- Time Period: Post-WW2
- Institution: 14 November 1975
- Country: Germany (GDR DDR German Democratic Republic)
The Honored Member of the Border Troops Medal (or Verdienter Angehöriger der Grenztruppen in German) was a prestigious state award in the GDR. It was conferred as an honorary title accompanied by a certificate and a wearable medal.
Established on November 14, 1975, this title was awarded to members of the GDR border troops for their exceptional service in protecting the state border. The award was highly exclusive, limited to five recipients per year, and could only be awarded to the same individual once.
The Honored Member of the Border Troops Medal Design
The gold-plated medal, measuring 35 mm in diameter, features the large state coat of arms of the GDR (14.5 mm in diameter) at the center of its obverse on a green background. Surrounding the coat of arms is the inscription: “FÜR DEN SCHUTZ DER ARBEITER UND BAUERNMACHT” (“FOR THE PROTECTION OF WORKERS AND FARMER POWER“). The medal’s border is adorned with a large golden laurel wreath with two crossed daggers at the bottom.
The reverse side of the medal displays a five-line inscription: “DESERVED / MEMBER / OF / THE / BORDER TROOPS / OF THE GDR.”
The medal was worn on the upper left side of the chest, mounted on a pentagonal clasp with a silver-gray ribbon adorned with a gold laurel group. The ribbon features two vertical green stripes: the outer stripe is 0.5 mm wide and the inner stripe is 2 mm wide, with a 3 mm gap between the hem and the first inner stripe, and a 0.5 mm gap to the second stripe.
