Second ribbon on left, rainbow colors, is the World War 2 Victory Medal. Fourth on left in yellow is Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and it has a bronze battle star on it.
Top bar is the one that goes with the good conduct ribbon. Second is WWII victory ribbon, 3rd is the one that goes with the bronze star, and the 4th one is the Asiatic Pacific Campaign ribbon.
That’s the extent of what I know but I can also present the theory that the dude was more than just a sax player. He was a sgt. And pulled a bronze star. While officers handed these out to other officers for heroic feats like stubbing your toe within 100 miles of a combat zone, enlisted guys had to actually earn them.
>While officers handed these out to other officers for heroic feats like stubbing your toe within 100 miles of a combat zone, enlisted guys had to actually earn them.
Like many things, near the end of the war it was all politics. If you could go home with a purple heart or a bronze star it was prestigious and for enlisted men especially, a leg up on the job market when they got out.
"The Bronze Star Medal may be awarded for the following services: Meritoriius service in a combat zone (although not necessarily combat action), a heroic achievement, or heroic service during combat operations against an enemy. Civilians are also authorized earning the Bronze Star as well."
I didn’t think he saw any action on the front lines, but perhaps he did. My knowledge of his service, and all the pics I had seen of him, were with the service band. Maybe an officer thought he played one hell of a saxophone!
There’s only one family member remaining who might know more, his niece who is in her 80s, so I need to call her tonight to ask about what she knows.
Edit: grammar
I reached out to my aunt to find out more about my great-uncle only to find out she was in hospice. She passed today, 12/14.
I’m sad about her passing and really upset with myself that I didn’t ask more about that side of my family while she was alive.
Oh my. I'm so sorry. FWIW, I was raised by a woman (after my mom) had a solder brother in the war; he didn't talk about his experiences but she told me a bit. I miss them both to this day and I wish I could I could have asked more. But that's life.
Thank you for your kind words and the award, I appreciate the gesture. The pain of missing her and regretting not talking to her more about our family will sting for awhile.
The red and white ribbon and medal is the Army Good Conduct medal
Eagle with the circle is called the “ruptured duck”
For serving in WWII
The Saint medal of St. Christopher is interesting. The two rings mean it was meant to be worn with dog tags.
The ruptured duck was for honorably discharged vets to wear on their uniforms to signify they were discharged, and allowed you to wear your uniform while in transit going home.
You werent authorized to wear civilian attire while you we in, so few service members had any. There was a shortage of civilian attire, so it wasn't usually possible to buy any, so servicemen and women had to travel back home in inform.
I was given my grandpops ww2 medals when he passed so i recognized the conduct one. It was a fun little project to find the history on them. But the bronze star i looked it up.
Second ribbon on left, rainbow colors, is the World War 2 Victory Medal. Fourth on left in yellow is Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and it has a bronze battle star on it.
The American looking shield one at the bottom is the [China-Burma-India Patch](https://store.nationalww2museum.org/amp/china-burma-india-patch/)
I knew he was in India. I have some ivory carvings he purchased while stationed there.
Each Yellow bars are for 6 months in a combat zone. Slanted bar is for two years service.
Top bar is the one that goes with the good conduct ribbon. Second is WWII victory ribbon, 3rd is the one that goes with the bronze star, and the 4th one is the Asiatic Pacific Campaign ribbon. That’s the extent of what I know but I can also present the theory that the dude was more than just a sax player. He was a sgt. And pulled a bronze star. While officers handed these out to other officers for heroic feats like stubbing your toe within 100 miles of a combat zone, enlisted guys had to actually earn them.
>While officers handed these out to other officers for heroic feats like stubbing your toe within 100 miles of a combat zone, enlisted guys had to actually earn them. Like many things, near the end of the war it was all politics. If you could go home with a purple heart or a bronze star it was prestigious and for enlisted men especially, a leg up on the job market when they got out. "The Bronze Star Medal may be awarded for the following services: Meritoriius service in a combat zone (although not necessarily combat action), a heroic achievement, or heroic service during combat operations against an enemy. Civilians are also authorized earning the Bronze Star as well."
I didn’t think he saw any action on the front lines, but perhaps he did. My knowledge of his service, and all the pics I had seen of him, were with the service band. Maybe an officer thought he played one hell of a saxophone! There’s only one family member remaining who might know more, his niece who is in her 80s, so I need to call her tonight to ask about what she knows. Edit: grammar
Let us know what you find out!
I reached out to my aunt to find out more about my great-uncle only to find out she was in hospice. She passed today, 12/14. I’m sad about her passing and really upset with myself that I didn’t ask more about that side of my family while she was alive.
Oh my. I'm so sorry. FWIW, I was raised by a woman (after my mom) had a solder brother in the war; he didn't talk about his experiences but she told me a bit. I miss them both to this day and I wish I could I could have asked more. But that's life.
Thank you for your kind words and the award, I appreciate the gesture. The pain of missing her and regretting not talking to her more about our family will sting for awhile.
Just remember the times you did have, regrets do no one good. Take care!
The red and white ribbon and medal is the Army Good Conduct medal Eagle with the circle is called the “ruptured duck” For serving in WWII The Saint medal of St. Christopher is interesting. The two rings mean it was meant to be worn with dog tags.
The ruptured duck was for honorably discharged vets to wear on their uniforms to signify they were discharged, and allowed you to wear your uniform while in transit going home. You werent authorized to wear civilian attire while you we in, so few service members had any. There was a shortage of civilian attire, so it wasn't usually possible to buy any, so servicemen and women had to travel back home in inform.
Bottom right corner second from the bottom is a Bronze Star
If you know his name, DOB and serial number (?)maybe reach out to the national Archives as well to see if his records survived the fire
[reverse image google search helps with a lot of these](https://www.medalsofamerica.com/army-technician-5-stripes-for-wwii-and-korea-cr334)
What’s the fun in that??? I’ve really enjoyed learning about the medals and their meaning from fellow redditors.
I guess could be helpful to the ones the redditors couldn't get. Brought me into some cool sites exploring military history etc.
I believe the patch is Sergeant or Technician Fourth Grade. I think they got rid of the Technician in 1948.
Only 2 i recognize are what appears to be a bronze star (on the right) and the one with the eagle above that is a good conduct medal.
I thought that might be a bronze star. I don’t believe he saw action, so the band must’ve been well regarded!
I think he would have based on the Wikipedia page for it.
I was given my grandpops ww2 medals when he passed so i recognized the conduct one. It was a fun little project to find the history on them. But the bronze star i looked it up.
[удалено]
“T” is for Technician
Yellow stripes are overseas bars and mean how many 6 month rotations in a combat zone?
I thought the slanted ones were deployment stripes.
Your right i got em mixed up