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 Ion Postolache
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| General Description : | The Medal "For Impeccable Service" was a Soviet military award for long service awarded to deserving members of the military personnel of the armed forces of the USSR, of the Interior Ministry of the USSR and of the Ministry for the Protection of Public Order of the USSR, to recognise ten, fifteen and twenty years of faithful and impeccable service to the state. Prior to the establishment of the Medal "For Impeccable Service", existing state Orders meant for feats of valour or for extraordinary services to the state were conferred to military personnel for long service. An Order of Lenin for twenty-five years of service, the Order of the Red Banner for twenty, the Order of the Red Star for fifteen, hundreds of thousands of such awards seriously devaluated the awards of the same Orders earned for their original criteria. The intent to encourage the establishment of a ministerial/departmental level medal "For Impeccable Service" was stated in decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of September 14, 1957 emphasising the then devaluation of certain Soviet high military Orders used as long service awards instead of their originally intended criteria. This led to the joint January 25, 1958 decree of the Ministers of Defence, of Internal Affairs and of the Chairman of the Committee on State Security of the USSR establishing the Medal "For Impeccable Service". The Medal "For Impeccable Service" was established in three classes. The first class was awarded for twenty years of excellent service, the second class for fifteen and the third class for ten. They were awarded sequentially from the third class to the first class to members of the military personnel of the Ministry of Defence of the USSR, of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR and to members of the Ministry for the Protection of Public Order. The Medal "For Impeccable Service" was worn on the left side of the chest and in the presence of other awards of the USSR, was located after them in sequential order from the first to the third class. If worn in the presence of Orders or medals of the Russian Federation, the latter have precedence. The first class medal was initially struck from silver, after 1965 it was constructed of silver-plated brass. The central star on its obverse was enamelled in red. The second class medal from its inception was also constructed from silver plated brass with the exception of the central star on its obverse (which was left bare). The third class medal was always struck from solid brass. |
| Front Description : | The Medal "For Impeccable Service" was a 32mm in diameter circular medal with a raised rim on both the obverse and reverse. On the obverse at center, the relief outline of a large five pointed star with the hammer and sickle at its center, between the arms, rays radiating at an obtuse angle forming a point. Along the circumference of the medal, passing between the raised rim and the points of the star, a laurel wreath. This design was common to all three services bestowing it, Defence, Interior and the KGB. The only exception being the second variant of the medal bestowed by the KGB which bore the Roman numerals "XX", "XV" or "X"in the lower part of the obverse, between the lower rays of the star. |
| Back Description : | On the reverse of the Defence Ministry medal, the circular relief inscription along the upper medal circumference, "ARMED FORCES" (Russian: «ВООРУЖЕННЫЕ СИЛЫ»), at the bottom, the inscription "USSR" (Russian: «СССР»). In the center, the relief inscription on four lines "FOR (10, 15 or 20) YEARS OF IMPECCABLE SERVICE" (Russian: «ЗА (10, 15, 20) ЛЕТ БЕЗУПРЕЧНОЙ СЛУЖБЫ») over a small five pointed star. |
| Diameter | 32.00 mm |
| Material | Brass |
| Catalog prices | No catalog prices set yet |
