Bangor man who taught dentists is awarded German military honor

BANGOR – The Federal Republic of Germany recently presented one of its highest military honors, the Silver Cross of Honor of the Federal Armed Forces, to retired Col. Jon Dailey of Bangor.

German Army Lt. Col. Peter Bauer, liaison officer, presented the award to Dailey.

Germany rarely awards the medal to a non-German. It is similar in prestige to the U.S. Legion of Merit. It is awarded to foreign military members who demonstrate an extraordinary dedication to cross-cultural activities that foster understanding and mutual support.

“I feel truly honored to be recognized for something that I love to do, which is to teach forensic dentistry,” said Dailey. “It is also an honor and a privilege to have Maj. Gen. Janet A. Hicks, the commanding general of U.S. Army Signal School and Fort Gordon, my family and my dental colleagues here.”

Before Dailey retired, he was the assistant director of the Army Dental Specialty Residency in prosthodontics at Tingay Dental Clinic.

Dailey is one of the leading experts of the U.S. Armed Forces in the area of Forensic Dental Medicine, said Bauer.

“He is one of the only two American medical officers authorized to conduct accredited courses in the area of dentistry on behalf of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, for identification purposes based on dental records,” said Bauer.

Dailey has excelled in every aspect in the specialized area of dental medicine, demonstrating meritorious service.

“I conducted workshops in Munich in December 2002 and in August 2004,” said Dailey, now a dental director of an 18-chair dental clinic in Bangor.

“I taught forensic dentistry to a vast majority of dentists in the German Army,” Dailey said. “The students were very receptive to my teachings and it helped that there wasn’t a language barrier.”

After the tsunami hit Thailand, Germany sent two teams of dentists to identify the German nationals that were killed. They used the knowledge they learned from Dailey to identify the dead.

“They had the knowledge they needed when they went over there. And to know that I was the one who taught them was quite an honor,” Dailey said.

The Silver Cross of Honor is based on the Iron Cross awarded to German soldiers for bravery.

The history of the Iron Cross is derived from German Knights of the 14th century. In 1813, King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia established the Iron Cross as a military honor. It was a way to pay tribute to soldiers who were involved in the Napoleonic Wars.

Over the course of the following 140 years, the Iron Cross has also been issued as an award for bravery in battle as well as other military contributions.

In 1955, when the new German armed forces were founded, the stylized Iron Cross became the insignia of the Bundeswehr. Awarding of the honorary cross as a symbol of love, freedom, gallantry and courage, has to be approved by the German president and is awarded by the German defense minister for extraordinary fulfillment of military duties.