Officers and Sailors in the United States Navy who have served thirty years or more at the time they decide to retire receive this gold lapel pin (a silver version if awarded for those retiring with more than twenty years of service). Some have confused the emblem found on this pin with the Navy button design that also features an eagle rising and an anchor, but on buttons the arms of the anchor are to the wearer’s left; on this and the Navy Veteran lapel pin button, the arms of the anchor face to the wearer’s left, matching the direction the eagle is facing.
A thirty-year retirement ceremony where this lapel pin is awarded can be quite the gala, with a band, color guard, speeches, refreshments, local media coverage, and much more. Besides the lapel pin, the retiree can expect to leave with a Certificate of Appreciation for Service in the Armed Forces of the United States (DD2542, Presidential Certificate), shadow box, plaque, and much more…all of which is most certainly deserved by any person, regardless of rate or rank, who has devoted three full decades to their nation’s service.