Megan

My notes say that it was awarded to all living members of the Royal Household on 10 May 1934. Still looking for a good picture of the beast for my website...

If you want to know more about the medal itself, try Knights of Orange: Orders of the Netherlands by Antti Ruokonen.

Having now tracked down the transcript of the award ceremony and the citation, it seems that my surmise was correct, Biden did get the Medal of Freedom with Distinction.

I think that what happened was that Biden was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction, a sort of higher grade of the regular beast. The insignia of the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction consists of a pinback star that is identical to the regular neck badge only bigger (79 mm x 83 mm) worn with a sash over the right shoulder that has a rosette worn on the left hip that has the central part of the badge in the middle (there isn't actually a badge hanging from the sash like most grand crosses). The thing is, nobody ever wears the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction in its full form... even when presented they generally bodge the larger star onto a neck ribbon and hang it round the awardees neck - and this, I think, is what we are seeing here. Here's a picture of the beast, courtesy of e-Medals:

And here I was thinking it stood for "Run Away Someone's Coming"!

Very expensive, alas

Thank you both for continuing to broaden our knowledge!

Fascinating, thank you for sharing... but then, I love your site anyway, it is full of wonderful bits and pieces.

Possibly my greatest regret at being female is that I cannot play Santa! You, Mike, make an excellent one

It does indeed, Frank, and so I can enjoy these beasties here without having to scamper off to figure out how to incorporate them into my website....

One thing to be said for them: they are not medals!

"bsap10535" is quite correct, a gorget patch replaces the collar dog once one reaches a rank at which the gorget patch is appropriate. And "bigjarofwasps" has the right of it as well, the gentleman pictured is correctly turned out. (I did once take a firefighter to task over 'order of medals' when he'd come round for a home fire safety check, he was wearing one of those metal pin-on bars upside down. He was quite pleased to be shown how to wear them, and actually came back when he received his next medal to ask where it ought to go!)

Remember that you do not GIVE offence - someone else CHOOSES to take it. Their problem.

Beautiful medal, thank you for sharing Frank.

Beautiful, Arnaud.

Excelllent information, thank you

Oh no.... poor you!

Thank you....

Wonderful, thank you Frank... it's really appreciated!

You are mostly correct, Tim. The ribbon bar and small star were authorised for wear until a campaign medal was issued for the campaign in which the wound was received, then you were supposed to wear the small red star on its ribbon instead.

Beringer's medals: First row: War Cross (Luxembourg), Cross of Honour and Military Merit (Luxembourg), Gold Medal of the Order of the Oak Crown (Luxembourg), Service Cross for Army & Police (Luxembourg) - their long service & good conduct award, Bronze Star (USA) with V device Second row: Medal of the War Volunteer (Belgium), Medal of the Combatant War Volunteer (Belgium), Commemorative Medal for Foreign Theatres of Operation (Belgium), Korea Medal (United Nations) Final row: commemoratives + a marching medal. The putative KIA's medals are: Cross of Honour and Military Merit (Luxembourg), War Cross (Luxembourg), Knight, Order of Leopold II (Belgium), War Cross (Belgium), ???, Korean Veterans' Medal, Medal of the War Volunteer (Belgium), Medal of the Combatant War Volunteer (Belgium), Commemorative Medal for Foreign Theatres of Operation (Belgium)

Here at long last is the beast, courtesy of UK Government.

Thanks Frank, well spotted!

[blows dust off of thread] Whilst looking for something else entirely, I came across an old article that gives the designer's thoughts on coming up with the Air Force Combat Action Medal http://www.af.mil/News/tabid/124/Article/126589/modernizing-an-old-design-a-challenge-for-medal-makers.aspx

Thank you for sharing, Paja.