The Medal for voluntary military service (or “Médaille des services militaires volontaires”) is a French military decoration established on 13 March 1975 by decree 75-150. It was established in three grades to recognize voluntary military service in the reserves.
During World War I, the reserves served as an important part of the defense of France. Between the abolition of the Order of military merit in 1963 and the creation of the Medal for voluntary military service in 1975, no award existed to adequately recognize reservists.
The Medal for voluntary military service is awarded to military personnel not in the full-time regular army serving honorably part-time in information, training and improvement of reserves, recruiting, military preparedness as well as activities within special associations. It may be exceptionally awarded to military personnel of either the reserves or regular army who distinguished themselves by the exceptionally high quality of their service. For award to a member of the regular army, this service must have been carried out outside of normal working hours and for no pay. The medal may be awarded posthumously.
The Medal for Voluntary Military Service Design
The Medal for voluntary military service is a 32mm in diameter circular medal struck from bronze, it is silvered for the silver grade or gilt for the gold grade.
Its obverse bears the left profile of the effigy of the Republic wearing a Phrygian cap with the relief semi circular inscription “RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE” (“French Republic”) along the left circumference.
The reverse bears the relief image of a vertical sword superimposed over two crossed naval anchors themselves superimposed over air force wings, at the bottom along the medal circumference, the relief inscription “SERVICES MILITAIRES VOLONTAIRES” (“Voluntary Military Services”).
The medal hangs from a ribbon passing through a suspension ring itself passing through a ball shaped suspension loop at the top of the medal. The 37mm wide silk moiré ribbon differs according to the grade of the award. The ribbon of the bronze grade award is blue with an 11 mm central red stripe; the silver grade ribbon only differs from the bronze grade in the addition of white 2mm edge stripes; a rosette in the colors of the silver grade ribbon is added for the gold grade award.
