ItemCo16527

My latest attempt, Major General Carroll Deitrick. I'm still not very good at this, so the ribbon bars came out a little weird, and I couldn't figure out how to do the SHAEF patch on his sleeve. Original: Colorized:

Thank you, Rick! Now to begin the search to find out if he's a relative of mine or not.

This colorizing stuff is a lot of fun! Tried it with a picture from a funeral card I have, and here are the results. Original: 1st try: 2nd try:

Thank you for checking, Chris. Much appreciated :)

Thank you for the information, Emanuel. I'm far from being an expert, so I had no idea there were different types of the FA Cross. As the age-old saying goes: you learn something new every day :)

Hi Chris, Do you have anything on the surname "Wiest" from Mannheim, or thereabouts?

Thank you for your thoughts, guys. I figured the recipient probably wouldn't be able to be identified, but I thought I'd try just in case. Emanuel, that narrows it down a bit. Is there a specific time frame the non-magnetic type FA crosses were manufactured, or were they made at the same time as the magnetic types?

I've had this medal bar in my collection for a dozen or so years, and never thought it possible to ID the recipient. However, after checking out some of the threads here, I saw that it might be possible to ID the soldier who wore them using old medal rolls and such. I know it's quite a long shot, but is there any chance at all of finding out who he was? Any help or advice would be very much appreciated. Thank you in advance! Front: Back:

Here are some examples from my collection. First, some ribbon bars. The first three are Vietnamese-made; the first of which features a "67-68" clasp. Second, a display featuring the Military Merit Medal and two Cross of Gallantry: Finally, my two favorites. These two RVN Campaign medals belonged to my uncle, who had served with the 18th Military Police Brigade from 1967-68:

Here is an example from my collection: E.K.II - War Aid Cross - Hamburg Hanseatic Cross - Oldenburg FA Cross, 2nd Class

I'd give my right arm to go through that box of WWI medals. Mind if I borrow it for a while? :D

Not only do you really get your money's worth for them, the research potential makes it very worthwhile. Since I decided to focus on British WWI medals last year, I have been the happiest and most satisfied I've ever been with my collection; and I've been collecting militaria for over 20 years. If you decide to start collecting more of these medals, I highly recommend a subscription to Ancestry.com. Not only do they have the Medal Index Cards and service & pension records, but the census, birth, marriage, and death indexes are great aids to your research. :)

Here is Driver Lewis's Medal Index Card. He entered France on 13 July 1915, and is entitled to the 1914/15 Star, British War Medal, and the Victory Medal. It also shows his first name is "William". He was in the Army Service Corps, and the "TS" prefix on his Regimental Number indicates he was a "Transport Special". Hope this helps

Just wanted to add the National Guard Medals I have in my collection to help expand Darrell's excellent thread. New Jersey National Guard: From left to right are the Distinguished Service Medal, Medal of Valor, Meritorious Service Medal, and Commendation Medal. Washington National Guard: From left to right are the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Guardsman's Medal, and Commendation Medal. Pennsylvania National Guard Distinguished Service Medal:

Normally, I cringe at the thought of using someone's medal(s) as jewelry, but your story is very touching. While it is a pity his Trio was split up, I think it's wonderful they all stayed with his daughters instead of being sold off. I also think it speaks volumes about the kind of man her father was that she still wore his medal so many years later. He must've been quite a guy. :)

Re: My above post. Didn't realize the MoF had already been posted That Texas NG Purple Heart is beautiful. Where did you manage to find one?

Very nice bars! The second one is definitely an odd one. The first ribbon on it could also be for the Africa General Service Medal. Both medals used the same ribbon design.

The Medal of Freedom complete with ribbon bar and lapel button.