Service Medals for All Industries

When people think of service medals, they often times conjure up an image of military personnel. And while it is true that the practice of giving service medals to recipients who go above and beyond the call of duty started in the military, today, non-profit organizations and larger corporations can also make use of these prestigious recognition items. This article explores the history of service medal awards, their evolution over time, the various types available, and how organization in all industries can use service medals to thank their clients and employees and continue to motivate their workforce as well.

The practice of recognizing military personnel with service medals began in George Washington's era. In fact, the Badge of Military Merit, awarded by Washington, was the very first military medal for combat; it was given to recognize any meritorious action during the American Civil War. Today, the Purple Heart is one of the most well-known dedication medals, and some would say it is the most highly regarded medal that one can earn. The Purple Heart is based of off Washington's Badge of Military Merit and is given by the president to those who have been wounded or killed in the line of duty. In addition to the Purple Heart, there are many other prestigious service medals awarded by the military.

While service medals are traditionally used as recognition items to honor service men and women who serve their country in the military, they have also extended to other industries. Like the military, schools, hospitals, and other non-profit organizations can use these prestigious awards to thank their employees for their service. One idea is to distribute these awards for an anniversary- or a certain amount of service. For example, maybe your organization chooses to distribute service medals to every employee who reaches a ten-year anniversary with your company. By distributing service medals in such a timely manner, they become a rite of passage and a sign of prestige.

Other ideas for distributing service medals include using them to thank clients for their business or to motivate employees to continue their hard work. Whether you work in the financial industry, the energy sector, or in the legal division, medals signify to employees just how much you appreciate them. Give these awards to lawyers to mark every legal victory, or reward them to a banker who receives a promotion. No matter how you choose to distribute custom medals, they will give a bestow a sense of prestige to both the recipient and to all who view the engraved award.

Unlike other types of awards, you can choose to customize service medals either with a hanging loop- so recipients can proudly wear the medals around their necks- or with a stand, so recipients can display them on their bookshelves or desktops. Either way you choose to personalize your sophisticated brass medals, you can imprint up to two lines of copy. That means that recipients will remember their accomplishment- and your organization or company- for years to come.