodt | Demhat Goldman | February 1989, California, United States | 6 July 2017, Raqqa, Northern Syria | |
| Luke Rutter | Soro Zinar | Birkenhead, United Kingdom | 6 July 2017, Raqqa, Northern Syria | |
| Farid Medjahed | Sahîn Qerçox | Marselles, France | 6 October 2017, Deir al-Zour, North Eastern Syria | |
| Jac Holmes | Sores Amanos | 18 January 1993, Pool, United Kingdom | 23 October 2017, Raqqa, Syria | Two medals were produced, one for each of Jac's's parents who are divorced. Each medal is named "Jac Holmes" followed by either "1/2" or "2/2". |
| Ollie Hall | Canşêr Zagros | 28 October 1993, United Kingdom | 25 November 2017, Raqqa, Northern Syria | |
| Sjoerd Heeger | Baran Sason | 1993, Helmond, Netherlands | 12 February 2018, Afrin, Rojava | |
| Kevin Howard | 23 September 1988, Grants Pass, Oregon, United States | 30 March 2019, Tucson, Arizona, United States | Passed after returning home. | |
| An additional medal was produced with "SPECIMEN" laser engraved on the back of the suspension bar. | ||||
See also[edit]
- Foreign fighters in the Syrian and Iraqi Civil Wars
- International Freedom Battalion
- List of military awards and decorations of the international military intervention against ISIL
- Rojava conflict
- Syrian Civil War
- Syrian Kurdish–Islamist conflict (2013–present)
- YPG International
References[edit]
- ↑ "The Medal for the Martyrs Facebook post". Facebook. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "The Medal for the Martyrs - Ribbon Bar". All Badges. 22 February 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 "The Medal for the Martyrs - Facebook". Facebook. 12 November 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "The Medal for the Martyrs - GoFundMe" Check
|url=value (help). GoFundMe. 10 December 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2020. Unknown parameter|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "The Medal for the Martyrs Facebook post". Facebook. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Moussa, Jenan (1 July 2017). "1/ #BREAK: I obtained a silver ISIS coin. This is 1st concrete evidence that ISIS indeed introduced own currency in areas of its control". Twitter - Reporter Jenan Moussa.
- ↑ "Fighters against Nazis Medal". Wikipedia.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Moos, Olivier (23 December 2018). "The Return of the Gold Dinar – An analysis of the Islamic State coin production". Religioscope.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "25 Falsan (thin variety)". Numista.
- ↑ "Internationalist Sehids". Internationalist Commune. 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "YPG International". YPG International. 2019.
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