Hugh

I'm a bit suspicious that these are not US Government issue buttons. The sharpness of the stamping is not as clear as we usually see. The back is also different from any that I've seen.

Best,

Hugh

That black chinstrap makes it a Chief Petty Officer.

H

Not sure but an educated guess. It may be an officer's cap device from before WW II. Was the chin strap on the cap gold braid or leather?

Hugh

Thanks for this. I'll need to work on my language skills.

Best,

Hugh

Las condecoraciones militares nacionales tienen prelación sobre las extranjeras y su orden de precedencia es el siguiente:

1. Orden Militar de “San Mateo”.

2. Orden de Boyacá.

3. Orden de “San Carlos”.

4. Medalla Servicios en “Guerra Internacional”.

5. Orden del Mérito Militar “Antonio Nariño”.

6. Orden del Mérito Militar “José María Córdova”.

7. Orden del Mérito Naval “Almirante Padilla”.

8. Cruz de la Fuerza Aérea al “Mérito Aeronáutico”.

9. Orden del Mérito Sanitario “José Fernández Madrid”.

10. Orden Estrella de la Policía.

11. Orden Militar 13 de junio.

12. Medalla Servicios Distinguidos en “Orden Público”.

13. Orden Cruz al Mérito Policial.

14. Orden al Mérito “Coronel Guillermo Fergusson”.

15. Medalla Militar “Al Valor”.

16. Medalla Militar “Herido en Acción”.

17. Medalla Militar “Francisco José de Caldas”.

18. Medalla por Tiempo de Servicio. (40,35;30;25;20;15).

19. Medalla Militar “Campaña del Sur”.

20. Medalla Militar “Soldado Juan Bautista Solarte Obando”

21. Medalla Militar Ministerio de Defensa Nacional.

22. Medalla Militar Servicios Distinguidos al Comando General de las Fuerzas Militares.

23. Medalla Servicios Distinguidos a la Armada Nacional.

24. Medalla “Marco Fidel Suárez”.

25. Medalla “Batalla de Ayacucho”.

26. Medalla “San Jorge”.

27. Medalla “Santa Bárbara”.

28. Medalla “Torre de Castilla”.

29. Medalla “San Gabriel”.

30. Medalla al Mérito Logístico y Administrativo “General Francisco de Paula Santander”.

31. Medalla “Brigadier General Ricardo Charry Solano”.

32. Medalla Militar “Alas Doradas”

33. Medalla Servicios distinguidos a la “Fuerza de Superficie”.

34. Medalla Servicios distinguidos a la “Infantería de Marina”.

35. Medalla Servicios distinguidos a la “Fuerza Submarina”.

36. Medalla Servicios distinguidos ala “Aviación Naval”.

37. Medalla Servicios Distinguidos al “Cuerpo de Guardacostas”.

38. Medalla Servicios Distinguidos a la “Inteligencia Naval”.

39. Medalla de Servicios Distinguidos a la “Ingeniería Naval”.

40. Medalla al Mérito Logístico y Administrativo “Contralmirante Rafael Tono”.

41. Medalla “Servicios distinguidos a la Dirección General Marítima”.

42. Medalla “Aguila de Gules”.

43. Medalla Servicios Distinguidos a la “Seguridad y Defensa de Bases Aéreas”.

44. Medalla Servicios Distinguidos al “Cuerpo Logístico”.

45. Medalla Militar “Servicios Distinguidos a la Justicia Penal Militar”

46. Medalla “Orden Por La Libertad Personal”.

47. Medalla Militar “Escuela Superior de Guerra”.

48. Medalla Militar “Al Mérito de la Reserva”.

49. Medalla Militar “General José Hilario López Valdés”.

50. Medalla Militar “Escuela Militar de Cadetes”.

51. Medalla Militar “Centenario Escuela Militar de Cadetes General José María Córdova”.

52. Medalla Servicios Distinguidos a la “Escuela Naval de Cadetes Almirante Padilla”.

53. Medalla Militar “Servicios Meritorios Inteligencia Militar “Guardián de la Patria”

54. Medalla Militar “Escuela de Suboficiales del Ejército “Sargento Inocencio Chinca”

55. Medalla Servicios Distinguidos a la “Escuela Naval de Suboficiales”.

56. Medalla Servicios Distinguidos a la Escuela de Formación de Infantería de Marina.

57. Medalla “ Escuela de Lanceros”.

58. Medalla Militar “Escuela de Armas y Servicios José Celestino Mutis Bossio”.

59. Medalla Militar Escuela de Soldados Profesionales “Teniente General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla”.

60. Medalla Militar “Honor al Deber Cumplido”.

61. Medalla “Guardia Presidencial”.

62. Medalla Policía Militar “General Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera”.

63. Medalla “Cadete José María Rosillo”.

64. Medalla “Alumno Distinguido”.

65. Medalla Alumno Distinguido de la “Escuela Naval de Suboficiales”.

66. Medalla a la virtud “Capitán José Edmundo Sandoval”.

67. Medalla Deportiva de la Fuerza Pública”.

Ilja: Many thanks for this wonderful order of precedence. I've needed it since 1976. Can you possibly identify the medal pictured in Post # 4?

Best,

Hugh

Oh, my! What's next; a medal for attending Reserve drills? Oh, wait, we already have one of those. Where will it end? Gresham's Law is taking over.

H

I hope they don't do another medal. The US already has far too many medals / ribbons, many of which have relatively little significance. The bottom half of most racks are ribbons for events like completion of training, routine peacetime deployments, etc. Let 's get rid of them. This campaign should surely be recognized, but with a star on an existing medal ribbon.

There has been lots of snarky commentary inside the Beltway on this subject. Here's Foreign Policy SitRep's latest:

The response to my request for names of the US mission against IS was overwhelming. It's hard to draw any conclusions from the names offered, but I will say this: SitRep has an engaged, intelligent and global audience (I got responses from all over the world), and the names offered up show a huge disparity in opinion. Some show resolve, while others reflect a growing criticism - one might say cynicism - of Obama's strategy. Some of the best are below; email me if you'd like to receive the full list.

Operation Empty Chair; Operation Oops, Sorry About That; Operation Good Intentions; Operation Seriously? Again?; Operation Passive-Aggressive; Operation Coalition of the Dragged Kicking and Screaming; Operation Did I Leave My Keys Here?; Operation Slam Dunk; Operation IS you IS, or IS you Ain't? Operation Syri-ous about Iraqi Freedom; and Operation Iraqi Freedom 2: Electric Boogaloo.

Excellent! Can I assume that we can also use some of these same characteristics in dating other Spanish ODM?

Belated Selamat Hari Merdeka! That's a fine looking collection. I'd love to see the individual pictures when you get around to doing them.

Best,

Hugh

Hooray! Nice to see our neighbors return to the fold. Now if we could just get the Queen to grant us Commonwealth status. We could even change our spelling.

H

Thanks for reminding us of this oft -neglected campaign.

H

Wunderschoen!

An afterthought. Don't I remember reading on this forum and elsewhere that the British government would not award a medal to a British soldier if another government had already given one for the same action? If so, how does that track with this dialogue? Did it come into effect after WW I, perhaps because of some of these anomalies?

H

I remember hearing a similar story about the Rumanians earlier. And they've got some very attractive awards. Would fill out a row nicely.

H

Looks like a pattern. Thanks to both of you.

H

Do you know when the DSM and St. George were awarded? What rank was he?

Thanks,

Hugh

I've just finished reading Old Soldiers Never Die by Frank Richards, DCM, MM. It's one of the few accounts of the war by an enlisted man / other rank. Richards had served in India and was a reservist when the war started. He arrived in France on August 10th, 1914 and served in the trenches until after the Armistice. It's a great read for anyone who wants the worms-eye view of the war.

On page 196 he states that a comrade had "...won the D. C. M. and Russian Order of St. George, which always went with the D. C. M in the early part of the war." Not that I doubt him, but can anyone confirm? If so, what rank of St. George was typically awarded?

Sorry, Nick, I was talking the medal numbered 22 in Post # 57 and 58.

Best,

Hugh

Looks a bit like a commemorative coin (of somebody's silver Jubilee). Don't read Hindi, so can't help further.

Do we have any Hindi speakers / readers on the site?

H

Definitions

Sorry for the delay in responding, but # 22 is clearly (to me) the Order of Cloud and Banner.

For those who may not know it, seals like these have been commonly used in China, Japan and Korea for years by governments, businesses and individuals much in the same way that Europeans use a signature. In many cases, you might find documents with no signatures, only seals (or chops) as they are frequently known. They are as binding (or more) than a signature.

What a wonderful job of research! It's a real tribute to Pte. Francis.

Hugh

I second Peter's comments. Ed Haynes is as knowledgeable on South Asia as you'll find.

H

Others are better sources than I, but I'd say Transport(ation) Corps.

H