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    USA Ribbon Bars


    Noor

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    Hi guys,

    Here is my today's arrivals - all nice U.S. ribbon bars. But because I don't know much about that area, can you please have a look, confirm that I got ribbons right, help to ID some and if you don't mind, please feel free to add some extra information about them.

    Ok, lets start....

    Bar No. 1

    Nice 13 award ribbons/5 row bar on the felt. I presume this owner was officer, am I correct?

    Awards;

    1. Legion of Merit (??????)

    2. Silver Star

    3. Bronze Star

    4. Army Commendation Medal

    5. Army Good Conduct Medal

    6. American Defence Service Medal

    7. American Campaign Medal

    8. European - Africa - Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (Star on it means battles?)

    9. World War II Victory Medal

    10. Army of Occupation Medal

    11. National Defence Service Medal (what this leave indicate?)

    12. Korean Service Medal with two stars (Stars again?)

    13. United Nations Service Medal (for Korea?)

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    Bar No. 2

    10 place/4 row ribbon bar for a officer or senior NCO (???) with:

    1. Bronze Star Medal

    2. Air Force Commendation Medal

    3. Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with the Star

    4. Army Good Conduct Medal (what is this device on it???)

    5. Air Force Good Conduct Medal with the leave

    6. National Defence Service Medal

    7. ???

    8. ???

    9. Vietnam Service Medal

    10. Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

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    Bar No. 3

    WW2 period 3 place bar like I understand.

    1. Navy Good Conduct Medal with two stars (stars again - indicate some period, battles, etc?)

    2. American Defence Service Medal with "A" (can't find anything at the moment about device "A")

    3. Army Good Conduct Medal

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    In #3, the "A" device signifies "Atlantic Fleet" service between June 22 1941 and December 7, 1941. This was when the US navy was 'passive-aggressive' against U Boats threatening allied British convoys.

    The stars on the good conduct denote terms of enlistment.

    In #4, the second ribbon is the Pacific Theatre campaign ribbon.

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    Bar No. 2

    10 place/4 row ribbon bar for a officer or senior NCO (???) with:

    1. Bronze Star Medal

    2. Air Force Commendation Medal

    3. Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with the Star

    4. Army Good Conduct Medal (what is this device on it???)

    5. Air Force Good Conduct Medal with the leave

    6. National Defence Service Medal

    7. ???

    8. ???

    9. Vietnam Service Medal

    10. Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

    Bar 2-- #7 is the Air Force Longevity Ribbon-- given for 4 years service. Oak leaf means second award.

    #8 is Air Force Expert Marksman ribbon.

    #4-- given for three years service. The metal bar (silver with 5 loops) would designate additional awards (total of 10), for 30 years. It looks silver to me. If it is bronze with 5 loops, that would be 5 awards, or 15 years.

    Edited by Doc
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    Hi guys,

    Here is my today's arrivals - all nice U.S. ribbon bars. But because I don't know much about that area, can you please have a look, confirm that I got ribbons right, help to ID some and if you don't mind, please feel free to add some extra information about them.

    Ok, lets start....

    Bar No. 1

    Nice 13 award ribbons/5 row bar on the felt. I presume this owner was officer, am I correct?

    Awards;

    1. Legion of Merit (??????)

    2. Silver Star

    3. Bronze Star

    4. Army Commendation Medal

    5. Army Good Conduct Medal

    6. American Defence Service Medal

    7. American Campaign Medal

    8. European - Africa - Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (Star on it means battles?)

    9. World War II Victory Medal

    10. Army of Occupation Medal

    11. National Defence Service Medal (what this leave indicate?)

    12. Korean Service Medal with two stars (Stars again?)

    13. United Nations Service Medal (for Korea?)

    The LOM seems to have a hole for an additional award (oak leaf cluster)-- generally, that would be an officer, though I have seen a VERY few NCOs with two LOMs. The Good Conduct Medal is given only to Enlisted personnel, so I would bet an enlisted man who later became an officer (probably through Officers candidate school prior to completing a second tour of enlisted service, since no subsequent awards of the GCM). If he stayed enlisted, and got these awards, he should have had many awards of the GCM.

    Service stars are worn on campaign and service medals to denote participation in a named campaign [not a battle] (for

    example, Southwest Asia Service Medal) and on the service ribbons to denote an additional award (for example the

    National Defense Service Medal). The service star is a bronze or silver five-pointed star 3/16-inch in diameter. A silver

    star is worn instead of five bronze service stars. The bronze service star is also affixed to the Parachutist Badge to

    denote participation in a combat parachutist jump, retroactive to 7 December 1941 and the Military Free-Fall

    Parachutist Badge to denote participation in a combat military free-fall jump, retroactive to 1 October 1994. See

    paragraph 8–10 for criteria for award of the Combat Parachutist Badge and paragraph 8–15 for the Military Free Fall

    Parachutist Badge, combat jump. See AR 670–1 for proper wear of the service stars.

    b. Service stars are authorized for wear on the following campaign and service medals and or ribbons:

    (1) World War I Victory Medal.

    (2) American Defense Service Medal.

    (3) American Campaign Medal.

    (4) Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal.

    (5) European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal.

    (6) Korean Service Medal.

    (7) Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.

    (8) Vietnam Service Medal.

    (9) National Defense Service Medal.

    (10) Humanitarian Service Medal.

    (11) Prisoner of War Medal.

    (12) Southwest Asia Service Medal.

    (13) Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal.

    Note that the above regulation means that your NDSM with oak leaf cluster is not correct. Oak leaf cluster is not worn on the NDSM.

    Edited by Doc
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    Bar No. 3

    WW2 period 3 place bar like I understand.

    1. Navy Good Conduct Medal with two stars (stars again - indicate some period, battles, etc?)

    2. American Defence Service Medal with "A" (can't find anything at the moment about device "A")

    3. Army Good Conduct Medal

    Usually, stars on Navy ribbons denote additional awards. #3 is NOTArmy GCM.

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    Bar No. 7

    1. Yangtze Service Medal

    2. 2nd Nicaraguan Campaign

    3. WW1 Victory Medal with the Star

    Why the WW1 medal ribbon is so bad shape and others are fine????catjava.gif

    Probably because it is a made up bar.

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    Note that bar #1 is a European style manufactured bar. The bronze star lacks the V device (which I think denotes the CIB award in 1947).

    There were a LOT of senior Sergeant types who made it to officer because they stayed on with the occupation forces into the 1960s. Volunteering to reenlist in 1946 often got one a bump in grade as a reward. I grew up with a bunch of guys (my Dads' poker pals) who did this. They started me collecting.

    The USAAF was part of the army until it was made a separate military branch, but older USAAC men continued to wear their LS ribbons, despite the new USAF ribbon (established 1965?).

    One thing I have noted in war time /demob. photos is that a LOT of US military guys wore their ribbons in chronological order.

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    Guest Rick Research

    Bar #6 last ribbon is one of many unofficial French medals sold to gullible Americans. Try posting it in the French section-- I forget which one it was. (Verdun?)

    Bar #7 is upside down

    Bar #9 is Merchant Marine-- Atlantic War Zone, and European-Middle Eastern War Zone. Quite hard to find.

    William B. Rochester, Junior (born in New York about 1866) was with the West Point (U.S. Military Academy) Class of 1891, which is unfortunately before I have records for. He was the son of Brigadier General W.B. Rochester, Sr. (1826-1909)-- a brevet Lt Col during the Civil War, retired as Brigadier General in 1890. Family was from New York (and makes me wonder if it was an ancestor of theirs the city of the same name was named for?

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    Bar No. 2

    10 place/4 row ribbon bar for a officer or senior NCO (???) with:

    1. Bronze Star Medal

    2. Air Force Commendation Medal

    3. Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with the Star

    4. Army Good Conduct Medal (what is this device on it???)

    5. Air Force Good Conduct Medal with the leave

    6. National Defence Service Medal

    7. ???

    8. ???

    9. Vietnam Service Medal

    10. Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

    The device on the Good Conduct Medal denotes years of service, one 'knot' for every three years. The award is for GOOD CONDUCT, so it seems this soldier managed to stay of of trouble for a good while. Not too sure how strictly this was enforced over the years............

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    Thanks guys for your help!

    I found more out about William Beatty Rochester, Jr..... from Arlington cemetery webspeechless1.gif

    William Beatty Rochester, Jr.

    Lieutenant Colonel, United States Army

    William Beatty Rochester, Jr. of Washington, D.C.

    Appointed from Washington, Cadet, United States Milirary Academy, 16 June 1887 to 1 November 1888

    Major, Additional Paymaster, United States Volunteers, 17 May 1898

    Honorably discharged from the volunteer service, 12 June 1901

    Captain, Paymaster, United States Army, 6 February 1901

    Major, Paymaster, United States Army, 23 July 1902 Colonel Rochester (1866-1932) was the son of William Beatty Rochester, Brigadier General, United States Army. He is buried near his parents in Section 1 of Arlington National Cemetery.

    %7Boption%7D[/img"]http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/wbrochesterjr-gravesite-section1-062803.jpg[/img]

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    • 4 weeks later...

    Three small bars from US again2014.gif . Is it correct:

    1. A high ranking officer last bar on the row- China Relief 1901, unknown foreign award, French legion of honor -commander

    2. Nicaraguan campaign - 1912- Mexican campaign-1911-1913- Mexican boarder-1916-1917 old bar- the Mexican campaign ribbon a bit off color due to minor staining

    3. Navy good conduct and vicory ribbon

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    Hi guys,

    Here is my today's arrivals - all nice U.S. ribbon bars. But because I don't know much about that area, can you please have a look, confirm that I got ribbons right, help to ID some and if you don't mind, please feel free to add some extra information about them.

    Ok, lets start....

    Bar No. 1

    Nice 13 award ribbons/5 row bar on the felt. I presume this owner was officer, am I correct?

    Awards;

    1. Legion of Merit (??????)

    2. Silver Star

    3. Bronze Star

    4. Army Commendation Medal

    5. Army Good Conduct Medal

    6. American Defence Service Medal

    7. American Campaign Medal

    8. European - Africa - Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (Star on it means battles?)

    9. World War II Victory Medal

    10. Army of Occupation Medal

    11. National Defence Service Medal (what this leave indicate?)

    12. Korean Service Medal with two stars (Stars again?)

    13. United Nations Service Medal (for Korea?)

    May or may not have been an officer. I believe the Army Good Conduct medal was only awarded to enlisted.

    Ed

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    Bar No. 2

    10 place/4 row ribbon bar for a officer or senior NCO (???) with:

    1. Bronze Star Medal

    2. Air Force Commendation Medal

    3. Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with the Star

    4. Army Good Conduct Medal (what is this device on it???)

    5. Air Force Good Conduct Medal with the leave

    6. National Defence Service Medal

    7. ???

    8. ???

    9. Vietnam Service Medal

    10. Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

    The AF Good Conduct ribbon (#5) and the AF Longevity ribbon (#7) are upside down. They are worn with the "stem" pointing down to the left.The correct designation for the device is an "Oak Leaf Cluster".

    E

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