The Meritorious Unit Citation is awarded to a unit for sustained outstanding service in warlike operations. The award was introduced in 1991. The insignia of a Meritorious Unit Citation is a rhodium-plated rectangular frame surrounding a ribbon of old-gold. The frame has a design of flames emanating from the outer edges of the frame to the centre.
The actual citation is a warrant presented to the unit. Insignia are worn by individuals to denote their membership of a unit that has been awarded a citation. Personnel cannot be issued with the insignia until the authorised unit representative, normally the CO, has been formally invested with the citation.
In the case of awards made in recognition of past conflicts, the insignia can be applied for, issued and worn following formal announcement of the Governor-General’s approval of the award in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette.
Personnel who were members of the unit when an award was made wear a Federation Star in the centre of the ribbon and continue to wear the insignia after leaving the unit.
Army and Air Force dress policy allows current serving personnel who are subsequently posted to the unit to wear the insignia without the Federation Star, but only while actually posted to the unit. Veterans of cited units, who were not serving with the unit at the time of the cited action, are not entitled to wear the insignia.
Members of uniformed services wear the insignia in accordance with the dress rules of their Service. In civilian dress serving and ex-serving personnel generally continue to wear these insignia in the same way as they are worn on uniform.
Further awards are recognised by the presentation of a further Certificate of Citation to the unit signed by the Governor-General. Only one insignia of each citation may be worn by a member of the unit. Only one Federation Star device is worn, irrespective of the number of awards made to units to which a member may be posted.
What others are saying
There are no contributions yet.