ls include
the Memorial Medal, the Order of Liberty (or Order of Freedom), the
Liberation Medal, Order of the People's Hero (or Hero of the People),
and Order of Valor. Some of the decorations, including the Partisan Star
and Order of Skanderbeg, are awarded in three classes. This group of
decorations is usually awarded individually, but on rare occasions some
can be presented to a group.

The Order of Labor (or Hero of Socialist Labor) and the Red Flag Order
(or Red Banner) may be presented to individuals, usually civilians, but
are most frequently reported when awarded to a group or an enterprise.
Typical recipients would be a factory for overfulfilling its quotas, a
ship after completing an unusual voyage, or a military unit that had
performed well in some civic project or in an emergency relief
situation.

Paramilitary Training

In November 1944, when partisan resistance forces were at their peak
strength of about 70,000, about 6,000 of them were women and 1,000 were
boys under fifteen years of age. Formal paramilitary training was
undertaken in 1945, shortly after the Hoxha regime gained control, and
was made obligatory for all young people in 1953. Training has been
developed to the point that fifteen- to nineteen-year-old youths can be
organized into their own auxiliary units in emergencies.

Major revisions to the secondary school and university military training
programs were announced in 1969 in preparation for implementation during
the ensuing school year. The extent of training, what it would include,
and aims of the new program were given wide publicity throughout 1969 in
order to ease the transition. The purpose of the programs is to provide
the armed forces with conscripts who are in good physical condition and
who have sufficient basic military training to permit them to step
directly into a military unit and perform usefully with a minimum of
adjustment and little additional training.

Beginning in 1970 the secondary school year was to consist of 6-1/2
months of academic work, 2-1/2 months of physical work in agriculture or
industry, 1 month of military training, and 2 months of relaxation.
According to official guidance, however, the youths are encouraged to
use their relaxation period for "ideological and physical steeling." The
university year would consist of 7 months of academic work, 2 months of
military training, 1 month of physical work, and 2 months of ideological
and physical steeling.