Established on January 12, 1954, the Indiana National Guard Long Service Medal honors Indiana National Guard members who carry out ten years of honorable service. Additional awards are issued at intervals of five years.
Numbering over 16,000, the Indiana National Guard is composed of the Indiana Army National Guard and the Indiana Air National Guard. The Army component, headquartered in Indianapolis, dates back as far as 1801, when a volunteer militia formed in the territory. The Air component is made up of the 122d Fighter Wing, based in Fort Wayne, and the 181st Intelligence Wing, based in Terre Haute.
The medal features an outline of the state of Indiana and an image of torch and stars within it; an inscription reads “SERVICE TO STATE AND COUNTRY.” The ribbon is bisected by a thin black vertical stripe flanked on either side by a thin green stripe, a yellow stripe and another green stripe followed by an orange-to-red gradient and a green-to-dark green gradient proceeding outward.