General Overview
The Order of Saint Maurice and the Shield of Sparta are awarded by the National Infantry Association and the Chief of Infantry. This is to recognize the significant contributions made by Infantrymen, Infantry supporters, and spouses.
THE ORDER OF SAINT MAURICE® has five levels. A nominee for the Order of Saint Maurice must have served the Infantry community with distinction; must have demonstrated a significant contribution in support of the Infantry; and must represent the highest standards of integrity, moral character, professional competence, and dedication to duty. The same medallion is used for each level, with an attachment that identifies the level. (Click each level for narrative example)
The levels are as follows:
Primicerius (Highest Level) for those who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the entire Infantry with a special version of the award going to the Infantry Doughboy Award winners each year. Must be or have been Infantry Branch. Active and RC nominees must be members of the NIA.
Centurion (Middle Level, BDE and BN Officer/NCO Leadership and Special Nominees) for an outstanding contribution to the Infantry. Must be or have been Infantry Branch. Active and RC nominees must be members of the NIA.
Legionnaire Outstanding or conspicuous contribution to the Infantry. Infantrymen and Soldiers of other branches and other US Armed Services are eligible for this level. Active and RC Infantrymen who are nominees must be members of the NIA
Civis For civilian personnel who have supported the U.S. Infantry.
Peregrinus For foreign military personnel who have served in or supported the U.S. Infantry.
Cohort Award For young Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers who have demonstrated excellence in performance and significantly contributed to their Infantry Battalion’s success. This award is an initial foundation for future awarding of the Legionnaire, Centurion, and Primicerius levels of the Order of Saint Maurice.
SHIELD OF SPARTA – HEROINE OF THE INFANTRY is awarded to a spouse who has contributed significantly to the Infantry. The NIA’s goal is to recognize spouses of Infantrymen and other Soldiers in support roles, whose contributions deserve special recognition by the National Infantry Association and the Infantry community. The award is a token of appreciation for the sacrifice and commitment demanded of the wives and supporters of Infantrymen and other Soldiers. It further symbolizes these women as true patriots with selfless ideals and the courage to send their Soldier into harm’s way.
TO NOMINATE AN INDIVIDUAL:
- Nominator must be an active NIA member (join on our website under the “Membership” tab)
- Active NIA members may only nominate two people per Awards Board, unless in an active NIA Chapter
- If the nominee is currently serving in the US Army Infantry, they will also need to be an active NIA member
- Submit the nomination form and a narrative (usually 1-2 pages in length) detailing the soldier’s significant contribution to the Infantry to awards@infantryassn.com
- Any deployments, leadership time, schools, awards, etc.
- Cannot be in list format, must be in paragraph format
- The Awards Boards are every other Thursday of the month – the awards boards for 2021 will be held on:
- January 7, 21
- February 4, 18
- March 4, 18
- April 1, 15, 29
- May 13, 27
- June 10, 24
- Nominations must to be submitted FIVE business days prior to the Awards Board in order to be processed and prepared for the Awards Board.
- We ask for 30 days from the date of the Board to process and ship awards back to the nominator (we will not ship to the nominee)
- We cannot guarantee, even with 30 days, that we can meet deadlines for overseas nominations.
- If the suspense date is before the normal 30 days, the rush fee of $20 per nomination will need to be added
- *Rush does not mean we can meet every deadline – rush is added to compensate for the extra charge for engravers and our extra time spent on your rush nomination
When an award nomination is submitted to the NIA, it is reviewed for completeness, and presented to an awards board. It is desired that when an individual is nominated for this award, the nominator has taken sufficient time to prepare a nomination packet that does the potential awardee justice. The board reviews each award nomination on its merits and the criteria adopted by the NIA. The panel will determine whether to approve or decline a nomination as submitted, or whether to upgrade or downgrade an award nomination. Once the award panel has reviewed and approved a nomination, a serial number is attached to the submitted award, and then information is forwarded to an engraver to have the name and serial number engraved on the medallion. PLEASE NOTE: Nominators whose nominations are declined will be refunded (upon request) 50% of the cost. The award certificate is signed by the Chief of Infantry and the NIA President. A letter announcing the award is prepared and then the packet is ready for shipment.
These awards are the property of the National Infantry Association Inc., and are not permitted to be used by any other organization or activity, without the expressed permission of the NIA.
A copy of the media coverage or photograph of presentations may be forwarded to the NIA for inclusion in the Infantry Bugler magazine.