Bill Dienna

Thanks, Jim. I did in fact find that site during my search efforts. Unfortunately, it covers post WW II Italian ribbons, and this is on a tunic circa 1919-1920. I agree with you, though, that the ribbon may indeed be mounted upside down !

Guys... I can't seem to identify the first ribbon of the second row on this uniform. Can anyone help me out? Many thanks !

Here are the criteria for the award of the US Legion of Honor as the now appear on the Pentagon website: Members of the United States military receive the Legion of Merit medal which is issued without degree. However, when bestowing the Legion of Merit upon members of foreign militaries or governments, the Legion of Merit is issued in the following degrees: Chief Commander - Chief of State or Head of Government Commander - Equivalent of a U.S. military Chief of Staff or higher position but not to Chief of State. Officer - General or Flag Officer below the equivalent of a U.S. military Chief of Staff; also a Colonel or equivalent rank for service in assignments equivalent to those normally held by a General or Flag Officer in U.S. military service or Military Attaches. Legionnaire - All recipients not included above However, this was not the criteria for award in World War II or the subsequent years. For example, I have the award document for the Legion of Merit to a Colonel of a Soviet Guards Infantry Unit, together with the transmittal letter signed by President Truman. This Colonel received the Legionaire grade of the award. Marshal Zhukov, who was neither a Chief of State nor Head of Government, received the Chief Commander Grade. Numerous Soviet Marshals recieved the Commander grade and can be seen wearing it on their victory parade uniform portraits. Additionally, the original headquarters of NATO was in Paris. If this fellow existed and was serving post-war, that might also be a source of the award. It would be interesting to know if the Legion of Merit bears any markings, since that might help date it. The officer's device on the ribbon should be gold, but this one appears to be tarnished silver, making me wonder if it is an older sterling silver-gilt device that was originally gold but which has darkened with age.

I don't know, Ed. The difference is so noticeable that I didn't think that it could be a manufacturers' variation. I mean, the smaller example is really about 2/3 the size of the standard example. It really is quite perplexing.

Hello, Gents.... I cannot seem to find an answer to this question. I have two Legions of Honor, knight class, in my collection, both from around the period of WW I or thereabouts. One is the "standard" size order. The other is NOT a miniature, but it is noticeably smaller than the standard decoration by about 1/3. Does anyone know if there is any significance to this size difference? Many thanks! Bill

I'm presuming that that is exactly the type of work that the group carried out, Chris, together with perhaps sabotage and other resistance activities. But at least so far I've failed to turn up and detailed information.

Thank you, Christophe! I wonder who Lord Denys was, since it seems that was the name of the resistance group created by Andr? V?rot. A really fascinating story here, I think. I'm sure that the medal must have been an unofficial (non-governemental) one given out by the group itself to veterans.

Here is the obverse. Again, I have BORROWED this photo from the site given by Christophe. I hope that the owner does not mind! They are much better photos of the medal than I could take of my own piece. Any translation help with the french information on that site would be appreciated ! Merci, mon ami!

Thank you, Christophe! My french skills are very poor. Lord Denys organized a resistance group? I haveborrowed the photo from that site, which is identical to my example. It is a full-size medal.

A good friend recently was extremely kind and gave me several medals for my collection. There were two that were definitely French, but the third has me puzzled. It is a bronze medal on a red and black ribbon. The obverse features a kneeling woman with a sword. The reverse bears an inscription something along the lines of "Lord Denys Medal for Clandestine Service". The medal has the dates 1940-1944 on it. I have been unable to find any information on this piece, which I presume is some kind of commemorative service medal. Does anyone have any knowledge about this medal? Thanks! Bill

Well, there ya go!

The 344th machine gun battalion was a part of the 90th Infantry Division. The division was comprised of the National Guard units of Texas and Oklahoma. The unit patch, for this reason, was a combined "T" and "O", leading to the division nickname of "The tough ombres". I would think that both Texas and Oklahoma would have pretty decent WW I service records.

Never a waste of time to try! The Bronze star....can you post a photo? The engraving style can indicate the period, and narrow it down. You can then check the social security rolls and the National Archives website for information. I can check the lists of KIA's from WW II, Korea and Vietnam to see if it is posthumous. The Archives site may provide a service number that would permit requesting his file from St. Louis. As to the WW I citation...I don't have the address, but there is an office of the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis that has a card index of all WW I wounded who received a Purple Heart, kept alphabetically. If you provide a name they can provide a copy of the award card which will give unit and date of wound. Or if you can provide us with the unit, it may be possible to narrow him down to a specific State, and the State archives often have excellent files on WW I service.

Jeff, that book led to me aquiring the KIA document group to which I referred. One night I was going through the book and looked up the county in which I lived. I saw that a KIA had lived only a few doors away from the home in which I was located. One night I walked down the street and I was amazed to see that the name on the mailbox was still the same name of the officer who had been killed in 1917! I knocked on the door. An elderly lady answered. The officer had been her brother in law. She was now in the process of moving. In reply to my question about whether she had anything related to the officer, she said that she was sure that she did and would call me. Sure enough, about two months later she called. When I stopped by her house, all of the KIA documents were laid out for me, together with a HUGE portrait photo of the officer. In discussing these things with her she said that she recalled that there were "medals" around, and from her description I was sure that they were the two Pilgrimage items that are described above. Alas, they were never found.

On the same related topic, then..... When an American soldier died in World War I, his family received four documents: 1. A memorial accolade over President Wilson's facsimile signature; 2. A memorial accolade over General Pershing's facsimile signature; 3. A large memorial accolade depicting Columbia knighting a kneeling American; and 4. A large memorial document from the French governemnt. The Pershing document came in two versions: one said "died" and one said "killed", distinguishing between non-combat deaths due to disease, etc., and combat deaths. The documents provided names, units, date of death, etc., between the four of them. I have only ever seen one complete group of all four accolades to the same soldier. It was a grouping I purchased from the soldier's sister-in-law ( ! ) several years ago. All of the accolades were still in their original mailing tubes or envelopes. The soldier was a Lieutentant killed in action in 1917.

I'm not certain how many have heard of this rather remarkable episode in history. From 1930 to 1933, the mothers and widows of American men and women who were killed or died in service in World War I were sent by the US Governemnt to visit their graves in Europe. Though it was the depth of the Great Depression, the governemnt spent five million dollars to accomplish this effort. The women were sent in groups according to the state they were from; unless the woman was black; the black mothers and widows were sent on "colored only" segregated cruises. Each voyage was staffed by a full retinue of Army officers and enlisted specialists. There were doctors with the groups to attend to many of these now-elderly women. Many of the women had been immigrants, their sons having died for their new country. Since a great number of them still had difficulty with the english language, the military provided interpreters to assist them. The French government paid them honors on each and every trip. Once in Europe they were taken to the appropriate cemetary to visit the grave of their son or husband. They could then lay a wreath. Many women were escorted to grave markers that said only "Here rests an American soldier known but to God". Thier sons or husbands had never been identified. I have a letter to a Mother from the Red Cross before her pilgrimage. It noted that she would be taken to the grave of an unknown, and the writer stated that "Some have said that these are the most beautiful graves in France". The ocean liners of the United States Lines were chartered for each voyage. Each woman making the pilgrimage received a medal from the United States Lines. The medal was designed by Tiffany & Company and each was serial numbered on the edge. They received a certificate as well, named to them in caligraphic script, which bore the serial number of their individual medal. The gold and white boxes in which these medals were presented had the medal's serial number stamped on them. They also received a gold identification badge designed by the War Department, and manufactured by Bailey, Banks, and Biddle, that had their name on it. They were instructed to wear these at all times on the trip in order to identify them as Pilgrimage Mothers and Widows. The BB&B box bore the notation "Guest of the United States". In fact, the women received special Pilgrimage passports as well. I have in my collection a complete set of Tiffany medal in the box with the award document, as well as the War Department badge in its box, all to one woman. They are in storage at the moment, but I thought that I would create this post to see if anyone else has an interest in this subject? At some point I'll get my things out and post them.

Looks like a truly classic example of a Revolutionary War period cutlass of American manufacture. Very nice indeed! I was a Ranger with the National Park Service for several years at Valley Forge. During that time the NPS aquired George Neumann's entire collection of Rev War arms. I got to examine quite a few pieces very closely. I would be surprised if you found any markings on it, since I think that, as you said, most cutlasses used by the Americans were of the "home-made" (or ship-made) variety. I see photos of a piece like this and that old phrase comes to mind: "If these things could only talk!" Thanks for sharing this item!

Thanks, Jerome! I actually used google, but I tried it with his full name. I didn't think to try "General Mourot".

Jerome... That might very well be him! The tunic that I have bears the insignia of a French Army military prosecutor! If you can provide any leads on him, or how you found him, I would be very grateful! Thnaks very much! Bill

Hello, fellows.... I'm pretty well experienced in researching American soldiers from all periods. I've also had experience researching Third Reich figures, particularly political participants. But this is a first for me. I'm interested in trying to research a French General by the name of Jacques Mourot. I'm assuming that he's a twentieth century officer. Any suggestions in how to go about this would be much apprciated. The reason for the research is that I just aquired a French officer's tunic that may or may not have been his. It came with a brass engraving plate to make calling cards, and it Mourot's his name. So... I'd like to see if I can find anything out about him to see if the name on the plate matches the branch of the tunic, etc. Thanks in advance!

Well, the problem was that under the old Title 18, it was possible for some low life to display a Medal of Honor, or other decorations of valor, and say "I won these, and I'm a hero!". That wasn't against the law as it was written. So to get these guys they added the pertinent language of the SVA and the CFR that makes it illegal to claim award of the medals. But they also inserted the language making it illegal to "purchase" medals, undoubtedly in an attempt to prevent impostors from getting their hands on the actual medals that they then falsely claimed to have won. Unfortunately, without considering the collecting community, they threw the baby out with the bathwater, the drain plug, and the rubber ducky. It would have been much simpler, as Jeff has stated elsewhere, to have simply criminalized "purchase and/or posession with the intent to falsely claim personal award" of the medals, or "falsely claiming the award of any medal or decoration authorized by Congress", while at the same time removing all of the other language from title 18 regarding sale, trade, etc., of medals, documents, and so on.

So, where do all of these words leave us? I THINK that we can summarize as follows: 1. Posession: Mere posession of a medal or decoration is not a crimial offense, unless you are claiming that you were awarded that decoration and you were not. 2. Selling, Buying, or Trading: a. Selling, Buying, attempting to buy, or Trading a medal or decoration is a criminal offense EXCEPT "when authorized under regulations made pursuant to law" BUT YET b. At the same time, you do not need a "cetificate of authority" to sell medals as long as the medals that are sold are marked my the manufacturer and made in accordance with government regulations, UNLESS it is a Medal of Honor, in which case you DO need a certificate of authority. SO..... It APPEARS that: 1. Seling is o.k., as long as the medals conform to the requirements, unless it is a Medal of Honor, which you cannot sell without authorization; 2. Posession is O.K., as long as you are not falsely claiming that the medal was awarded to you; and 3. Buying is RIGHT OUT ! What it would SEEM is necessary is a change to the Code of Federal Regulations that would specifically permit the purchase, sale, or trade of medals and decorations by collectors. This, then, would mean that collectors would be acting within "regulations made pursuant to law" and, as long as that is the case, the actions of collectors would not be a criminal offense under the U.S. Code provisions. OR.... Amend title 18 section 704 of the U.S. Code to remove most of the words that the Stolen Valor Act inserted.

Here is everything in one place: 1. The United States Code, title 18, as it stood before the Stolen Valor Act, and which sets for pre-SVA law on buying or selling medals; 2. The SVA language, amending title 18; 3. And the applicable section of the Code of Federal Regulations. As Jeff noted elsewhere, the easiest (relatively) approach to correcting the situation for collectors would be to amend the CFR to make allowances for collectors. Then collecting of the medals would become an act carried out in accordance with authorized regulations, and not subject to the criminal penalty provisions of Title 18. United States Code Criminal Provision: Sec. 704. Military medals or decorations (a) In General.--Whoever knowingly wears, manufactures, or sells any decoration or medal authorized by Congress for the armed forces of the United States, or any of the service medals or badges awarded to the members of such forces, or the ribbon, button, or rosette of any such badge, decoration or medal, or any colorable imitation thereof, except when authorized under regulations made pursuant to law, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both. (b) Congressional Medal of Honor.-- (1) In general.--If a decoration or medal involved in an offense under subsection (a) is a Congressional Medal of Honor, in lieu of the punishment provided in that subsection, the offender shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both. Stolen Valor Act Language amending the U.S. Code: SEC. 3. ENHANCED PROTECTION OF MEANING OF MILITARY DECORATIONS AND MEDALS. (a)Expansion of General Criminal Offense- Subsection (a) of section 704 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking `manufactures, or sells' and inserting `purchases, attempts to purchase, solicits for purchase, mails, ships, imports, exports, produces blank certificates of receipt for, manufactures, sells, attempts to sell, advertises for sale, trades, barters, or exchanges for anything of value'. Code of Federal Regulation provisions: Sec. 507.5 Statutory authority. (a) The wear, manufacture, and sale of military decorations, medals, badges, their components and appurtenances, or colorable imitations of them, are governed by section 704, title 18, United States Code (18 U.S.C. 704). (b) The manufacture, sale, possession, and reproduction of badges, identification cards, insignia, or other designs, prescribed by the head of a U.S. department or agency, or colorable imitations of them, are governed by Title 18, United States Code, Section 701 (18 U.S.C. 701). © This part incorporates the statutory provisions. Sec. 507.7 Authority to sell. No certificate of authority to manufacture is required to sell articles listed in Sec. 507.8 of this part; however, sellers are responsible for insuring that any article they sell is manufactured in accordance with Government specifications using government furnished tools, bears a hallmark assigned by TIOH, and that the manufacturer has received a certification to manufacture that specific item prior to sale. Sec. 507.8 Articles authorized for manufacture and sale. (a) The articles listed in paragraphs (a) (1) through (10) of this section are authorized for manufacture and sale when made in accordance with approved specifications, purchase descriptions or drawings. (1) All authorized insignia (AR 670-1 and AFI 36-2903). (2) Appurtenances and devices for decorations, medals, and ribbons such as oak leaf clusters, service stars, arrowheads, V-devices, and clasps. (3) Combat, special skill, occupational and qualification badges and bars. (4) Identification badges. (5) Fourrageres and lanyards. (6) Lapel buttons. (7) Decorations, service medals, and ribbons, except for the Medal of Honor. (8) Replicas of decorations and service medals for grave markers. Replicas are to be at least twice the size prescribed for decorations and service medals. (9) Service ribbons for decorations, service medals, and unit awards. (10) Rosettes. (11) Army emblem and branch of service plaques. (b) Variations from the prescribed specifications for the items listed in paragraph (a) of this section are not permitted without prior approval, in writing, by TIOH. Sec. 507.9 Articles not authorized for manufacture or sale. The following articles are not authorized for manufacture and sale, except under contract with DSCP: (a) The Medal of Honor. (b) Service ribbon for the Medal of Honor. © Rosette for the Medal of Honor. (d) Service flags (prescribed in AR 840-10 or AFR 900-3). (e) Army seal. (f) Commercial articles for public sale that incorporate designs or likenesses of decorations, service medals, and service ribbons. (g) Commercial articles for public sale that incorporate designs or likenesses of designs of insignia listed in Sec. 507.8 of this part, except when authorized by the Service concerned. Sec. 507.12 Possession and wearing. (a) The wearing of any decoration, service medal, badge, service ribbon, lapel button, or insignia prescribed or authorized by the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force by any person not properly authorized to wear such device, or the use of any decoration, service medal,badge, service ribbon, lapel button, or insignia to misrepresent the identification or status of the person by whom such is worn is prohibited. Any person who violates the provision of this section is subject to punishment as prescribed in the statutes referred to in Sec. 507.5 of this part. (b) Mere possession by a person of any of the articles prescribed in Sec. 507.8 of this part is authorized provided that such possession is not used to defraud or misrepresent the identification or status of the individual concerned. © Articles specified in Sec. 507.8 of this part, or any distinctive parts including suspension ribbons and service ribbons) or colorable imitations thereof, will not be used by any organization, society, or other group of persons without prior approval in writing by the Secretary of the Army or the Secretary of the Air Force.

It is supposed to be an older tunic, so the rank insignia may be obsolete. As to what type of leaves they are....

Chris... This is the sleeve rank insignia on a French military tunic. But what rank....