Russian Federation Commemorative Medal "Marshal Vasily Chuikov"

[TacHel]

The MInistry of Defence named multiple medals after Soviet generals and admirals, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence followed suit.

Established on 28 June 2012 by ministerial order 372. Awarded to personnel of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (including services, agencies, institutions and organizations attached to the ministry), and to other citizens, for many years of impeccable service to the cause of civil defence, for improving management, communications and the civil defence alarm system, for maintaining a high degree of preparedness.

[IrishGunner]

I guess the Russian civil defense agency chose Chuikov because of Stalingrad? Seems odd to me...but okay.

[TacHel]

Actually, Chuikov served as the Chief of the Civil Defence of the USSR from 1961 until his retirement in 1972.

[IrishGunner]

Actually, Chuikov served as the Chief of the Civil Defence of the USSR from 1961 until his retirement in 1972.

Well, it makes sense then... I knew he was Commander Soviet Group of Forces Germany and later Chief of Soviet Ground Forces, but not the Civil Defense. Was that considered a "promotion"? Or exile?

[TacHel]

Well, it makes sense then... I knew he was Commander Soviet Group of Forces Germany and later Chief of Soviet Ground Forces, but not the Civil Defense. Was that considered a "promotion"? Or exile?

I think it was a pre retirement present... He was getting on in age by then.

[IrishGunner]

I think it was a pre retirement present... He was getting on in age by then

Still pretty bad a** though.

[JPL]

Actually, Chuikov served as the Chief of the Civil Defence of the USSR from 1961 until his retirement in 1972.

chuikov 3.jpg

Is that a US DSC I see on his chest?

Jean-Paul

[TacHel]

Is that a US DSC I see on his chest?

Jean-Paul

Yes it is, but I don't know if he received it for Stalingrad or for Berlin... or both?

Edited January 28, 2013 by TacHel

[TacHel]

JP, IrishGunner found the citation:

Here's the citation: dated Jan '44 - seems to be for "everything"

Awarded for actions during the World War II:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of
Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished
Service Cross to Lieutenant General Vasilii Ivanovich Chuikov, Army of
the U.S.S.R., for extraordinary heroism in connection with military
operations against an armed enemy, in action against our common enemy,
Germany, in World War II. Lieutenant General Chuikov's outstanding
accomplishments, personal bravery and zealous devotion to duty exemplify
the highest traditions of the Armed Forces of the Allied Nations.

General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 3 (January 6, 1944)

Action Date: World War II

Service: Foreign

Rank: Lieutenant General

[JPL]

Frank,

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly information can be provided in this forum.

Thanks Frank and IrishGunner.

Jean-Paul

[chechaco1]

My close relative with V. I. Chuikov in Odessa at a meeting of veterans of the 8th Guards Army.

[TacHel]

This is the proper ribbon for this award.

[chechaco1]

This penny garbage in various versions of the piece of iron, along with clean certificates, is packed into all souvenir tents, since enterprises, in addition to the official order, stamp heaps. Once the machine is plugged into the socket, then what can not be done. The current Russian Federation stamps this from various ministries with dozens of names, and when the name of the ministry is changed, they stamp everything new. Tinsel is everything, dog joy, on the collar. After the medal "For participation in the parade", nothing surprises, soon there will be medals "For giving a military salute", "For being in the white world at all" in seven degrees. Even children in cadet schools have more medals than L. I. Brezhnev in his entire life. Does anyone really take all this scrap metal seriously?

[TacHel]

8 hours ago, chechaco1 said:

This penny garbage in various versions of the piece of iron, along with clean certificates, is packed into all souvenir tents, since enterprises, in addition to the official order, stamp heaps. Once the machine is plugged into the socket, then what can not be done. The current Russian Federation stamps this from various ministries with dozens of names, and when the name of the ministry is changed, they stamp everything new. Tinsel is everything, dog joy, on the collar. After the medal "For participation in the parade", nothing surprises, soon there will be medals "For giving a military salute", "For being in the white world at all" in seven degrees. Even children in cadet schools have more medals than L. I. Brezhnev in his entire life. Does anyone really take all this scrap metal seriously?

 

I couldn't agree more!  When I began collecting modern Russian medals I almost went nuts.  I can tell you I have a drawer full of worthless bogus, public, associative medals, even some from ministries that were awarded eventhough never approved by the ministers!  Each department having its own particular awards is also nonsensical for an Armed Force so large...  A medal for efficiency, OK...  But a diffrent one for tankers, engineers, radiomen, submariners, etc makes no sense.  I'd bet most Russian soldiers can't identify more than a minute fraction of the medals available for their service.

Edited April 15, 2021 by TacHel
Wrote in quote part

[chechaco1]

To be honest, a soldier, especially a demob, is like a magpie - he clings to everything brilliant, without even reading what is there. The translator, of course, will lose the rhyme, but you will understand the meaning:

 

The Cossack was walking somewhere in the distance.

There was a medal on his chest:

"For courage", " For victory»,

"For a pleasant conversation»,

"For scientific works»,

"For the protection of the entire environment»,

two cosmonaut medals,

Order of the Warcraft Player,

TRP delivery symbol,

"The passage of the»,

Pregnant women's Club " Zhuravlik»,

Wardrobe DC " Gidravlik»,

"Altavista dot com»,

"Society of Fungal Patients»,

Captain of the game " Zarnitsa»,

"Gomel Mental Hospital»,

snuffbox, and flint,

eight beer lids,

"Gypsy Dance Festival»

"Crane operator, work in a helmet!»

"Watch out for the bike»,

"Thirty-eight years of Victory»

Order of the RSFSR,

The secret Order of the Templar»,

gum liner " Lelik-Bolik»,

"Anonymous alcoholic»,

"Club of Wine connoisseurs»,

The symbol of the punks,

"SUSE-Linux", " Business Team»,

"Tynda-twin city»

"The most experienced driver»

"The best boar-producer»,

badge of " Honorary diver»,

sticker " Yeltsin-motherer»,

October Star,

"The heroine is the mother of labor»,

blood type, and AI-Pi,

and a pacifist on a chain.

Suddenly a Cossack slipped...

And medals-herak!

And now the medals are all over

they rolled down the highway.

Kids! Uncles, aunts!

If you find it somewhere:

Order of Glory, Order of Peace,

button with the coat of arms of Algeria,

baubles, can opener,

a malachite brooch,

Red Cross, Peter's Cross

"City of Prague", " City of Brest»,

"Regimental nurse»,

"Childhood is a wonderful time»,

"Esperanto", " CSKA»,

personal number of the forester,

cufflinks for military uniforms,

"Best turner", " Exhaust is normal»,

"Lose weight in five minutes»,

Sohnud Youth Club»,

"KGB", " Honorary donor»,

"The Elena Bonner Private Foundation»,

"Chechen Fashion Festival»,

the number of the feed node

even with a medal, even with a badge

share it with the Cossack!

[TacHel]

??You have some real winners in there!! 

 

My personnal favourite, and probably the only he's really entiltled to wear: Society of Fungal Patients

[ChrisKelly]

This is not unique to Russia.  America's examples below...  Third image is, "Air Force releases criteria for new valor “V”, combat “C” and remote “R”" [these are ribbon bar devices for both individual medals, such as Achievement Medals, Commendation Medals, Air Medals and Bronze Star Medals, etc.,  as well as the many unit award ribbons]:

 

See also/Source:

https://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/335917-what-is-the-funniest-dumbest-thing-you-saw-or-heard-while-in-the-service/page/4/#comment-3028016

 

 

 

Here's a 75th Anniversary Parade Participant Medal from Belarus.  For Participants in their Victory Day Parade in Minsk on 9 May 2020.

 

Source:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/174319102347?hash=item28963a698b:g:1ZwAAOSwmIJe6R1u&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA8KlsMXif1Sm1BCmv6G16ZG6AezHObIRuw2FamlNlxUfxTruYntfBvd8nz%2Bx2slA%2BhYK8zOtdB0IZNCxCUY8mOv%2Bh2EPdiy%2BuYtYZlpvMzWdDCeg3L51pgTjCAhdchRxcW0hF4cK8y3TJ0VxUMO6jg0yCVfeT7nHjlgl1tXQgZI99WGeDd2IHw8M%2BZCfooEy%2BroXi8oV8KV3g%2F2kyz6Q%2FmYpGjsuEhfHR%2F4vmWA2MXChKMtU5uBfD78WnW4ugFmLxLNLb8kVm%2Fgn9ev2TaDNaWU6uE43Txx%2FG9FboCVKaFrEJ3qPWtYq1LuSLsndJJhMdTQ%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR8behM_dYg

Edited October 1, 2023 by ChrisKelly

[ChrisKelly]

One more, in answer to previous posts...

 

Source:

https://asiatimes.com/2020/03/russia-puts-a-lid-on-military-medals/

 

The Daily Report

Asia Times

POSTED IN RUSSIA

Russia puts a limit on military medals

The Russian military has issued a new regulation: no more than 10 medals can be worn on parade uniforms

By DAVE MAKICHUK

MARCH 4, 2020

 

Soviet generals were never particularly modest about wearing military medals at special occasions, including famed Second World War Marshal Georgi Zhukov, whose chest was practically buried behind glittering metal.

 

And rightly so, at least he earned his medals.

 

During the Cold War, Russians liked to joke about Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, whose parade uniform groaned under the weight of the 114 medals had he had either been awarded or had awarded himself.

 

What would happen if Brezhnev were eaten by a crocodile?

 

The crocodile would be sh—ing medals for two weeks!

 

Today’s Russian commanders are a bit more modest when it comes to military decorations.

 

But some officers are wearing so many medals, that Russian troops mockingly call them “iconostases,” after the wall of icons and paintings found in Eastern Orthodox churches, according to a special report by Michael Peck of The National Interest.

 

So in 2019, the Russian military finally issued a new regulation: no more than 10 medals can be worn on parade uniforms.

 

“Only two rows of five medals each can now be worn,” said the Russian newspaper Izvestia.

 

“That is, service personnel can pin no more than 10 medals, awards, and departmental heraldic badges onto two boards on the left side of the tunic. Civilian awards and badges of public organizations are banned from parade uniforms. Previously some officers ’ uniforms had entire ‘iconostases,’ as they were humorously known by the troops. And this flippant attitude toward decorations did not help raise the authority of officers and prestige of the Armed Forces.”

 

It is not known if Russian President Vladimir Putin had a hand in the new rule, but Izvestia highlighted the more modest dress of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu:

 

“The head of the military, who has received dozens of awards over the years of work in high posts, has shown a personal example to subordinates. Sergei Shoigu entered the parade on May 9 in his uniform, on which there were only two rows of the five most significant orders and medals. In addition to the ‘Golden Star’ of the Hero of Russia, the orders of Alexander Nevsky and “For Personal Courage,’ as well as other top awards, were attached to the minister’s formal tunic.”

 

That’s far less chest fruit salad than Brezhnev, who even bestowed WWII decorations on his son-in-law, who was just 5 years old when the medals were supposed to have been earned (Brezhnev himself served as a commissar in WWII), the report said.

 

The late Soviet leader’s self-promotion was so flagrant that in 1989, seven years after Brezhnev had passed away, the Soviet government actually stripped him of the Order of Victory, the Soviet Union’s highest military award, the report said.

 

Compare that to Robert Lewis Howard, a Vietnam veteran who is considered the most decorated American soldier.

 

Howard, who retired as a lieutenant colonel and passed away in 2010, also had a chest emblazoned with medals: 88 decorations to be exact, including the Medal of Honor and a staggering eight Purple Hearts, the report said.

 

Indeed, Howard reportedly could have garnered six more Purple Hearts for wounds in combat, but “told his superiors the other six injuries weren’t severe enough to warrant a medal and he refused the awards.”

 

[Russian Cold War and WWII military veterans display their hard-earned medals in Moscow. Credit: File photo.]

[ChrisKelly]

Image 1:  Everyone loves gradpa's stories of the Great Patriotic War!

Image 2: Victoria! You need more medals!