Korean War Medal Bars

[army historian]

Here is a medal group to Colonel Franklin E. Winnie. Served in the California Army National guard from 1925 to mobilized in 1941. Served in the Regular Army MP's until retired in 1963. He earned the Legion of Merit during the Korean War. Cheers Captain Albert

[Herr General]

what named with this order? what class? what country's order? thank you

Republic of Korea - Order of Military Merit Chungmu grade (3th classe)version 1973

To replace the Korean war Chungmu military bravery award seen in the bar as last.

The veteran wrote to the Korean ambassy to say his Chungmu was lost to get the neckcross for his group......

[Brett Hendey]

Captain Albert

The Scott and Winnie display boards are exceptional and you must be very proud of them. I have always wanted a US Korean War group and, if I could find something half as good as your displays, I would be VERY, VERY happy.

Regards

Brett

[Kvart]

This miniature group sold on a Swedish online auction site some time ago. The first medal is the Royal medal for zeal and honour.

[Paul R]

Those are some stellar groups guys! Lets keep this "Forgotten War" in the forefront! Please post your groupings.

[Kvart]

From my own collection, is this typical Norwegian Korean war bar. The first medal is the Norwegian Korea medal, awarded to the about 610 Norwegians who served in NORMASH.

[Kvart]

I saved this picture with ribbons on a Norwegian lieutenant colonel uniform that sold on an online auction site four years ago.

- Participation medal 1940-45 (Norway)

- The Korea medal (Norway)

- Armed Forces defence medal (for 25 + 5 + 5 + 5 (the stars) years of service) (Norway)

- Medal for completing conscription, army (+ 4 + 4 + 4 (the stars) years of service) (Norway)

- War service medal (South Korea)

- UN Korea

- UNEF

- UNIFIL

- Medal for service in the independent Norwegian Brigade group in Germany 1947-53 (Norway)

[Paul R]

I am suprised that there is no WW2 service noted. Can you please post an image of the entire uniform. I love the medical insignia.

[Kvart]

But there is WW2 service noted. The first ribbon is for service in the Norwegian campaign 1940, and service abroad after that (the rosette) or service during the liberation in 1945.

I'm sorry, but unfortunately I did not save pictures of the entire uniform.

[kimj]

That is a very nice bar Kvart! The NORMASH medal is hard to find but finding it in a group.... Do you have more like documents/award documents?

/Kim

[Kvart]

Thank you kimj.

No, I'm sorry, I don't have more NORMASH stuff, a part form a single medal and maybe a miniature. I have not seen many documents related to NORMASH, as a matter of fact I have never seen the award diploma for the medal either. But I have a book that lists all the recipients.

Edited January 24, 2014 by Kvart

[kimj]

It's the same situation with Swedish documents. People sell the medal and toss the paper.

Is the book "Norge i Korea"? I would like to get that one but it's sold out. But I'm still looking.

/Kim

[Kvart]

Yes, the book is "Norge i Korea" by Ulrik Lorentz Pedersen. Not so easy to find, but it turns up every now and then. Hope you find it soon.

[saumua]

Yes, the book is "Norge i Korea" by Ulrik Lorentz Pedersen. Not so easy to find, but it turns up every now and then. Hope you find it soon.

is the book in English?

[Kvart]

Please allow me to correct me self.

The book "Norge I Korea" by Pedersen only deals with the NORMASH and its place in Korea. This book does not list all the recipients.

But all participating Norwegians in NORMASH are however listed in the book "NORMASH Korea i våre hjerter", published by Norske Koreaveteraners forening (Norwegian Korean veterans association).

Both books are only in Norwegian.

[Kvart]

I got this picture from one of Kuenker's auctions. It shows another Swedish group. The award of Medal of Freedom to a Swede, is not mentioned in Ingraham's book.

[Sampo]

Hello Kvart,

True, but it is not unusual. There are also two dutch who recieved the US medal of Freedom. They were in the Nursery in Japan/Korea during the Korean war.

[demir]

Thanks for the pictures and information, most appreciated.

Regards

Demir

Please check for the Turkish Korean War items: (There is no Turkish Government issued Korean War Medal)

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php/topic/45822-korean-war-turkish-troops-outfit-and-badges/

Edited April 13, 2014 by demir

[Paul R]

Here is my WW2/Korean War US Coast Guard veteran's medal bar. No valor awards, but he was there.

[Brett Hendey]

 

AWARDS TO A US ARMY KOREAN WAR SOLDIER

The awards shown here were recently purchased on the City Coins (Cape Town) Auction No. 67.  They are:

Combat Infantry Badge, Bronze Star with “V” emblem, named Purple Heart, National Defence Medal, Korea Service medal with three bronze combat stars, United Nations Korea Medal, South Korea Presidential Unit Citation bar, and enamelled badge of the US 2nd Infantry Division, the “Indianhead” Division (2ID).

The awards were made to Corporal Albert S Dion, a Cook in the 23rd Infantry Regiment of the 2ID.  Albert Dion was born in Michigan in 1929, and he probably enlisted about 20 years later, because by 1950 he was already a Corporal serving with the 2ID. 

On 25 June 1950, North Korea, with the support of the Soviet Union and China, invaded South Korea.  The 2ID arrived in South Korea a month later, the first unit to reach Korea directly from the United States.  There is no direct record of Corporal Dion’s role in the early months of the war when the South Korean and US Armies suffered severe setbacks.  They retreated to what became known as the Pusan Perimeter.  The rapid introduction of reinforcements from the US and support from other members of the United Nations soon reversed the situation, and the break out from the Pusan Perimeter was led by the 2ID.  This unit continued to be in the vanguard of the chase to the Yalu River, which was the border with Manchuria and China beyond.   By October 1950, the 2ID was within 50 miles of the Yalu River, and it was then that China deployed its army across the Yalu to rescue the defeated North Koreans.. 

The surprise attack by huge numbers of Chinese troops sent the UN army into retreat.  It was soon after the retreat began that Corporal Dion is mentioned by name in 2ID records with the citation for the award of the Bronze Star with the “V” emblem.  It reads as follows:

“Corporal Albert S Dion, RA12322159, Infantry, United States Army, a member of Tank Company, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, distinguished himself by heroic achievement on 25 and 26 November 1950 near Kwang-dong, Korea.  During that period, his company was attached to a rifle battalion which was under heavy enemy attack.  In the action, the tanks and infantrymen soon exhausted their supply of ammunition and called for more.   With no ammunition bearers available, Corporal Dion volunteered to carry ammunition through intense hostile fire to the infantrymen and tankers.  With complete disregard for his personal safety, he carried a resupply of ammunition to the defending forces, thus enabling them to keep up the fire and to repel the enemy assault with heavy losses.  The heroism displayed by Corporal Dion reflects great credit upon himself and the military service.  Entered the military service from Michigan.”

Hal Barker of the 23rd Infantry Regiment Association and Korean War Project has written about the action:

“This was during the early hours of the Chinese main attack along the Chongchon River at a hill mass known as Chinaman’s Hat near Kuiang.  This was a fierce and desperate battle.” 

The Wikipedia entry for the 2ID records that it had been given the task of defending the rear and right flanks of the retreating United Nations force.  After this battle, while surrounded and outgunned, the division had to fight its way south through what was to become known as “The Gauntlet” – a Chinese roadblock 6 miles long where the 23rd Infantry Regiment fired off its stock of 3,206 artillery shells within 20 minutes, a massive barrage that prevented the Chinese troops from following the regiment.  This fighting around Kunu-ri cost the division nearly one-third of its remaining strength.  The retreat from the Chinese offensive continued and on 4 January 1951 the South Korean capital, Seoul, fell to the enemy for the second time.  The advance was finally halted on 31 January, with the 2ID holding the line at Wonju.  Dion evidently survived the retreat to Wonju unscathed.

The UN forces held their line and then launched a counter-offensive on 5 February. The second, and only other known record of Dion’s service with the 2ID notes that he was “seriously wounded in action by a missile on 6 February 1951”. This evidently happened during the epic battles of Chipyong-ni and Wonju, and it resulted in Dion being awarded the Purple Heart.  He was later returned to duty.

The 2ID continued to play a leading role in driving the Chinese and North Koreans out of South Korea.  In August 1951, the 2ID was involved in the battles of Bloody Ridge and Heartbreak Ridge during which it suffered so many casualties that the ridge warfare strategy was abandoned for the remainder of the war. 

The 2ID remained in Korea until the end of the war on 27 July 1953, and only returned to the US in 1954

It is not known how long Dion’s service with 2ID continued after he had recovered from his wound.  He was awarded three campaign stars on his Korea Service Medal, and they may reflect only the campaigns in 1950 and early 1951, so he may have missed the later 1951 campaigns and those in 1952 and 1953.  His discharge date from the army is also not known.

A little about Dion’s civilian life has been gleaned from records in the U S Archives.  Albert Sylvio Dion was born on 25 November 1929.  The 1940 Census results name his parents as George and Cecila Dion, and a brother as Romeo.  The family lived in Flint in the County of Genesee, Michigan.  Flint was the birthplace of the General Motors Corporation and it owed its former prosperity to this company. It was probably from Flint that Albert Dion enlisted in the US Army, since there is a mention of Genesee County in his records.

Albert married Mary Ryan Farmer in Stanislaus County, California, on 27 December 1975.  Later, he was living in Ionia, Michigan, where he died on 10 October 2011, aged 81. He was buried in the Saranac Cemetery in Ionia County.

Following Albert’s death, Daniel Stebbins of Ionia made use of the Presidential Memorial Certificate Program, which was instituted by President John F Kennedy in 1962, to have such a Certificate issued in his name.  This certificate, which carries the facsimile signature of President Obama, came with Albert’s Korean War awards.

Albert S Dion, US Army.docx

Edited September 23, 2016 by Brett Hendey

[Michael Johnson]

Here's a nice one, which I mounted for my wife's godfather Don Malloy, PPCLI and Metropolitan Toronto Police, 52 Division (where I grew up in Toronto).

I haven't been able to confirm his MID, but although he would not give details, he was sure he received it.  Passed away not too long ago, and greatly missed.  As a Toronto boy he should have been R.C.R., but they wouldn't take him (I think he may have had polio as a boy).  Two tours in Korea with the PPCLI

[paul wood]

Nice group.

Paul

[Brett Hendey]

An excellent group, Michael.  Thank you for showing it.  The Canadian issue of the Korea Medal is special because it is in silver and has 'Canada' on the obverse.  The Korea Medal issued by other Commonwealth countries is in cupro-nickel and the issuing country is not named on the medal.  

South Africa issued its own Medal for Korea, and it was the last war service medal issued by SA that carried the Royal Cypher on the reverse, and was without the monarch's head on the obverse.  This was an indication of the ruling National Party's intention to withdraw SA from the Commonwealth, which it did a few years later.  The medal group shown below belonged to B R Leach, a ground crewman with No. 2 Squadron, SAAF, in Korea.

Brett

 

[Paul R]

This is the first SA Korean set I've seen.   How many South Africans deployed to Korea during that war?

[Brett Hendey]

Paul

Although only one SA Air Force squadron was deployed in Korea, rotations over the course of the war resulted in a total of 818 men serving there.  A total of 35 pilots were killed in action or died in accidents.  The SAAF Squadron was integrated with a US Fighter-Bomber Group and flew Mustangs and Sabres.  The men received US rather than British Commonwealth awards.  They were:

Legion of Merit - 3;  Silver Star - 2; Distinguished Flying Cross - 55;  Cluster to DFC - 1;  Soldiers Medal - 1;  Bronze Star- 46;  Air Medal - 180;  Cluster to Air Medal - 104.

Republic of Korea awards - 23.

In addition, the squadron was awarded both the US Distinguished Unit Citation and the Korean Presidential Unit Citation.

Most of the men in the early drafts were World War II veterans. The medal group shown below was that of a ground crewman who served in the RAF during World War II and the SAAF during the Korean War.

Regards

Brett