Doc Wilson

Doc Wilson! Very nice rack! Congrats on the French award!

Yeah that is the old rack then new one have my PH and when I finished with the ABCMR the GWOT Exped as well.

RTLW .....

What you have is the Spanish-American war service medal.

My great-grandfather Robert E. Lee Reddy was a Spanish-American War Veteran (which is also inclusive of his time in the Philippine Insurrection and Boxer Rebellion). He was discharged in 1903 as a Sergeant in the 7th Infantry ( he transferred to in 1901). I am still talking to my distant cousins ( I descended through the daughter) if they have his medals or if he had ever applied for them. Remember many of these campaign medals didn't come out until after the fact.

I have several times it is in my gallery .

Bottom left of the old medal rack

The Criteria for the award for the purple heart is AR 600-8-22. The PTSD issue is a dead horse... the TBI is considered acceptable under the following criteria. Enhanced MRI showing ischemia or scar tissue ( indicative of a closed head bleed), Loss of consciousness greater than a Mild Grade three concussion when caused by an enemy generated explosion. Chapter 2-8 of the Awards Regs covers it.

Very Well done... The gold french national defense service medal with citation star is a very big deal ... but I am very happy with my little bronze one. At my awards ceremony there was three silver French National Defense Service Medals... and little ole me.

Tim B my only reply is maybe we may get better medals when the Joint Strike Fighter actually makes budget? Seriously... DoD needs to really straighten the budget out and fix a few other things before they work on medals.

IMHO... The US has to many awards to begin with and the subjective political nonsense that goes along with the awards process is disheartening. ... if you come up with a cool acronym at the pentagon PRESTO.... you get the Legion of Merit. From what I concluded talking to my Canadian, Dutch, and French buddies from Afghanistan it is the same for them. Looking at my own medal bar I can see about three or four that are really redundant.

I like the elegant simplicity of the Croix de Guerre or Croix de Valeur Militarie with its citation system, but that is my opinion.

Hi guys,

Doc, I can understand your point completely and you are correct of course. But, I just don't see why they can't put a little effort into producing a better quality product, it's not really that hard.

If you look at our coinage, the designs and efforts over the last couple of decades have really went down as well, though the US Mint can/does still produce some really beautiful designs on the commemorative coins. So, IMO, it's just a matter of someone saying, we want to put out a better product. Designers, artists, sculptors all compete to get their work actually accepted for the approved design, so it's not really a lack of effort when it comes to input. It all comes down to what that someone approves in the end. They need to step up their game, that's all.

Tim

I have read many of the posts in this thread. I feel the need to mention my point of view. Its not what they are made of or how garish they can be at times. It is what they represent that matters most.

Thank you for your service over there. I know that it is not an easy tour. I know that the "V" on your ARCOM says it all.

Also, I know how the military is about the Purple Heart and certain head injuries. I am confident that you will end up getting your Purple Heart.

Your medal bar is the first modern one with a French Medal. Cool stuff.

When were you supposed to be advance to SSGT? You are lucky if the Army allows you to advance. In my branch, if someone was on a list to be advanced and they were injured or wounded, their advancement would be placed on hold until or if they were cleared for duty. If they were medical boarded out, they would never see the advancement. The CG's view is that we are being advanced to fill our next billet.

There is a specific thread for folks to post their personal awards! Could you please post these there?

http://gmic.co.uk/in...20

My paper work is buried some where at HRC ... I passed the oral board at battalion and was on the list to advance ... I had 773 points, at the time you need 789 to advance ... I don't know if the retirement board will advance me or not. My case is still waiting to be be seen . The medical exam and corroboration is complete. You know the military is.

I will post my stuff there.,..

Doc Wilson

I can't help ya...but it's good to see you back at GMIC - it's been a couple months.

I got ripped of by a collector here .... I was pretty pissed off for while

Doc

I am hoping to have someone share a few details, pieces of knowledge. It is for a modeling project of mine. I have seen tons of pics of the bavarians... I was hoping to see if anyone had any of the Battalions in the 2nd Jager Regiment (Prussian) ( Jager Bn 10, Reserve Jager Battalion 10 and Jager Battalion 14)

I am trying to determine

1) if in the alpenkorps there was use of the bergmutze in the Jager battalions... after 1915-1916. Most of the photos I have seen are the feldmutze or Jager Shako.

2) if the Gibralter cuff title was seen in any photos post 1915? for the Jager Battalion Nr 10

3) were they equipped with the Bergen style mountain back pack?

Thanks

Doc

Yes, under US law one must seek permission from the appropriate department (in this case the Department of the Army) in order to accept and wear a foreign award as an official decoration. It's usually a routine personnel action.

Actually there is a blanket authorization now .... I will find it in the AR 600-8-22 I think the amendment was in 2004-2005 for universal authorization of the award ( Back in 2006 I had to dig it up to wear my medal). It was listed under the AGO of the AKO HRC messages.

anyway the award certificates ( not the DA 638s) are located at the end of my OEF photobucket http://s932.photobucket.com/albums/ad167/Vaughan_Wilson/OEF/

Hi, and with just cause. I think it is seldom seen.

But as medal collectors we need to nail the technicalities of this....

Will for ward the link to Bison, he is in Afghanistan right now and can seldom log in, but he may be able to comment.

I would say in my time i saw it awarded about 11 times in a 12 month period. it pretty much is a gimmie if you do time in a battle space with the french.

Just pick up Crom's book which may shed some light on the subject .... I am scouring the German antique dealers for book and photos

that is quite a find rare unit among many

Rather cool, as these are unique to a company sized unit, the 101 MP company of the 26th Division. So not only the best possible design to find on a helmet, but also a small unit...

That is a find....

I don't understand the criteria for the medal.... but my achievements with them were significant... I was their medic on many missions... Spin Boldak and a few other places... I am just very proud of it.

I am guessing that is new.

It used to be that it could be awarded under exceptional circumstances to someone who did a service to the army, i.e. a civilian saving a soldiers life is an example that comes to mind.

I assume that with the closer working together the French realized that they did not have an award to give to allies.

During desert storm the US Unit attached to our regiment gave out some Bronze stars to guys in our unit... unfortunately there were no medals on from the French side to even it out.

Maybe the Defence National has had a paragraph added to the statute.

OK- I gotta ask-how did you NOT get an air medal?

I was a ground pounder I had 3 years prior infantry.... So naturally my branch detailer thought I would stay with the infantry ( several years in Parachute Infantry units 75th,508th/173rd, 504th/82nd) I did 26 months as a rifle platoon and rifle company senior medic in Bco / 508th, 12 months as a B trauma team leader in the HHC/504th, and 6 months as an ambulance aide/driver HHC/ 508th. My Time at the 75th was with the fwd trauma team at HHC ( they were involved in the POW rescue in the early iraq war 2003) . My next assignment was to go to the Aero -Medevac Company in Germany. After that I was going to find a coushie assignment in the schoolhouse or Civil Affairs.

I think you had to have about 4 months of continuous flight or 30+ Air missions under fire. My PA got a Air medal V for a couple of nighttime meddevac mission under fire...... he and I where the same age and good friends... I was be his instructor for ACLS, PHTLS and BCLS. I rubbed it in his face my ARCOM V was for actually shooting back at the Taliban and treating casualties.... he laughed and point to his combat jump star ( Panama 1/75th 1989).... and said "match that" .. I skulked away

Interesting. Many thanks for the extra details.

These days it is a fairly common sight with anyone who has shared battle space with french forces.

This person lives in the Netherlands. Claiming to be a Mongolian Prince, ex US special forces and Dutch army. Professor in China, Martial arts specialist, etc etc

See google for more info. How likely are his medals?

Ah the dreaded Airborne Ranger MAC-V -SOG Force Recon Scuba Sniper. This is what the stolen valor act is all about.

Tell you what alot of old Vietnam SF hands who settled down in Bavaria would break this guys balls I am sure there is a Sf Vets Chapter in germany.

Doc,

How did you qualify for the French National Defense Medal ? I did not realise that they gave it to allied forces.

Regards,

Paul

I really don't know how I "qualified" ... there are several Officers and NCO during my tour that worked closely with 1erRPIMa (French SF) off the top of my head : a Battalion Commander and his CSM, the S3, a Capt and myself. All received French awards the same day... I was working with them for 7 months. Most of the guys who earned them now are American's attached the French Embedded Training Teams for the Afghan National Army.

Robin, that finial is to die for..........about time you wrote another book my friend

I have to agree ... my german sucks .... please do write the book!!!!:jumping:

Also here is my Shadowbox

I have yet to add my Rank ... waiting for the offical Military Medical Retirement ( I am at 100% disability with the Veterans Administration) I was when discharged and E5-promatable ( Sergeant) There was a rumor that I may have my E6 ( staff sergeant) with retroactive date of rank. Also I finally received my WLC course completion certificate now I can put my NCO develpoment ribbon on the rack. Further I have the orders now for our Joint Meritorious Unit Citation for my last tour in Afghanistan. So it is a work in progress.

The coin you see is from the Sergeant Major of the United States Army.... I recieved it while in training in Vilseck Germany. the Two St. Micheal medallions on the right are from the 508th and the bottom one was worn by a very close french brother from the 3 Cie, 1er RPIMa pseudonym or Nom de guerre- "Souston".

My two combat patches and battalions I served in combat with are on the left 1st/508th Parachute Infantry ( when they were with the 173rd Airborne) and 1st/504th Parachute Infantry ( when with the 82nd Airborne).

If you want to see my OEF photos http://s932.photobucket.com/albums/ad167/Vaughan_Wilson/OEF/ is the link my photobucket... Many of the photos I can't put online due to the graphic nature.

I haven't had them mounted... yet because I am pending the outcome of a Purple Heart finding. Traumatic Brain injury cases take a long time to resolve and mine is four years old.

Army Commendation Medal ( 2nd award with V device for Valor), Army achievement Medal (4th Award), Good Conduct medal (2nd Award), RC ARNG Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal (2nd Award), OEF/Afghanistan Campaign Medal (w/Bronze Campaign Star), GWOT Service Medal, French Medaille de la Defense Nationale, bronze.

Hi !

It will be soon finished...

Today some Schwarzburg, Reuss and Waldeck items :

Sorry I have to ask :

the bottom left hand ( while viewing) three medals are the Duchy of Brunswick?