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    Andy Hopkins

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    1. During Vietnam the First Marine Division had the "three wounds and home" policy...when I was in the Marines I remember talking to my CO about it (he was wounded three times, sent home, went back and was wounded again)...He was an infantry platoon/company commander. Also, I have a friend who was awarded the Purple Heart in Iraq when a piece of equipment rolled onto him and broke his foot and ankle during a fire fight...the award was very contentious in his unit. He was MEDEVACed and given the PH in the hospital, but his CO later had it revoked. When he retired, the Navy gave it back to him....
    2. Prosper, happy to help...these are my obsession of the last 4 years or so. They are fascinating. Here is a good example of blackened small machine engraving. This man was a B-25 pilot killed in the Pacific in 1945..
    3. ...yes, but unless I'm mistaken, not every person who served during the Cold War is eligible for the NDSM. Those who served a long career would have qualified under the Vietnam and or Desert Storm era award periods, but there was a chunk of time in between when the NDSM was not authorized. I predict that this medal will eventually be authorized and the pattern actually made and awarded will be the same or similar to the one shown above. If that happens, the commemorative medals and the government issued certificates will become rather unique collectibles IMO. I would imagine that the certificates are rather scarce as I'm not sure many people bothered to apply for them... ...and yes, I agree that we currently wear too much crap...
    4. I think whoever told you the PH was 50s era was correct. Whatever the case, it is not done in WWII small machine engraving. Machine engraving for Army PHs began either very late in 1944 or early in 1945. The earlier style is the "small". Later in 1945 the "large" machine engraving came into use. WWII era machine engraving was done w/ a unique flat bit that leaves a distinctive pattern in the engraving. Yours is machine engraved, but from the post WWII era. Also concur that a posthumous PH of the WWII era would have used his full given name. As a point of reference, the Ellison PH you picture is actually a hand engraved version, and the Dickson PH appears to be an example of the large machine engraving I mentioned...very late 1945 to very early post war. Yes, KIA PHs for OIF and OEF are engraved. I presented one to the family of one of my men killed in Baghdad on July 5th. He was a Sailor and the PH was engraved w/ his Navy rate and last name
    5. The AFSM was authorized in 1996 to recognize service in peacekeeping or humanitarian service operations. No, there are currently no devices authorized for the Iraq Campaign Medal, however I'm sure there will be in the future. Iraq is already broken down into "OIF I, OIF II etc", OIF I being the invasion itself and so on. Battle stars are only a matter of time IMO. There are 2 GWOT medals, expeditionary and service. Initially the GWOT expeditionary and Iraq campaign medals were both authorized for Iraq, however they had to be earned on separate deployments (this is how I qualified for both). I was told last week however, that this recently changed and now the only medals authorized for Iraq and Aghanistan are the respective campaign medals. This new rule will not change previous awards however. I haven't seen this in writing yet, but it makes sense. Oh, and the GWOT service medal recognized units which have supported the GWOT and is much broader in scope to include service inside the US. As an example, I am entitled to all three medals for GWOT support activity inside the US, direct operational support outside the US and service in Iraq.
    6. Unfortunately an example of the "rack" that a modern AF or Army member can amass for doing almost nothing but fogging a mirror
    7. Another correction, there were 2 Navy Crosses awarded in OEF to SEALs. Both recipients are friends of mine and are very much alive! http://www.homeofheroes.com/verify/02_wot/nc_slabinski.html http://www.homeofheroes.com/verify/02_wot/nc_bass.html From reading the second citation you can tell that the SEAL was serving in an exchange billet w/ the UK SBS at the time of his actions. As the story goes, the Brit commanders wanted to award Steph the Victoria Cross, but that wasn't feasible politically for a number of reasons. There was also a US Army officer present on the scene who was awarded the DSC for his actions, so Steph..an enlisted man...ended up w/ the equivalent Navy award. There is actually quite a bit more to the story than what is reflected in the citation, and Steph probably deserved the MoH.
    8. Actually, "timeless" wasn't a word used by the guys in WWII to describe the CIB. Many thought it was ugly, and I would venture to say that, like the CAB, it was treated w/ a healthy amount of derision by the old school of the Army when it was first introduced. Of course today it has become a coveted symbol of combat experience. Not because of the design, but because of what it has come to represent...
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