USA Ribbon Bars

[Noor]

Because I still struggling with the time difference between Ireland and Asia, I totally forgot that actually one of the bars is named

Capt. Duncan - Marine Exp.

Nice and interesting awards;

Ribbon with the GOLD star- missing one gold star- Cuban Purification (1906-1909), Am. Def- EAME camp.

WW1 vict. Dominican Camp. ( 1916) and 2nd Nicaraguan Camp. ( 1926-1933), last ribbon is some kind a foreign award and it is missing rosette. But what order it was (I presume rosette was mainly awarded with the orders ).

Does anyone have a picture of the Cuban campaign award?

[Noor]

Still strugling to ID Capt. Duncan's last "foreign" award ribbon. It is missing rosette.

[Noor]

Here is my new US bar (or probably one row from the set).

- Korean Service Medal with two battle Stars

- National Defense Service Medal

- Army of Occupation Medal (how common is this award? Haven't seen many of them on the groups)

Nice Meyer produced ribbon bar. The mounting bar is marked "N.S. MEYER INC. N.Y." .

[Ulsterman]

Its actually backwards. Odds are its #2 of a two or even three bar set as everyone with the Korean war medal got the UN medal. Occupation medals are common- @ 1.25 million or so were awarded.

[Noor]

Its actually backwards. Odds are its #2 of a two or even three bar set as everyone with the Korean war medal got the UN medal. Occupation medals are common- @ 1.25 million or so were awarded.

Thanks! Few US bars what I have, I do not see many Occupation medals.... maybe because they are a slightly older ones then WW2 . Great to clarification - I will turn it around now.

Thank you again!

Noor

[army historian]

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.

Also the individual was not to wear both the Army and Air Force Good Conduct Medals, choice of one or the other, I believe if I remember correctly. Captain George Albert

[Noor]

Hi guys,

I don't do next threat because one of so common award. I got named Army Good Conduct medal for Kenneth E. Miller and I would query some information....

1. Like I just read this award was established June 1941. But what period they engraved owner names on the reverse? Just would like to quess period, when my GCM was awarded to.

2. I understand that it is impossible to track those medals by name only? Miller is pretty common name anyway.

3. Regarding now other branches, did they named GCM's as well (Navy, Air Force, etc?)

[Michael Johnson]

Ancestry shows 44 Kenneth E Millers enlisted in the U.S. Army 1941-45. At least 18 of them are buried in Veterans' Graves.

[Noor]

Thanks Michael

Like I tought, name is way too common anyway to track it but to you know more about the engravings on GCM's? What period they usually got named and when it's stopped?

Regards,

Timo

[Noor]

And here is one ID Disk. Is it USA WW1 period disk and is there any chance to find more about the owner?

And today I got that copy of the picture

[Gldank]

Here are a couple I just picked up myself.

[Gldank]

Older Waxen US WWII Merchant Marine Bars. On top are the older, wider Combat Sinking Ship Bars

[Gldank]

Here is a rare group of ribbon bars to the same person on the way to me as I post this.

Robert Lapham, a U.S. Army infantry officer and guerrilla leader during World War II, passed away at 86 at his home in Sun City, Arizona on December 18, 2003. Bob Lapham was a twenty-five year old second lieutenant attached to the 45th Infantry (Philippine Scouts) when World War II broke out. Fifty days after the Japanese attacked, he joined a small group of officers authorized by General MacArthur to slip through the Japanese lines into the Zambales Mountains to organize guerrilla resistance groups. Lt. Lapham was extremely successful at this and eventually, as more senior officers were captured or killed by the Japanese, rose to command a guerrilla army of about 13,000 which controlled most of the northern half of Luzon's large Central Plain. At the war's end, now a major, Lapham was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by General MacArthur and the Legion of Honor by the Philippine government. (The Legion of Honor is the highest decoration given to a non-Filipino by the Philippine government and Bob Lapham was the third person, following President Roosevelt and General MacArthur, ever to receive this award.) Many years later President Ferdinand Marcos would present him with the Philippine Distinguished Service Medal.

[Noor]

Robert Lapham set is a gem

[Noor]

And here is my new happy find!!!!

Next earliest US ribbon bar, what I have now with some extras;

Philippine Campaign Medal was established on January 12, 1905 by order of the United States War Department. The medal was authorized to any Army service member who had served in campaigns ashore, on the Philippine Islands, from February 4, 1899 to a date which was then yet to be determined. In January 1914, the Philippine Campaign Medal was declared closed

Looks like these rings are original and had been there a ages. I was first thinking that the metal loops indicate some pin system on the back but if it was official way to attach the bar to the uniform, it is one of the kind idea, what I haven't seen before!

Any ideas, comments would be great!

[Ulsterman]

That's exactly what those rings are! Those are very early.

[army historian]

They are to hold the ribbon on the uniform - rings in back of uniform coat. George

[IrishGunner]

I need an assist on these US WW2 ribbon bars I picked up at a flea market in West Virginia a couple weeks ago. I bought them together, but have no idea if they actually belong together.

The "top row" obviously has an American Defense Service Medal in #2 spot and an American Campaign Medal in #3 spot. However, the ribbon in #1 spot doesn't appear to be a US ribbon. Order of precedence has Amer Def Svc ahead of Amer Campaign, so the unknown ribbon would logically be in #1 spot - but if it's a foreign ribbon it's way out of order. I have no idea what this brown ribbon with blue/yellow edge stripes even represents...

The "bottom row" obviously has a EAME Campaign Medal (with three missing stars) and a WWII Victory Medal in the first two spots, then an orange ribbon with white edge stripes and a rosette in the last position. Orange often is Dutch, but I couldn't find this as a Dutch decoration ribbon.

So, what do you all think? What is the brown w/ blue/yellow edge stripes? What is the orange w/rosette? Are the in the right order compared to the US medals they are connected to...? Do you think these two bars even go together? I didn't pay much - I bought them more just for the fun of figuring out what the heck is up with these bars.

[army historian]

Last ribbon bottom bar is South Korean Order of Military Merit 4th Class Wharang 3rd grade. Captain Albert

[IrishGunner]

Last ribbon bottom bar is South Korean Order of Military Merit 4th Class Wharang 3rd grade. Captain Albert

George, colors match, but does that really make sense directly after the WW2 Victory? If he were a Korean War vet, wouldn't the Korea service medal come before the foreign awards?

I also am not sure the white edge stripes match exactly.

Interesting Korean award though...was not aware of this award.

[army historian]

This is a long shot but the 1st ribbon on the top bar looks like an early c.1962 Air Force Small Arms Expert Marksman ribbon. If that is an AF SAE ribbon it is rare variety. The ribbon bars could very easily go together. Captain Albert

Edited May 12, 2013 by army historian

[army historian]

I think this is as close as we will get with those ribbons - If the first ribbon is in fact the AF ribbon, then the bars are not in correct order, especially if a bottom 3rd row set of 3 ribbons is missing: possible National Defense, Korea Service, and UK Korea. This is not uncommon in American ribbon bars. I have been thinking about this ribbon group and this is what I believe: This is a long service Air Force Officer (no good conduct medal, so not enlisted) - non-flying type. He had no awards showing Air Force service, so when the AF Small Arms Marksman ribbon first came out and he qualified for it, and he considered it a "personal award" (he wore it first). The South Korean Order was also a "personal award" - so when infront of the Korean period campaign medals. Also the Korean Orders come with rossettes to distinguish grades, etc - as many other foriegn awards. Captain Albert

Edited May 13, 2013 by army historian

[Paul R]

No Sir,

That is the obsolete version of the Naval Reserve Medal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Reserve_Medal

The Naval Reserve Medal is a decoration of the United States Navy which was created by order of Secretary of the Navy James Paulding. The medal was first issued on September 12, 1938 and was an active award until 1958. On September 12, 1958, the Naval Reserve Medal was declared discontinued and was replaced by the Armed Forces Reserve Medal. It is not to be confused with the Naval Reserve Meritorious Service Medal which is a different award.

The Naval Reserve Medal was awarded to any member of the United States Naval Reserve, the associated National Naval Volunteers, and local Naval militia units. To be awarded the decoration, a service member was required to perform ten years of continuous service in one of the aforementioned components in either an active duty, drilling reservist, or inactive status.

Additional awards of the Naval Reserve Medal are denoted by service stars. The United States Marine Corps equivalent to the award is the Marine Corps Reserve Ribbon.

I think this is as close as we will get with those ribbons - If the first ribbon is in fact the AF ribbon, then the bars are not in correct order, especially if a bottom 3rd row set of 3 ribbons is missing: possible National Defense, Korea Service, and UK Korea. This is not uncommon in American ribbon bars. I have been thinking about this ribbon group and this is what I believe: This is a long service Air Force Officer (no good conduct medal, so not enlisted) - non-flying type. He had no awards showing Air Force service, so when the AF Small Arms Marksman ribbon first came out and he qualified for it, and he considered it a "personal award" (he wore it first). The South Korean Order was also a "personal award" - so when infront of the Korean period campaign medals. Captain Albert

[army historian]

Sorry Paul R, the ribbon you are showing has a red center and dark blue edges - check the ribbon in question. It has a green center and light blue edges - both have a yellow strip but that is the only thing that matches between your medal and the ribbon on the bar. I still think it is an Air Force Small Arms Expert ribbon (very early variety - the side strips are not the correct widths, but the colors match correctly). The next closest thing is a Navy Unit Citation ribbon - but again the NUC has a dark blue side strip and a red strip - not light blue. I have an issued WW2 NUC and it is dark blue also. One other comment for IrishGunner - the Korean awards are very notorious for not standardizing ribbon colors and widths, they also changed names, designs, and ribbons a number of times (check the tread on this forum on Korean awards). Captain Albert

Edited May 13, 2013 by army historian

[Paul R]

Sorry. For some reason, I thought that you were talking about the first ribbon on the ribbon bar on post number 68. I saw the picture you posted, but thought that the comment was toward the ribbon bar in that post. Which were you talking about?