Gold Star Medal

The Gold Star Medal was the special distinction awarded to persons granted the title Hero of the Soviet Union. It was instituted by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on 1 August 1939; the name 'Gold Star' and the medal's formal description were approved on 16 October 1939. A Hero of the Soviet Union received the medal together with the Order of Lenin and an official certificate, and repeated heroic achievements could be recognized by a second and, under earlier rules, further Gold Star Medals.