Ed_Haynes

indeed

For those who like Red Banners more than they like gold stars (and have a "spare" $53K!), see:

http://collectrussia.com/DISPITEM.HTM?ITEM=17858

I'm afraid a lot of things are getting mixed up here.

There is NO civilian (or even military) award in the US for non-combat gallantry that in any way parallels the GC or MoH.

The (incredibly ugly, I think) "Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor" (and the spaceman medal of honor) are not intended for general civilian award, being targeted rather on specially privileged politically focused sub-populations. More like the QPM than the GC. And, as I understand it, it is an agency award, and not a national award..

Even military awards for non-combatant gallantry haven't been easy for the US to conceptualise, as the Soldiers' Medal (and other-branch equivalents) are distinctly lower in the pyramid than the MoH.

The first Presidential Medal of Freedom was in general an award for intelligence service in WWII, and was widely awarded to foreigners (much like the King's Medals in the Cause of Freedom). The reincarnated Presidential Medal is Freedom is political and cultural, having nothing at all to do with bravery; more like a KBE. It seems now to be seen as something less prestegious and more political than, say, the Kennedy Center Honors.

The Congressional gold medals are not part of the informal US honors "system". These unwearable awards are just slabs of gold, custom-struck as a remembrance paperweight for each recipient of a unique motion of love and kisses from the Congress.

The "Defence of Freedom Medal", as Prosper rightly observes, is part of the growing flock of Department of Defence civilian awards. Created in the context of 11 September (as have been many new awards), it is in fact restricted to civilian employees of the Department fo Defence (and not, so far as I know, to contractors like Blackwater or even Halliburton).

Again, while comparisons are difficult and habitually flawed, each nation's ever-shifting honors "system" says a lot about the psychology (psycho-pathology?) of that nation at a single moment in history.

Hi

The inscription on the TWM clasp reads as "Irak".

Regards

Mahoni

Thanks.

Great! Thanks.

Not much information, ca. 1992?

Sometimes, Graham, if the file is too large, you need to save the resizing(s) under different names as the program seems to have a memory that file "A" was too large but will accept the same image resized as file "A1".

It is always interesting to see the regulations -- thank you -- even if reality usually was different than the rules.

I find Alex's explanation quite plausible, even likely. That is how I have always viewed name-erased medals. (Though, for the sorts of things I collect, there is a more disturbing pattern of intentional dealer de-naming as medals to Indians have less valued in the UK than erased medals.)

To clarify: Country and name of medal.

Interesting answers, Soviet. As I neither know (nor especially care) about the identity of the guns, I had not even included this as an extra-credit option (though the thought had crossed my mind). The focus was and is on the medals.

The Medal of Honor (you show the air force variety) is only for military gallantry in action. The US, being historically awards-phobic, has NO awards for any sort of civilian gallantry (and few enough for any sort of civilian anything). Trying to draw too many parallels between various countries honors systems will only make you crazy and each system is an outgrowth of the political psychology and sociology of a given place and a specific moment in time. (This is why when the self-righteous traditionalists start whining about change in "their" traditions they are ignorant that those "traditiona" have always been changing and that there has never been much system" in the system, any system.)

.

Still there. Still $32,000.

Save your small change?

Yeah, Jim, the problem is, I fear, that no one wants to offer guesses or partial answers at the very real risk of helping others. (How very non-Socialist? But, then, so is a contest??)

Shall hint when I have any good reason to do so.

I'm not sure the Iraqis of the uprising were "pro-German". They were, rather, nationalists, trying to throw foreign occupiers out of their country. They may have, perhaps inevitably, fallen into the trap that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend".

There are many parallels to the present day.

It is always good to read unbiased and carefully researched histories by those who know the relevant langauges.

Not sure WWII (just in Europe) wasn't "won" at Kursk (or Bagration or Stalingrad). Normandy was, at best, a footnote.

WWII was, arguably, "caused" at Jarama Valley and/or Madrid.

Lovely picture. Thanks!

All these 10 fragments of medals are 100 % communist awards ?

Yes, as I define things. Was it too hard?

If needed, I'll change the rules this weekend.

Lovely!

Ebay has always had a good selection of nice reproduction orders.

Especially if you look at the "authentic" ones. But "Homey don't play eBay".

And the circular stanp at the bottom, also fiddled, also light.

Thanks, Rick.

Stamp at the top -- hard to make it legible but I'll try.

By the way, the contact e-mail at the site Anatoly provided seems to be dead. Back to square one.

Christian -- I get your point. But I have a problem here, most of what I have, groups (mostly in groups) or not in groups, is -- or will be -- researched. These medals therefore demonstrably "belong" to someone else whose uniform this is not. Do I have the right to put THEIR medals on HIS uniform? This may be dumb, but 'tis me being a historian. (I do have some hope of getting one uniform that does match with a group I have, though not Soviet, further south.)

Anatoly -- Thanks! If I wind up getting anything from them, the number will be obliterated and "copy / копия" added to the reverse.

Rick -- If ongoing family diplomacy works out, I may have a partial solution to this problem. Cross fingers.

Gents!

It's normal for this medal.Not "home made".

I call this "variant on triangle ribbon".

Do they come from different periods of time or is it just a matter of individual taste?

I feel inexpressively dirty asking this question, but here goes . . .

I have recently started getting a few uniforms, weathering both storage problems and spousal abuse. So far, I have several that have clear evidence of the awards won with them. For display purposes, I need "replica" (OK, good quality FAKE) awards to put onto them. Is there any source? Kapral seems to be gone? (Not sure I miss them.)

I hate putting money into these guys' pockets, but . . . ???

Maybe an answer by PM is better?

I assume the private jewlers who made these unofficial stars could add whatever you wanted to pay for?

Which clasp is on the War Medal ribbon mounted on the bar?

And the (non-matching?) document. Said to be from the Kiev Communications Administration.

Details, please.