In all states it is customary to reward people whose most part of their lives was devoted to work in government and military structures. In the USSR, to reward military personnel whose service life was 10, 15 or 20 years, medals "For Impeccable Service" were established.
Tsarist Russia awards
The tradition of awarding officers who have served for more than 25 years was introduced by Catherine II. In 1769, the Statute of the Order of St. George the Victorious was issued, where in the fifth article it was indicated that, since not every officer can get into a situation “where his jealousy and courage can shine”, this IV degree award was received by those of them who either served 25 years in the field, or took part in at least 18 naval campaigns. However, in 1855, by personal decree, the Order of St. George, IV degree, was canceled, and the Order of St. Vladimir, IV degree, was also awarded for 25 years of service, and now not only military officers, but also class civil ranks could receive it.
USSR Lifetime Achievements
In the Soviet Union, the award for long service in the Red Army began in 1944. Decrees on such an award were issued on June 4 for the Red Army, on September 25 - for the Navy, and on October 2 - for employees of the NKGB and NKVD. But since military orders were used for awarding, this led to a depreciation of their significance. So, for example, the Order of the Red Banner - one of the most honorable military awards - was awarded about 300,000 times for long service. In this regard, such awards in the period from 1954 to 1957 were discontinued. But already in 1958, it was decided to award military personnel and employees of law enforcement agencies, whose length of service was more than 10 years, the USSR medal "For Impeccable Service".
Who was honored
Citizens of the Russian Federation, officially appointed to government service, are presented for the award. Medals "For Impeccable Service" are awarded to servicemen of the Navy, the Soviet Army, troops and bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Security Committee, who have served in these units for at least 10 years and have no pen alties during the period of service. The presentation takes place on the basis of the Decree, which regulates the assignment of orders and medals. The award is presented by the Minister of Defense and differs as follows: medal "For Impeccable Service" 3rd class, 2nd and 1st.
Order of awards
Lists of awarded persons are compiled on the basis of Decrees approved by the Ministers of Defense in the regions. Medals "For Impeccable Service" 1st Classcitizens whose service life has exceeded 20 years, and who do not have valid pen alties or other shortcomings in their official activities. The medal of the second degree is awarded to persons who have served for 15 years. The Medal "For Impeccable Service" 3rd class is awarded to citizens whose service life has exceeded 10 years. At the same time, if for the period of awarding the service life is more than 15 or 20 years, then it is possible to award a medal of 2 or 1 degree, bypassing the others. Applications for awards must be submitted by May 10th. The medal "For Impeccable Service" is usually awarded on November 7 or February 23. The award is considered departmental, worn on the left side and, in the presence of other medals of the USSR and the Russian Federation, is located after them.
Appearance
The medal is a circle with a diameter of 32 millimeters. In the center of the front part there is a five-pointed star, from under the concave corners of which beams of rays diverge. Rays can be either sharp or blunt. In the center of the star, around the circumference of which there is a laurel wreath, there are a sickle and a hammer. For all departments, the front side has the same pattern. The exception is the merit medal issued by the GB Committee. On its obverse, between the lower rays of the star, there are Roman numerals XX, XV and X, respectively, on medals of 1, 2 and 3 degrees.
With the help of a ring and a lug, the medal is attached to a pentagonal block covered with red moiré ribbon, the width of which is 24 millimeters. A narrow green stripe runs along the edge of the ribbon. Narrow yellow stripes run down the center. At medal 1degree - one, the award of the 2nd degree - two. The 20 Years of Impeccable Service medal has three gold-yellow stripes on a moiré ribbon.
Material of production
Medals of the 1st degree, issued during 1958-1965, were made of silver. Later examples of awards were made of silver-plated brass or tombac. A distinctive feature of the 1st degree medal was the surface of the star, covered with red enamel. Awards of the 2nd degree were also made of brass and nickel silver, while their surface, with the exception of the star, was covered with silver. Medals of the 3rd degree are not silver plated. The reverse of the medals is different for each of the three (Army, Ministry of Internal Affairs and KGB) departments.
Some more facts
Today, the medal "For Impeccable Service" exists in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus, but their appearance differs from the Russian award. The Ukrainian award looks like a cross on a blue ribbon. The Kazakh award, which was established in 2002, like the Russian one, has a round shape. Just like the medal of the Russian Federation, on the obverse it has a laurel wreath and a five-pointed star, but there is also an inscription in the Kazakh language. The medal is attached to a blue ribbon with yellow stripes. The Belarusian award has a green sash.
Despite the fact that the units of the Ministry of Emergency Situations are equated with the departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, their employees cannot receive the medal "For Impeccable Service". And all because the management of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation in 2010 approved its own award, bearing the same name. However, its appearance is significantly different from the government medal. On the obverse, instead of a five-pointed star, there is the logo of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. It is in connection with the release of their own departmental medal that the awarding of employees of various services of the Ministry of Emergency Situations takes place separately from other military personnel.
And finally some information for collectors. In the USSR, employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Union republics wore various insignia, including this medal. For merits and impeccable service in some republics, since 1960, medals of the ministries of internal affairs have been issued: the Moldavian, Lithuanian, Tajik and Armenian SSR. Later (in 1962), the ministries of republican internal affairs were transformed into MOOP (ministries of public order protection) and the issuance of medals was started already with the indication of these departments. However, in 1970, an order was issued to hand over the MOOP medals for remelting, which makes them, from the point of view of faleristics, much more valuable. So, for example, the Lithuanian and Tajik medals "For Impeccable Service" are considered quite rare, the price of which varies from ten to twenty-seven thousand rubles. On average, collectors, depending on the year of issue and departmental affiliation, can offer from one to seven thousand rubles. Medals of the 1st degree of 1958 of the KGB of the USSR are in the greatest demand. They can offer from four to seven thousand rubles for them.
