Zeer uitzonderlijke erkenning

    

Zeer uitzonderlijke erkenning
Vorige week ontving adjudant Jan Erpeka The Steel Order of the de Fleury Medal van het US Army Corps of Engineers. Dit als erkenning voor zijn superieure service aan NATO, US Military en het US Army Corps of Engineers. Jan: "Best wel een beetje trots. Sodeju!" Jan werkt als Staff Assistent Infrastructure, Joint Engineer Division, Allied Joint Command Brunssum. Jan, wij zijn grenzeloos trots op jou. Sodeju!

Jan bevindt zich in goed maar zeldzaam geniegezelschap, want in Kabul - Afghanistan (2017) ontving toenmalig luitenant-kolonel Bas van den Berg als eerste Nederlandse genist The Bronze Order of the de Fleury Medal, uit handen van huidig commandant US Army Corps of Engineers, Lieutenant General Graham.

History of the medal
The de Fleury Medal honors and recognizes those individuals who have provided significant contributions to Army Engineering. The medal also emphasizes the history, customs, and traditions of the Corps of Engineers community.

The medal is named for a French Engineer Francois Louis Tesseidre de Fleury, a French engineer who served with the American Army in its fight for independence from Britain during the American Revolutionary War. The Continental Congress appointed de Fleury a captain of engineers, and he quickly proved himself through courage under fire. On October 1, 1779, de Fleury was praised for his valor by the men who had penned the Declaration of Independence and who would later sign the Constitution. For his intrepid behavior, the Continental Congress ordered that a medal be struck in his honor.

The de Fleury Medal is the highest award for professional excellence in the Engineer Regiment. There are four orders of the medal: Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Steel.

Meer info over the Army Engineer Association.