AUSTIN, Texas – Texas National Guard Capt. Bradley Grimm was awarded the Danish Defense Medal for Special Meritorious Service in an April 19 ceremony in Denmark.
"Capt. Grimm provided actionable intelligence about a bomb threat against a school in Denmark," said Col. Steve Warren, a spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve. "The information he provided helped to foil a plot, and resulted in an arrest and a confiscation of explosives. Brad's work likely saved the lives of Danish citizens."
The information included a bomb threat against a Danish school.
According to Warren, Grimm helped develop a system to speed the flow of intelligence from the ground up to national capitals. This system was paramount in identifying the terrorist threat for the Danish authorities.
"It's not every day an American captain receives a very high, prestigious medal from a foreign country," Warren said.
Defense Gen. Peter Bartram, Danish defense chief, presented Grimm with the Danish Defense Medal for Meritorious Service with special honors.
According to a Danish officer, not only is the award one of the highest awards in Denmark, but also the special meritorious duty citation makes this award very rare. The medal is awarded infrequently, even to Danes, and is roughly equivalent to something more than a Legion of Merit, but less than a Silver Star.
The medal was originally awarded for meritorious deployment outside of Denmark, but after 2010, the Danish government began awarding it to civilians or military personnel for meritorious service for the betterment of the Danish Defense.
"Capt. Grimm's actions had a monumental impact on our allies in Denmark, and consequently on our coalition in the fight against international terrorism," said Maj. Gen. John F. Nichols, the adjutant general of Texas. "He embodies what our force stands for – Duty, Honor, Texas."