| Star of Military Valour | |
| Presenter: | The monarch of Canada |
| Type: | Military decoration |
| Eligibility: | Any person enrolled in the Canadian Forces. |
| Awarded For: | Distinguished and valiant service in the presence of the enemy. |
| Status: | Currently awarded |
| Higher: | Order of Yukon |
| Lower: | Star of Courage |
The Star of Military Valour (French: Étoile de la vaillance militaire) is a military decoration that is, within the Canadian system of honours, the second highest award for military valour,[1] and one of three honours for military valour awarded by the Canadian monarch, generally through his or her viceroy-in-Council. Created in 1993, the medal is presented to both living and deceased members of the Canadian Forces deemed to have demonstrated "distinguished and valiant service in the presence of the enemy,"[2] and grants recipients the ability to use the post-nominal letters SMV.
On 2 February 1993, three decorations, including the Star of Military Valour, were created by Queen Elizabeth II as a family of Canadian military valour decorations.[3] The first awarding of the star was by Governor General Michaëlle Jean, on 27 October 2006; only with Canada's participation in the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan did there emerge, for the first time since 1993, circumstances wherein one could carry out actions deserving of the Star of Military Valour.[4]
The Star of Military Valour is in the form of a silver-gilt compass star Celeste with a maple leaf in each angle. On the obverse is a roundel at the centre of the star, bearing a gold maple leaf on a red enamel background and surrounded by a silver laurel wreath. The reverse bears on the upper arm the royal cypher of the reigning monarch beneath St. Edward's Crown—symbolizing the Canadian monarch's roles as both fount of honour and Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces[5] [6] —and the inscription Latin: pro valore. Below this is engraved the name and rank of the recipient.
This medallion is worn on the left chest, on a 38adj=midNaNadj=mid crimson ribbon with two vertical white stripes: for men, hung from a bar, and for women, on a ribbon bow, both pinned to the left chest. Should an individual already possessing a Star of Military Valour be awarded the medal again for subsequent valorous acts, he or she is granted a simple gold medal bar, bearing a maple leaf at its centre, for wear on the ribbon from which the original medal is suspended.
The star is awarded only to members of the Canadian Forces, or members of allied armed forces serving alongside the Canadian Forces, who have shown conspicuous acts of valour in the face of enemy hostility. Should a person meet these criteria, nominations are made through his or her chain of command to the Military Valour Decorations Advisory Committee—a part of the Chancellery of Honours at Government House—which then makes its recommendations to the Governor General of Canada, via the Chief of the Defence Staff. Once they have been decorated with the Star of Military Valour, recipients are granted the right to use the post-nominal letters SMV. The Star of Military Valour can be awarded posthumously, as well as multiple times.
In chronological order, the recipients have been:
In 2014, La Promenade building in the parliamentary precinct in Ottawa was renamed the Valour Building to honour the recipients of the Star of Military Valour.