Medal "For Long Higher National Service".

[medals73]

This medal (these medals) present a challenge. The same suspension legend is used on both. Based on the suspension bar, the name would be Medal "For a Long and Highest Quality National Service".

I have no clue whether either ribbon is correct and strongly suspect the ribbon on the round medal is quite wrong.

I see several possibilities here:
-- An "order" (the star) and "medal" class for different periods of service?
-- They are really for two different sorts of service (military and labor?) and you just "know" from the design diffences? A single award with two divisions?
-- Suspension bars are being married with medals to create "mules"?
-- Something else entirely is going on?

So much remains to be learned about these (and all) awards.

[Christophe]

Hi Ed,

Many thanks for posting all these interesting and (largely unknown) medals.

The one on the left has a family air with the Combat Service Medal...

Do you know where they have been produced ? Abroad ?

Cheers.

Ch.

[CtahhR]

Here is another Medal "For Long Higher National Service" (ለረዥምና ከፍተኛ ብሔራዊ አገልግሎት). The quality of the Medal seems to be considerably poorer than that of the bar as can be seen in the different colours of the metal.

[CtahhR]

Here is the Silver Labour Version with the original Ribbon.