Medals honour for Royal Yorkshire Regiment for courage and service in Kosovo
In a moment steeped in Army tradition, one that goes back two centuries, a general pins a medal on the chest of a proud soldier.
What the medal stands for has not changed: service, courage and commitment to the regiment and country.
Here, 200 men and women of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Yorkshire Regiment, were being recognised for their recent operational service in Somalia and Kosovo, in front of more than 700 spectators at their base in Catterick.
BFBS Forces News met the battalion last autumn as 1 Royal Yorks deployed to the Balkans during the 25th anniversary of the Kosovo War.
While the regiment has seen plenty of action in the wars and military operations since, it was a back-to-basics infantry approach that helped these Yorkshiremen deliver a successful peacekeeping mission in what is still a challenging part of Europe.
We embedded with a patrol looking for smuggling activities, including arms, close to the border with Serbia.
Sergeant Daniel Emmett, 1 Royal Yorks, reflected on his time out on deployment after BFBS Forces News returned to the UK.
"The tour went really well," Sgt Emmett said. "We carried out with all our patrols, and it went really well throughout."
Sgt Emmett went on to explain why these parades are so important, as friends, families, and loved ones can come to see the personnel doing their job.
"It means quite a bit like the friends, the families, the loved ones who get to come and see them, especially after being away for a long period of time," he said.
"It's good for them to come here and see what we actually do, like get a look around the kit and equipment."
Speaking after the parade, Lieutenant Colonel Ed Lyons, Commanding Officer of 1 R YORKS, said the event wasn't just about recognising the contributions of the soldiers.
"We are a family regiment," he said. "[This parade] recognises not only those who are getting medals, but also everyone in the battalion who last year has retained our readiness commitment."
He also described the importance of the personnel's families in helping the regiment do its work at home and abroad.
"It's not only those on parade who we are recognising. It's the families who give up so much and enable us to do so much, which is why it’s great to see we've got over 7,000 people here to join us, come together as a county regiment, a family regiment, to mark today together," he added.
Major General Zachary Stenning, himself a former Commanding Officer of the battalion, reviewed the parade.
The parade also saw medals awarded for long service and good conduct, as well as awards to those who have gone above and beyond in their service to the country.
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