| Shield of AcDragonia | |
|---|---|
| {{{Image}}} | |
| Awarded by the Chief of Staff
(Acting or Official) with | |
| Type | AcDragonian military medal with neck ribbon (Decoration) |
| Eligibility | Military Personnel only |
| Awarded For | Conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call |
| Status | Currently Awarded |
| Statistics | |
| Established | January 1st, 2601 |
| First Awarded | January 2nd, 2601 |
| Last Awarded | June 4th, 2635 |
| Total Awarded | 13,880 |
| Posthumous Awards | 4,655 |
| Distinct Recipients | 13,793 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (Higher) | None |
| Next (Lower) | Army: Distinguished Gallantry Cross Navy and Marines: Golden Talon |
Shield of AcDragonia[]
The Shield of AcDragonia is the Republic of AcDragonia's highest and most prestigious personal military decoration awarded to AcDragonian military personnel to recognize those who have distinguished themselves through acts of valor. The medal is normally awarded by the Chief of Staff (either acting or official) in the name of the AcDragonian people. There is only one version of the Shield of AcDragonia which is universal through all branches of the AcDragonian military. The officially recognized shorthand reference name of the medal is The Shield, though there are a host of unofficial names used to refer to the medal. While not the oldest medal that the AcDragonian military awards, as it was created about the same time as most of the others, it is by far the most valuable and most impactful.
The medal was created a year after the settling of the AcDragonian people on Planet Aegis in order to give recognition to the me men and women of the armed forces who distinguished themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity" against the enemies of the AcDragonian people. The name of the medal comes from a quote by then General Thundra Orientail stating:
"These men and women are the rock with which the AcDragonian Military builds itself upon. These brave soldiers are the sword of the AcDragonian people but more importantly the Shield of the people. They are the shield with which the enemies of our fine civilization shall find their weapons beaten and their resolve crushed."
Unlike some medals of like caliber from other civilizations, this medal can only be awarded if the act in question that would have awarded the medal had a direct impact on the success or failure of a given mission and as such jumping on a grenade to save a soldiers squadmates would not constitute a Shield of AcDragonia medal in most cases but would instead constitute a Distinguished Gallantry Cross or a Golden Talon depending on the branch of the military. This specific caveat has been met with criticism and is the subject of heavy debate with proponents arguing that the action, if not taken, would've doomed the mission in question to failure while detractors argue against what is being defined as "affect the success of a given mission" based on how important the mission actually was. There are rare instances where an action of the aforementioned kind would constitute a Shield of AcDragonia, such as if the squad was the only one who could complete the mission when the soldier sacrificed their life.