JBFloyd

Everything can be waived! And the regs/policies will change as needs change.

Enlistments generally run 4 years, although there are lots of exceptions. The services are free to negotiate enlistment contracts pretty much as they wish, so often the length of enlistment may go up in exchange for other considerations. For example, some technical training schools can be guaranteed if you sign up for 6 years. I don't recall ever running into an enlistment of more than 6 years or less than 3 years. Generally an enlistment can be extended by up to 2 years by simply filling out some paperwork. This is usually done for the convenience of the government (very rarely for the convenience of the individual). An example might where an individual is going to an overseas assignment that would normally last 4 years, but only has 2 years left on his enlistment, he would be offered the assignment and a 2-year extension. This pops up when looking at named and dated Navy and Marine Corps Good Conduct Medals, where you'll often see odd terms of service caused by enlistment extensions. There are even bars on Good Conduct Medals that say "Extension of Enlistment". The total length of time one can serve is a combination of age and rank, but service over 30 years takes special approval and is usually only offered to the highest ranking NCOs, and then usually only if they are in positions of substantial responsibility. There are hundreds of pages of policies and manuals on this subject and these change constantly as the services try to manage their forces in the long term. Also, citizenship is not a requirement for enlistment, but may be required to hold certain positions or security clearances, which will limit the jobs available. I once had a situation where one of my NCOs had very high level security clearances, which required citizenship and serious background investigations. When he was selected for an overseas assignment that required an official passport, it was discovered that he was a citizen of Panama, not the US. Much huffing and puffing followed about punitive actions against the NCO, until it was discovered that he had always noted his Panamanian citizenship in his records and the security clearance guys had fouled up in giving him access. Some strings were finally pulled to get his US citizenship processed and approved.

Considering the likely Danish connection, have you run this by Tim Eriksen? Not yet, but he's next.

Paul, I don't find it in the big Nimmergut, but I haven't checked H&S yet.

Can anyone give me an educated guess as to the identification of the attached commemorative medal? It's silver and small (20mm). The initials on the obverse are "MLM" and the reverse has the date "10 Juli 1900". It has a small button on the back for lapel wear. The possible connection I can find is the marriage of Maximilian Alexander Friedrich Wilhelm of Baden to Marie Louise, Princess of Hannover, on that date. She descended on her mother's side of the family from the Danish royal family, which may account for the red/white ribbon. Help!

Leigh, Thank you for the help. Jeff Floyd

The top bar is likely to have been designed to hold a name tag, often with the name of the event as well.

Looks like a convention badge of the VFW. Membership medals had full ribbons and brooches like federal awards.

VFW membership medal.

I'm looking for the war services and career data on Lieut T.B.M. Sulivan, believed to have served aboard HMS Royal Albert in the Crimea. Any help would be appreciated.

A dim spark in the memory banks indicates that this is a Phillipines Wound Medal for civilians. Can anyone shed any light on the accuracy of that recollection? The reverse is blank and I find no maker's marks.

I believe this is from an organization of French veterans of overseas service in Africa.

Or these?

Any identification of these would be helpful (4th prize in a yodeling contest; best beekeeper, etc).

I think the corps badge was tolerated, rather than authorized. It probably came down as soon as the federal and state campaign medals were issued.

That's the Span-Am era Fifth Corps badge on his collar (red enamel with gilt border). Paul Till's book on New York awards indicates the "18-USV-98" bars were simply to denote war service. However, other states (Pennsylvania and Massachusetts) had specific marksmanship badge designs for the Spanish-American War. I believe that the New York "USV" and "USN" bars, like the other states' badges, denoted a marksmanship qualification while in federal service for the war.

A closer-to-home possibility for the last ribbon is Liechtenstein's Jubilee Medal for Prince Johan, 1908.

Try ABE.com, which lists 6 of Previtera's book and 2 for Bowen.

Medal 1. Mobilization War Cross 1939-40 Medal 2. Commemorative War Cross, with bar "Nederland Mei 1940" (Netherlands, May 1940) Medal 3. Cross for Order and Peace, for service in the East Indies 1945-1949 Medal 1 was awarded to those who were mobilized, but did not qualify for Medal 2.

The ILM & TA (International Longshoremen, Marine and Transports Workers' Association) was involved in some serious labor actions organizing dock workers on the Great Lakes in the 1905-1910 period and badges such as this tend to be from the 1900-1917 period.

I've run into several cases where RAF officers mounted the oak leaf on a piece of uniform fabric and worn that in place of a campaign ribbon, rather than sewing the device directly to the uniform, as was done here.

Any chance you can list the various orders Col Jakobsen wears at the neck and along the button line? It looks like: Italian Order of the Crown Latvia Order of Three Stars Swedish Order of the Sword Belgium Order of Leopold Unknown (Actually it looks like a German state award) Finland Order of the White Rose Poland Order Polonia Restituta Romania Order of the Crown Russia Order of St. Anne, with swords Any corrections or the identity of the unkniwn neck badge would be appreciated.

Actually, I was looking at the cross below the 10th Anniversary Commemorative. It's the one with the light pentagonal design. Possibly a regimental badge of some kind?

Many thanks for the information. It's not a medal I've ever seen before.

Apologies for the copy-of-a-copy image, but can anyone identify the medal this Estonian colonel wears beneath the Polish Cross of Merit?