- Time Period: Post-WW2 Period
- Year of Institution: 26 May 1951
- Country: Poland
The Medal of the Armed Forces in the Service of the Fatherland (or Medal Siły Zbrojne w Służbie Ojczyzny in Polish) is a military decoration of Poland 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.
The medal continues to be presented as an award of the Ministry of Defence, as the Medal for Long Service is a state-awarded decoration, conferred on an individual basis to selected recipients only.
The Medal of the Armed Forces in the Service of the Fatherland Design
There are three grades, Gold, Silver and Bronze, awarded for 25, 15 and 5 years, respectively.
The medal, initially defined by the regulation of the Council of Ministers of August 11, 1951, was a round laurel wreath 34 mm in diameter, on which are attached two crossed swords, pointed upwards, protruding beyond the edge of the wreath. The wreath, swords, borders and inscriptions are gilded, silvered or bronze depending on the grade of the medal.
In the obverse, in the center of the wreath there is a round shield, red enameled, 16 mm in diameter (then 15 mm), with a silver-plated eagle without a crown over it. The shield is placed in a white enamel rim. On the rim there is the inscription “SIŁY ZBROJNE W SŁUŻBIE OJCZYZNY”. At the bottom of the wreath, there was a small oval red and enameled shield with a Roman numeral placed on it, the number of years of service for which it was conferred. The reverse is plain.
Despite the subsequent changes to the medal, the badge itself has not changed significantly. From 1960, the diameter of the eagle shield was determined to be 15 mm. According to the 1995 regulations, the badge is described in the same way, except that the shield has a silver-plated eagle in the pattern of the Polish coat of arms (in the crown). Moreover, there is no small shield with a Roman numeral representing the number of years of service.
The ribbon of the medal did not change; it is red, 35 mm wide, with two white vertical stripes 2 mm wide on the sides on each side of the ribbon.
