Parama Weera Vibhushanaya

The Parama Weera Vibhushanaya (PWV, Decoration of Supreme Heroism) (Sinhala: පරම වීර වීභූෂණය parama vīra vibhūṣaṇaya; Tamil: பரம வீர விபுஷனைய) is the highest decoration awarded by the Sri Lankan military, equivalent to the British Victoria Cross (the highest decoration in the Ceylon Army until 1972) and the United States Medal of Honor. The medal is awarded to all ranks of the tri services, to both regular- and volunteer forces, in recognition of:

...individual acts of gallantry and conspicuous bravery of a non-military nature of the most exceptional order performed voluntarily with no regard to his own life and security with the objective of saving or safeguarding the life or lives of a person or personnel imperiled by death or for a meritorious act or a series of acts of a humane nature of an exceptional order displayed in saving life from drowning, fire and rescue operations in mines, floods and similar calamities under circumstances of grave bodily injury or great danger to the life of the rescuer...

— [1]
Main article: Military awards and decorations of Sri Lanka
Parama Weera Vibhushanaya
Medal, obverse (right) and reverse (left)
TypeMedal
Awarded forIndividual acts of exceptional gallantry and bravery performed on a serviceperson's own initiative whilst on active service, without any regard for their own life or well-being
Presented bySri Lanka
EligibilityMilitary personnel only, all ranks
Post-nominalsPWV
StatusCurrently awarded
Established1981
First awarded1991
Last awarded2013
Total29
Total awarded posthumously29
(including awards to MIA personnel later declared KIA)
Total recipients29
Precedence
Next (higher)None (Highest)
Next (lower)Weerodara Vibhushanaya (Non-combat)
RelatedUththama Pooja Pranama Padakkama

Award process

Field commanders report actions that fulfill the conditions for a PWV to their respective service commanders, who review these reports and, if satisfactory, forward an official recommendation to an awards board composed of officers from the three armed services branches for further review. The board's report is sent to the office of the President who, as commander in chief, has final authority on the award. Recipients of the decoration can use the post-nominal letters "PWV".

As of 2018, all recipients of this award were killed or missing in action- no living serviceperson has ever worn the medal or the ribbon bar, or used the post-nominal letters to date, effectively making the PWV an exclusively posthumous award.

Recipients

References
  1. "Medals". Sri Lanka Army. army.lk. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  2. "PWV Citation – S/198852 Rec Abeyrathnebanda A. M. B. H. G. 21 SLSR (Posthumous)" (PDF). The Ministry of Defence of Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  3. "Acts of Bravery Rewarded with Gallantry Medals in Glittering Ceremony". Sri Lanka Army. 27 October 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
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