LENGTH OF FEDERAL SERVICE LAPEL PIN

Given the gravity of the mission our nation’s armed forces have been given, it’s sometimes easy to overlook the contributions made by the civilian employees of the Department of Defense and related agencies. Learning to navigate a bureaucracy that must seem like an impenetrable maze at first blush is in itself a noteworthy achievement, but there are veteran employees who excel in meeting and exceeding deadlines and expectations because of their familiarity with the inherent quirks of large-scale informational and operational systems. Study after study has proven just how important it is to keep seasoned employees onboard complicated enterprises, from saving in training costs to improving the speed at which new employees can begin to effectively do their jobs.

These lapel pins, which feature an engraved version of the Great Seal of the United States, are issued in five-year increments, starting at the tenth year and running through the fiftieth. And while they are relatively small in size, they are nonetheless a wonderful reminder of the gratitude due for years of service at job that might leave some of us with every hair pulled out of our heads.