Harvey

Beautiful! I agree - sometimes you just have to go with what appeals to you.

Yeah, I know... it's a lot of hard work. But I have always admired the way those ribbon bars look - and to see a completed set of all the medals you've shown would be quite a sight to behold!

Yeah, I'd vote for Prussian parade mount as well - it just looks awesome.

Arnim- No, the pieces you purchase are all genuine, provided that they are produced by a licenced company (like Vanguard). I have put together numerous ribbon bars, shadow boxes, etc. for U.S. vets/retirees, and in every case I either used their own medals/ribbons or purchased them from a licensed vendor. There's nothing wrong with having copies of anything - medals, ribbons... or even Flemish Masters. The problem is when people try to pass off the copy as the genuine article, which is usually done out of greed. The difference between your Flemish Master and the one sitting in a museum is probably millions of dollars. As a retired Army officer, how would you feel if I set up shop manufacturing Medals of Honor and then went out and started selling them as the real thing for thousands of dollars? Copies are fine, so long as they are prominently marked/sold as such.

Didn't we have a discussion on this awhile back? If I remember correctly, "gerst" himself even joined the forum in order to engage in discussion about his production of fake ribbon bars with authentic ribbon materials. Rick (and others) would have none of it, and he was eventually banned. Producing & selling fakes is one thing - provided they are marked as such. Trying to pass them off as the real item (or making it easy for others to do so) is quite another.

I see that it's been over a year since the last post - any pics of the swords to post Ken?

Nice find - good job on that one!

Quite an impressive display Chris! One of these days I'm going to have to schedule a visit to view your collection in person - and maybe sample a few of those beers you keep posting pictures of!

Yeah, I've read some of his other posts, and he does seems to be an advocate of the U.S. military in particular. Which is why I found it so incongruous that he would make such a blanket statement like that. I wouldn't have said anything if he'd just stuck to his impression of the GWOTEM... I received my GWOTEM for service in the Republic of Georgia - but if you got yours for Iraq/Afghanistan then you would qualify for the relevant campaign medal (with campaign stars) for subsequent tours. And I have a feeling that they will eventually allow stars for subsequent qualifying tours, much as they do for the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.

I understand what you're saying, and agree that debating the design and appearance of various medals is part of the discussion. However, what I disagreed with - and reacted strongly to - was his blanket condemnation of ALL U.S, medals as "naff looking.". I mean c'mon - that's just silly (and untrue, of course).

Heh. Yeah - I failed to notice that I was going through the threads starting with the last ones - so was not aware of the date. Oh well, maybe it'll be an interesting footnote in another 5 years when some other poor schlub stumbles across it... But thanks :beer:

Wow, and you're a moderator? Sorry, I thought this was the GENTLEMAN'S Military Interest Club... So they're all "naf looking" are they? Funny that I'm rather fond of the ones I've earned... and I suspect that most - if not all - of the U.S. veterans who frequent this site would feel the same way. So you don't like the look of these particular medals - good for you; thanks for sharing. Please leave your personal opinions of our nation's recognition of her servicemembers' sacrifices and valor for The Lounge, where you can vent to your heart's content.

CIBs and CMBs are only awarded to infantry personnel and medics, respectively. It wasn't until OEF/OIF that the Combat Action Badge (CAB) was instituted in order to recognize participation in combat operations by other branches. So, the fact that this guy doesn't have a Bronze Star is not necessarily an indication that he was not in combat (with 6 campaign stars!), simply that he was apparently not an infantryman.

Yeah, I gotta agree with Doc on this one. First he wears a gold U.S. master parachutist badge (no such thing), then on the Dutch page he's wearing some sort of huge gold U.S. jump wings with what looks to be a combat jump star on it. Other commenters have noted the incorrectness of his purported Special Forces qualifications - master HALO badge (when did he do freefall?), MACV-SOG patch, etc. While he may have some legitimate military service, and may have served as a martial arts or other form of instructor to various units at various times, I *highly* doubt that he has earned all the bling he's carting around. In my experience, those who lie about their military service/awards don't just go in for an extra star on their good conduct medal, they tend to go for the "high profile" stuff - Silver Stars, Bronze Stars w/V device, Special Forces, and lots and lots of badges! This guy just doesn't pass the smell test IMHO.

Congrats, Doc! An impressive documentation of years of faithful service. Doesn't seem like you need to wait for the Purple Heart to get them mounted. If memory serves, Army regs state that medals are mounted no more than 4 abreast. So you could mount the two rows as-is and then put the PH on top as a single. Had never seen a French award to a U.S. servicemember before - but had seen a Marine Major (AH-1W Cobra pilot) awarded a British Distinguished Flying Cross a few years back for services rendered in support of a Brit unit in Iraq.

Fascinating thread - esp. for those of us who are relatively new to collecting and haven't yet obtained some of these "rare" items.

Just found this fascinating topic thread today - what an interesting set of medals and the possible story behind them! It seems that it's been over 3 years since anyone has commented - is there no new information re. this set of medals and the possible recipient of such?

My friend spoke with the French consulate here in Los Angeles today and received much the same information - they prefer to send the award to a living veteran, but make no effort to verify whether or not the recipient is still living. Apparently, it is not a difficult process and only takes a few months provided the documentation (DD-214, citations, etc.) are in order. Will let y'all know when/if the award comes through.

Does anyone know of any cases where this award has been presented posthumously? I have a friend whose father fought in the Ardennes, and would thus qualify for the award. Unfortunately, he passed away years ago. Can his son still submit documentation on his behalf?

Thanks Gldank (or should I say, Senior Chief) for fleshing some of those out.

3rd Row, #3 is the Medal for Refused Labor.

A few corrections: Order of the Crown = Crown Order (Knight) Civil Decoration for Long Service in Administration (2nd Class) = Civic Cross (2nd Class) "The ribbon is red with three vertical black stripes when the Decoration is awarded for long and distinguished service in the administration." Civil Decoration for Long Service in Administration (1st Class) = Civic Medal (1st Class) "For 25 years of meritorious service, with the First Class awarded to employees of higher rank."

Ok, I'm no expert (as some others on here are), but I'll take a stab at identifying what I can: 1st Row: 1. ??? 2 & 3 ??? (looks like 2nd & 3rd awards for something due to the stars on the bars) 4. ??? (possibly a grand prize for something - it seems to say "Grand Prix..." on the obverse) 5. Golden Palm (Crown Order) 6. Civil Decoration for Long Service in Administration (2nd Class) 7. Knight Order of Leopold II 2nd Row: 1. Order of Leopold II (1st Class) 2. Armed Resistance Medal 3, 4 & 5 ??? 3rd Row: 1. Order of the Crown 2. Medal of Belgian Gratitude (2nd Class) 3. ??? 4. Civil Decoration for Long Service in Administration (1st Class) 5. Liberation of Belgium Medal (swords = participation in the 1940 campaign) Hope this helps. Others, please feel free to weigh in with corrections. Close-ups of individual medals & wording would help in further identifying them.

Can you supply some more detailed pictures? Maybe individual photos with close-ups of the front & back.

Soissons and Bois-Belleau (or Belleau Woods) were two areas that the Marines fought in during the 1st World War.