were the only decorations that could be approved by the South African Minister of Defence without reference to the King. France Since the French Revolution, France has had the custom of declaring deserving citizens or groups to have bien mérité de la Patrie ("well deserved the recognition of the Country"). This sentiment is continued to this day in the formulation of the citations that accompany medals. In the French military, mentions in dispatches – or more accurately, mention in orders (citation dans les ordres) – are made by senior commanders, from the level of a Regimental commanding officer to the Commander-in-Chief, in the orders they give to their unit, recognizing the gallantry of an action performed some time before. There are two kinds of mentions: mentions with cross, for bravery in presence of the enemy, and mentions without cross, for bravery not in presence of the enemy. Mentions with cross The citations are given for acts of gallantry by any member of the French military or its allies and are, depending on the degree, roughly the equivalent of the US Bronze Star Medal or Silver Star and the UK Mention in Dispatches or Military Cross and, formerly, the Military Medal. Mentions made during the two World Wars or colonial conflicts were accompanied with awards of a Croix de Guerre or a Croix de la Valeur Militaire, with attachments on the ribbon depending on the mention's degree : the lowest degree is represented by a bronze star while the highest degree is represented by a bronze palm. a bronze star for those who had been mentioned at the regiment or brigade level. a silver star for those who had been mentioned at the division level. a silver gilt star for those who had been mentioned at the corps level. a bronze palm for those who had been mentioned at the army level. a silver palm represents five bronze ones. a silver gilt palm for those who had been mentioned at the Free French Forces level (World War II only). A unit can also be mentioned in dispatches. The unit standard is then decorated with the corresponding Croix. After two mentions, the men of the unit are entitled to wear a fourragère. Mentions without cross Since 2004, mentions for bravery not involving actual combat with the enemy are awarded with a gold Médaille de la Défense nationale (National Defence Medal) and with