Jubilee Medal "50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"

Jubilee Medal "50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"

The Jubilee Medal "50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"  was a state military commemorative medal of the Soviet Union established on December 26, 1967 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to denote the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of the Soviet Armed Forces. Its statute was amended on three separate occasions, by decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of February 22, 1968.,of December 19, 1969,and of July 18, 1980.

The Jubilee Medal "50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" was awarded to marshals, generals, admirals, officers and warrant officers, sergeants, soldiers and sailors in the service on February 23, 1968 as part of the Soviet Army, Navy, troops of the Ministry for Public Order of the USSR, the troops of the Committee for Public Safety of the USSR, the Council of Ministers of the USSR; cadets and students of military educational institutions of the Soviet Army, Navy, of the troops of the Ministry for Public Order of the USSR, of the troops of the State Security Committee; marshals, generals, admirals and officers discharged from active military service, in the reserve or retired that have seniority in the Soviet Army, Navy, in troops of the Ministry for Public Order of the USSR, in the army or state security organs, in the Council of Ministers of the USSR, of 20 or more years; Heroes of the Soviet Union and individuals awarded the Order of Glory in all three classes.

Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of February 22, 1968 added as recipients: former members of the Red Guards, soldiers who took part in the fighting to protect the Soviet homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR, as well as all those who were awarded Orders or medals of the USSR "For Valour", Ushakov, "For Military Merit", "For Distinction in Protection of the State Border of the USSR", Nakhimov, "For Labour Valour" or "For Labour" during active duty

Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of December 19, 1969 added as recipients: partisans and guerrillas of the Civil War and of the Great Patriotic War of 1941 - 1945.

The medal was awarded on behalf of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR by commanders of military units, agencies and institutions. For retirees, by republican, territorial, regional, district, municipal and district military commissariats. Each medal came with an attestation of award, this attestation came in the form of a small 8 cm by 11 cm cardboard booklet bearing the award's name, the recipient's particulars and an official stamp and signature on the inside

The Jubilee Medal "50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" was a 37mm in diameter circular gilded brass medal. On the obverse in the background, a laurel and oak wreath around the entire circumference of the medal with rays extending outwards from the center. In the center, a red enamelled five pointed star, its points extending to the edge of the medal, at its center, a 19mm in diameter circular relief medallion bearing the left profile busts of two Soviet soldiers, the nearer helmeted, the other wearing a Budenovka. Inscribed in relief along the medallion’s inner circumference, at left the year "1918", at right "1968". On the reverse in the top half, the relief outline of a five-pointed star with at its center, a hammer and a plough; below the star, the relief inscription in three rows: "FIFTY YEARS ARMED FORCES USSR"