Cross for Length of Military Service

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The Cross for Length of Military Service (Italian: Croce per anzianità di servizio militare) is a military medal created by the Kingdom of Italy which then passed to the Italian Republic. Created in 1900 and updated or reformed in 1953, 1966, 1972, and 2010, it is a seniority award which recognizes lengthy honorable service in the Italian armed forces.

History

Cross for Length of Military Service
Type	Medal for long service
Awarded for	16, 25, or 40 years of service
Presented by	Kingdom of Italy (1900–1946) Italian Republic (1946–1953)
Eligibility	Military personnel
Status	Updated 10 February 1953
Established	8 November 1900

King Victor Emmanuel III created the Cross for Length of Military Service by royal decree on 8 November 1900^[1] to decorate military personnel of all ranks of the Regio Esercito ("Royal Army") and Regia Marina ("Royal Navy") for long and meritorous service. When created in 1900, it replaced the by-then-obsolete Piedmontese-style chevrons of the uniforms of the era of King Umberto I, standardizing the decoration on a larger scale in step with the evolution of Italian military uniforms.

Eligibility

The Cross for Length of Military Service was a seniority medal, awarded strictly for length of honorable service. When created in 1900, it was divided into three classes, but a fourth class was added by royal decree on 15 June 1912.^[2] The four classes were:

Silver cross for enlisted personnel who had served for 16 years;
Silver cross surmounted by the royal crown of Italy for enlisted personnel who had served for 25 years (added in 1912);^[2]
Gold cross for officers who had served for 25 years;
Gold cross surmounted by the royal crown of Italy for officers who had served for 40 years.

Appearance

Medal

The medal consists of a Maltese cross in gold or silver, depending on the class, with a disc in the center bearing the crowned monogram of Vittorio Emanuele III ("VE") on the obverse and the years of service in Roman numerals on the reverse ("XVI", "XXV", or "XL"). The crowned crosses are surmounted by the royal crown of Italy in silver or gold, also depending on the class.

Ribbon

The medal was hung on the chest with a green silk ribbon, divided down the middle by a white stripe. A gold (for the gold cross) or silver (for the silver cross) crown on the ribbon with a diameter of 6 millimetres (0.24 in) distinguishes the crosses with crowns from those without when only the ribbon is worn. The founding royal decree of 1900 ^[1] did not allow wearing of the ribbon without the medal, but a royal decree of 1906^[3] modified this, giving the bearer the right to wear only the ribbon.

Ribbons
Silver Cross for non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel (16 years)	Silver Cross with Royal Crown for non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel (25 years)	Gold Cross for officers (25 years)	Gold Cross with Royal Crown for officers (40 years)

Italian Republic

Cross for Length of Military Service
The reverse of the Silver Cross for enlisted personnel for 25 years of service (left) and the reverse of the Gold Cross for officers and non-commissioned officers for 40 years of service.
Type	Medal for long service
Awarded for	16, 25, or 40 years of service
Presented by	Italian Republic
Eligibility	Military personnel
Status	Reformed 15 March 2010
Established	10 February 1953

History

The Kingdom of Italy's legislation governing the Cross for Length of Military Service remained in force even after the fall of the monarchy and birth of the Italian Republic on 2 June 1946. The Italian Republic first defined its version of the medal only in 1953.^[4] A 1966 reform^[5] established that the cross was awarded to officers, non-commissioned officers, and enlisted personnel of the Italian Army (Italian: ’’Esercito Italiano’’), Italian Navy (Italian: ’’Marina Militare’’), and Italian Air Force (Italian: ’’Aeronautica Militare’’) and had the following classes:

Silver Cross for officers, non-commissioned officers, and enlisted personnel who had served for 16 years;
Silver Cross with star for enlisted personnel who had served for 25 years;
Gold Cross for officers and non-commissioned officers who had served for 25 years;
Gold Cross with star for officers and non-commissioned officers who had served for 40 years.

Appearance

Medal

The Italian Republic's 1953 legislation altered the appearance of the medal from that awarded by the Kingdom of Italy. The republic continued the practice of awarding a Maltese cross in gold and silver, depending on the class, but eliminated the crowns above the crosses and replaced the royal monogram "VE" on the obverse of the kingdom's medal with the abbreviation "RI" (for Italian: ”’’Repubblica italiana’’” — "Italian Republic") in a disc in the center of the cross. On the reverse, the republic continued the practice of indicating the number of years of service in Roman numerals ("XVI", "XXV", or "XL"). The Maltese cross is 32 millimetres (1.3 in) wide.

Ribbon

The ribbon is 37 millimetres (1.5 in) wide and identical to the kingdom's ribbon in that it is green with a white stripe in the middle. However, in the 1953 legislation, the republic eliminated the crown from the ribbon and replaced it with a 6-millimetre-wide (0.24 in) star when required by the class of the medal, in either gold or silver, depending on the class of the medal.

In 1972^[6] a gold turreted crown was introduced, 4 millimetres (0.16 in) high and 6 millimetres (0.24 in) wide at the top, tapering to 4 millimetres (0.16 in) wide at the base, to be affixed to the ribbon of the Gold Cross for officers and non-commissioned officers with 25 years of service.

Ribbons
Silver Cross for officers, non-commissioned officers, and enlisted personnel (16 years)	Silver Cross with star for enlisted personnel (25 years)	Gold Cross for officers and non-commissioned officers (25 years) (1953–1972)	Gold Cross with crown for officers and non-commissioned officers (25 years) (1972–present)	Gold Cross with Star for officers and non-commissioned officers (40 years)

2010 reform

Cross for Length of Military Service
Type	Medal for long service
Awarded for	16, 25, or 40 years of service
Presented by	Italian Republic
Eligibility	Military personnel
Status	Current
Established	15 March 2010

Legislative Decree Number 66 of 2010^[7] repealed all existing legislation regarding the Cross for Length of Military Service under Article 2268 and absorbed it under Article 1464 into Articles 857 and 858 of the Regolamento ("Regulation")^[8] without substantial changes. It continued the authorization for personnel to wear the ribbons without the respective medals unless the medal is expressly required.^[9]

The 2010 reform also made a distinction between graduati (literally “graduates,” an Italian military term roughly corresponding to "junior non-commissioned officers") and non-commissioned officers of a higher rank, corresponding to what other countries might consider "senior non-commissioned officers." It redefined eligibility as follows:

Silver Cross for officers, non-commissioned officers, graduati, and enlisted personnel with 16 years of service.
Silver Cross with star for graduati and enlisted personnel with 25 years of service;
Gold Cross for officers and non-commissioned officers with 25 years of service;
Gold Cross with star for officers and non-commissioned officers with 40 years of service.

Ribbons
Silver Cross for officers, non-commissioned officers, graduati, and enlisted personnel (16 years)	Silver Cross with star for graduati and enlisted personnel (25 years)	Gold Cross with crown for officers and non-commissioned officers (25 years)	Gold Cross with Star for officers and non-commissioned officers (40 years)

References

1 2 Royal Decree, 8 November 1900, Number 358, Col quale si istituisce una Croce per anzianità di servizio coniata in oro e argento per i militari di truppa e ufficiali dell'Esercito e dell'Armata (English: Which established a seniority cross minted in gold and silver for enlisted men and officers of the Army and the Navy), published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale del Regno d'Italia n. 260 (English: Official Gazette of the Kingdom of Italy No. 260) of 10 November 1900 (in Italian).
1 2 Royal Decree, 15 June 1912, Number 822, Portante una aggiunta al R. decreto 8 novembre 1900, n. 358, col quale viene istituita una croce per anzianità di servizio (English: Carrying an addition to the Royal Decree of 8 November 1900, n. 358, with which a cross for length of service is established), published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale del Regno d'Italia n. 183 (English: Official Gazette of the Kingdom of Italy No. 183) of 3 August 1912 (in Italian).
↑ Royal Decree, 29 July 1906, Number 204, ’’Sostituzione di articoli ai decreti riguardanti le medaglie e le croci commemorative’’ (English: Replacement of articles in the decrees concerning medals and commemorative crosses), published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale del Regno d'Italia n. 260 (English: Official Gazette of the Kingdom of Italy No. 204) of 31 August 1906 (in Italian).
↑ Decree of the President of the Republic Number 331 of 10 February 1953, Modificazione dei modelli del distintivo di onore per i mutilati di guerra, della croce per anzianità di servizio della medaglia militare al merito di lungo comando, della medaglia al valore aeronautico e della medaglia militare aeronautica di lunga navigazione (English: Modification of the models of the badge of honor for war amputees, of the cross for length of service of the military medal for long command merit, of the medal for aeronautical valor, and of the military aeronautical medal for long navigation), published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 108 (English: Official Journal No. 108) of 12 May 1953 (in Italian).
↑ Decree of the President of the Republic Number 922 of 9 August 1966, Norme in materia di concessione della Croce per anzianità di servizio ai militari dell'Esercito, della Marina e dell'Aeronautica (English: Rules regarding the granting of the Cross for length of service to soldiers of the Army, Navy and Air Force), published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 283 (English: Official Journal No. 283) of 12 November 1966 (in Italian).
↑ Decree of the President of the Republic Number 403 of 5 October 1972, Modificazione dei modelli della croce per anzianità di servizio da conferirsi ai militari dell'Esercito, della Marina e dell'Aeronautica (English: Modification of the models of the cross for length of service to be awarded to soldiers of the Army, Navy and Air Force), published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 208 (English: Official Journal No. 208) of 10 August 1972 (in Italian).
↑ Legislative Decree Number 66 of 15 March 2010, Codice dell'ordinamento militare (English: Military Code), published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 106 (English: Official Journal No. 106) of 8 May 2010, Supplemento Ordinario n. 84 (English: Ordinary Supplement No. 84) (in Italian).
↑ Decree of the President of the Republic Number 90 of 15 March 2010, Articolo 857 Testo unico delle disposizioni regolamentari in materia di ordinamento militare, a norma dell'articolo 14 della legge 28 novembre 2005, n. 246 (English: Article 857 Consolidated text of the regulatory provisions relating to the military system, pursuant to article 14 of law 28 November 2005, No. 246), published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 140 (English: Official Journal No. 140) of 18 June 2010, Supplemento Ordinario n. 131 (English: Ordinary Supplement No. 131) (in Italian).
↑ Decree of the President of the Republic Number 90 of 15 March 2010, Articolo 867 Testo unico delle disposizioni regolamentari in materia di ordinamento militare, a norma dell'articolo 14 della legge 28 novembre 2005, n. 246 (English: Article 867 Consolidated text of the regulatory provisions relating to the military system, pursuant to article 14 of law 28 November 2005, No. 246), published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 140 (English: Official Journal No. 140) of 18 June 2010, Supplemento Ordinario n. 131 (English: Ordinary Supplement No. 131) (in Italian).

Cross for Length of Military Service

History

Eligibility

Appearance

Medal

Ribbon

Italian Republic

History

Appearance

Medal

Ribbon

2010 reform

See also

References

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