Unknown WW1 US medal

[j-sk]

Hello Gentlemen,

I have recently seen the following and rather attractive US medal.

It looks like a WW1 commemorative medal, but I do not know which organization issued it (US Army...? A veterans' association...?) and when.

What about the ribbon and it's mounting brooch? 

Any idea?   

Should anybody know, his comments would be most welcome.

All the best.

Jean-S. Karlen 

[peter monahan]

This is a tricky one.  Unlike the UK, and most of the Empire/Commonwealth, the US seems not to have had one, centralized veterans' organization, but somewhere closer to eight or a dozen, at least in the early years.  Each had it's own rules, membership lists, specific purposes - socializing, econimc support, etc - and many if not most would have produced a variety of badges and medals.

A quick look shows at least 10 'US veterans'groups which may relate to WWI and one document says that there are 45,000 non-profit groups registered with the IRS and devoted to 'veterans.  Your best bet may actually be to cruise ebay, searching for 'veterans' badges / medals' and look for similar pieces.

[Claudius]

Hello Jean;

Peter is quite correct.  There were many little veteran's organizations that sprang up after the doughboys returned home.  These ex-service members that all served together in the same unit would have their meetings and reunions and issue little badges and medals to commemorate these gatherings.  Understandably, since they were all from a single unit, they all served under the same branch of the armed services.  Your medal is more generalized because it doesn't indicate any one unit/service and instead displays each of them.  From the 11 o'clock position and moving clockwise it looks like; Signal Corp, Marine, Infantry, Calvary, Artillery, Navy, Engineers, ???.

The American Emblem Company of Utica, NY made a variety of medals, buttons, and related paraphernalia for organizations on the east coast.

I think your medal was designed to for wider circulation than just a single veteran's group or combat service man.  This medal could have been worn by anyone that provided service to the 1917-18 war effort.  Even if they didn't serve overseas. 

[j-sk]

Thank you both for your comments & infos.

All the best.

[IrishGunner]

On 03/11/2017 at 10:30, Claudius said:

 There were many little veteran's organizations that sprang up after the doughboys returned home.  These ex-service members that all served together in the same unit would have their meetings and reunions and issue little badges and medals to commemorate these gatherings.

These medals likely are not from veteran's organizations; they usually were issued by local communities - towns/cities/counties - to their citizens who served in the Great War.  As you note, it's a generic design; so, some smaller communities might have saved money by buying the generic stock medals.  Many locales, however, had their own unique designs made with their town's name.