de Fleury 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. The Gold de Fleury medal is normally awarded only to a single individual each year and is the highest honor. The Steel de Fleury Medal is awarded annually to several junior soldiers and civilians within the Engineer Regiment based on input from  Commanders and their Sergeants Major. While the award is not part of the U.S. Army awards system, it may be worn at official Regimental functions.