Weird American Ribbon Bars That Have Escaped Noor

[Guest Rick Research]

These all belonged to a local college professor/reserve officer/remote cousin (on the same Dunham line as me and Barry) who served on the U.S. Military Mission to Bolivia during World War Two as an army reserve Major in the signal corps.

Upper bar of officially boring medals:

lower row above APPEARS to start with the US Navy Reserves Medal but although the professor was a fabulist and obsessed with hereditary societies (Descendants Of Colonial Clergy and other groups I just rather than shell out dues to), I do NOT think he flew under false colors. Am giving him the benefit of the doubt that this is "close enough" to represent some such "patriotic" group, since it is followed by a Sons of the American Revolution medal (he was at some point National Vice President), and ending with what dim and possibly mistaken memory serves MIGHT be something like the national organization of American reserve officers.

But he also had multiple interchangeable rows of OTHER society ribbons--

Upper of these has the "USNR" again, Sons of the American Revolution, and what could be any of about 56,719 American associations--all of which used the tricolor ribbon.

Lower of these has the ? reserve officers, Society of American Military Engineers, and then S.A.R. again

None of these could be worn on official uniform on official occasions... and yet he obviously did. I assume some of these "padded" his minimal single/pair of official wartime ribbons to impress his South American colleagues.

Unfortunately I did not end up with the full size medals these ribbons went with.

[JBFloyd]

The middle ribbon, bottom row, of the first batch looks more like a Rhode Island Long Service ribbon than SAR, and the last one is certaibly the Reserve Officers' Association.

[Guest Rick Research]

:Cat-Scratch: So indeed it does!

Never occurred to me to pursue Ogletree as far as Rhode Island since cousin Colonel was from... Connecticut!!!

I assumed since the colors (and fragility of the silk ribbon) match the S.A.R. one, perhaps it was for his office in that organization.

Thanks Jeff! :cheers: