dmiller8

Superb! Modern service medals can't be traced to this detail.

I am guessing that this might be part of a fraternal society uniform. The elaborate decorations far exceed those of a military uniform cap, so it might more easily be associated with something like Knights of Columbus. The open crown or coronet could make it a Catholic order, so it wouldn't be a patriotic organization like the G.A.R. I'm finding it difficult to track down what fraternal order this represents, perhaps because the society didn't survive into the 20th century.

According to my reference links, the patch on the left is the official specialty mark that was allowed between 1944 and 1947. The one on the right was the unofficial specialty mark of crewmen of a minesweeper between 1942 and 1944. It was prohibited by the Chief of Naval Operations. Thanks for the illustrations.

Navy specialty marks are used as trade and specialty badges on seamen's uniforms. The minecraft badge found at https://www.angelfire.com/md2/patches/navy.html (It won't copy and paste) was an official substitute for an earlier specialty mark for sailors who were minesweepers. This is seen at https://www.angelfire.com/md2/patches/other2/otherinsnminesweeper.html. The Navy instituted the minecraft badge in 1944 and abolished it in 1947.

You have more biographical information on William O Stewart than I have. Depending on when he passed, his records from the Merchant Marine may be available from the National Archives or from the US Merchant Marine http://www.usmm.org/contact.html

Our learned friend, Numis, is devoted to the provenance of the awards that he collects. And apparently, I misread how he described his acquisition of the Merchant Marine Combat Bar. When he capitalized the Silver Star, I believed he was referring to the medal, not the appurtenance.

The Merchant Marine combat bar was a ribbon awarded to Merchant Mariners whose ship was damaged or sunk by enemy action. A silver star on the ribbon represents a second award. Since William O Stewart was decorated for valor in the course of his service, we have no way of determining the conditions that led to his award of the Silver Star. This link https://homeofheroes.com/silver-star/ lists Silver Star awards by time period and branch of service. This list is incomplete, especially for Naval awards. Plus, there is no separate listing for Merchant Marine citations. Unlike the London Gazette that published awards and citations in Great Britain, there was no similar publication in the United States. If William O Steward had a hometown newspaper interested in his bravery, the details of this deed might have been published and archived for posterity.

Meehan was one of millions of GIs who was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds sustained in combat. Normally, there is no citation for this award. The Purple Heart is awarded under the authority of the commander of the treatment facility that tended to his wounds. The Bronze Star was automatically bestowed upon award of the Combat Infantryman's Badge or Combat Medical Badge. The CIB or CMB was awarded to infantrymen and medics for 30 days service in a combat theater. Unless the Bronze Star was awarded with a "V" device, there won't be a citation for this medal either.

Did you get a DD 214 among his personal effects? That should have listed his awards, including an Army and Navy Good Conduct Medal. During WW2, the Army Good Conduct Medal was awarded for one year's service for the first award, and every three years afterward. The Navy Good Conduct Medal was awarded for 4 years year's service during WW2. The serviceman may have served in the Army briefly and transferred to the Navy. The Medal for Merit is awarded by the New York State Department of Military and Naval Affairs to any honorably discharged veteran who holds state citizenship at the time of service, who was awarded federal service medals from 1939 to the present day. https://dmna.ny.gov/forms/dmna_reg_672-1.pdf Your desire for verification is dependant upon providing the Department of Military and Naval Affairs with the name of the recipient, his dates of service, and a list of his service medals justifying the award. Be aware that his records may not be in the public domain and privacy laws about his service may still be in effect. Service records are not releasable to the public within 60 years of discharge.

Post-nominal letters for military medals are used on headstones:

Gold general's stars are usually worn by police chiefs. Military generals wear silver-color stars. The promotion ceremony is performed when the promotion orders are read out to the individual, then the insignia is pinned to the uniform. The format is usually: "The President of the United States, having reposed confidence in the patriotism, valor, fidelity and abilities of (named individual), he/she is hereby promoted to the grade of (rank title). This officer will carefully and diligently discharge the duties of a (rank title), by doing and performing all manner of things thereunto belonging. Given under my hand in the city of Washington, on (date) and of the independence of the United States (200+ years). Signed by the President of the United States." That is roughly the format that I remember.

According to the American War Library, the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, issued General Order 8, implementing a decree of the South Vietnamese Government. This decree gave the Cross of Gallantry with Bronze Palm to all foreign troops serving in-country. The US order bestowed both the Unit Citation and the individual decoration (http://www.amervets.com/replacement/vcog.htm#isr). There is a myth that Americans are only entitled to the unit citation with the gilt frame (http://www.americanwarlibrary.com/thecross.htm). American service personnel who served in Vietnam who received the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal were also made recipients of the Cross of Gallantry. In addition, Navy and Marine personnel who served in-country and in the territorial waters were awarded the Civil Actions Medal and Unit Citation (First Class) (http://www.amervets.com/replacement/vcar.htm#isr).

I'll try to answer as best as I can. USS Somers was a US naval vessel that foundered off the coast of Vera Cruz, Mexico during the Mexican American war (https://wiki2.org/en/USS_Somers_(1842) Thirty-six sailors were lost, but survivors were picked up by several foreign vessels, including HMS Endymion (https://wiki2.org/en/HMS_Endymion_(1797) The captain of the Endymion at the time was George Lambert https://wiki2.org/en/George_Lambert_(Royal_Navy_officer) He would have received the gold Congressional Somers Medal for his actions that night (https://history.house.gov/Institution/Gold-Medal/Gold-Medal-Recipients/). Silver ones were intended for junior officers and seamen. The Numismatist journal of April 2001 stated that the medals weren't finished until 1851, and that the original pressings were mis-struck with the wrong legend (https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/527804?page=36). Ten gold and 100 silver medals were finally struck and given out. Silver and bronze copies were produced for public sale and show up in auctions occasionally (https://www.spink.com/lot/340000453). The gold medals should be recorded in the Congressional Record, but the entry is vague, stating that these medals were presented to rescuers of the USS Somers survivors (https://history.house.gov/Institution/Gold-Medal/Gold-Medal-Recipients/). I don't believe a by-name list of recipients of these medals exists.

Just a guess on my part, but it appears to be a commemorative medal for the 2nd Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, U.S. Volunteers who served during the Spanish American War. Even today, some states will double up on medals awarded by the federal government, especially when a service member transfers to the National Guard or State Guard. Old photos of veterans often show them wearing a mix of federal, state and locally procured medals.

I had heard a story that General Patton had learned of an American officer affecting the use of post-nominal letters signifying his combat medals and told him to stop that. Probably in a not very polite way of handling the matter. However, award abbreviations appear on DD 214 (discharge papers), so that is as close to post-nominal usage as can be expected.