Ala. Code § 31-2-41
Any present or former officer, warrant officer, or enlisted man who shall have faithfully served in the National Guard or Naval Militia for an aggregate of six years, shall have conferred upon him the right to wear the Faithful Service Cross, which shall be awarded by order of the Governor and furnished at the expense of the state. Any officer, warrant officer, or enlisted man of the National Guard or Naval Militia of this state who shall have served an aggregate of 30 days in the active military service of the state, in the aid of civil authorities in upholding the law and preserving order, protecting lives and property, in the aid and relief of citizens in disaster and other similar service, duly ordered by the Governor, shall have conferred upon him the right to wear the Special Service Medal, which shall be awarded by order of the Governor and furnished at the expense of the state. Any officer, warrant officer, or enlisted man of the National Guard or the Naval Militia of this state who shall have faithfully served in the National Guard or Naval Militia of this state an aggregate of 20 years, shall have conferred upon him the right to wear the Veterans Service Medal, which shall be awarded by order of the Governor and furnished at the expense of the state. Service in the organizations of the National Guard or Naval Militia called, drafted, or ordered into the service of the United States shall be credited as active service in the National Guard or Naval Militia of this state for the purposes named in this section, when the soldier or sailor is a member of the National Guard or Naval Militia on the date of federal call, draft, or order, and this provision shall be retroactive so as to include service in any war or during acts of hostility. The Special Service Medal may also be awarded for such special individual acts as the Military Advisory Board may determine to be meritorious and the Governor may approve, without regard to the period of time involved or the date of the act.
Ala. Code § 31-2-41 (1975)