On October 17, 1938, the medals "For Courage" and "For Combat Merit" were established.

The awards were instituted by a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, becoming the first official Soviet medals.

The "For Courage" medal (shown above on the left) was awarded to servicemen of the Soviet Army, Navy, border, and internal troops for personal bravery and valor. Among the first recipients were border guards N. Gulyaev and F. Grigoryev, who apprehended saboteurs near Lake Khasan.

The "For Combat Merit" medal was awarded to servicemen of the Soviet Army, Navy, border, and internal troops for "skilled, initiative-driven, and courageous actions in battle that contributed to the successful completion of combat missions, for bravery shown in defending the state border, and for outstanding achievements in combat and political training, mastering new military equipment, and maintaining high combat readiness of military units and their subunits." Foreigners could also be awarded this medal.

In total, more than 4.5 million servicemen were awarded the "For Courage" medal, and over 5 million received the "For Combat Merit" medal.

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