Medal of the Armed Forces in the Service of the Fatherland

The Medal of the Armed Forces in the Service of the Fatherland (Polish: Medal Siły Zbrojne w Służbie Ojczyzny) is a Polish military decoration, awarded for long service and excellent work in the army. The medal was first established on 26 May 1951, although the detailed rules and grades were revised 1991 and 1995. Until 1968, it was a state distinction awarded by the head of state; from 1968 it was a departmental award, granted by the Minister of Defence. It was discontinued as a state award in 2008 and replaced by the Long Service Medal.[1] It continues to be presented as an award of the Ministry of Defence.[2]

There were three grades, Gold, Silver and Bronze, awarded for 25, 15 and 10 years, respectively. The ribbons were red with double white edge stripes and a central gold or silver stripe for gold and silver awards.

[edit] References

 * 1) ^ Robertson, Megan C. (2 June 2009). "Poland: Medal Armed Force in the Service of the Country". Medals of the World. http://www.medals.org.uk/poland/3republic/3republic032.htm. Retrieved 2011-08-10.
 * 2) ^ "Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej - serwis internetowy :: Galeria ::" (in Polish). Wp.mil.pl. 2011-04-28. http://www.wp.mil.pl/pl/galeria/4269. Retrieved 2012-01-03.