Medal "For Impeccable Service"

Medal "For Impeccable Service"
Medal "For Impeccable Service" 1st class (obverse)
Awarded by  USSR
Type	Long service medal
Eligibility	Citizens of the Soviet Union
Awarded for	Long service in the Soviet Armed Forces
Status	No longer awarded
Statistics
Established	January 25, 1958
1st class 2nd class 3rd class Ribbons of the Medal "For Impeccable Service"

The Medal "For Impeccable Service" (Russian: Медаль «За безупречную службу») 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.