US Army Medals Badges and Insignia WW 2 Present

Complete Guide To

The United States Army Medals, Badges and Insignia World War II to Present By

Colonel Frank C. Foster US Army Ret. 1st Edition Dedicated to my father Captain Frank C. Foster, USAR, a World War II veteran and my son Captain Lee B. Foster, ANG and all the other fathers and sons and the mothers and daughters of our great country who have so unselfishly served their country in the United States Army.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number - 2004102041 Hardcover Edition ISBN - 1-884452-58-2 Softcover Edition ISBN - 1-884452-59-0 Copyright 2004 by MOA Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval systems or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical or by photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission from the publishers, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

Published by: MOA Press (Medals of America Press) 114 Southchase Blvd.· Fountain Inn, SC 29644 Telephone: (800) 308-0849

www.moapress.com· www.usmedals.com

About the Author Col. Frank C. Foster (USA, Ret.), grew up in Greenville, South Carolina and earned his BS from The Citadel, MBA from the University of Georgia and is a graduate of the Army's Command and General Staff College and Army War College. He saw service as a Battery Commander in Germany and served in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne Brigade and USARV General Staff. In the Adjutant General's Corps, he served as the Adjutant General of the Central Army Group, the 4th Infantry Division and was the Commandant and Chief of the Army's Adjutant General's Corps from 1986 to 1990 during which time he activated the Adjutant General Corps Regiment. His military service provided him a unique understanding of the Armed Forces Awards System. He currently operates Medals ofAmerica Press and is the co author of A Complete Guide to All United States Military Medals 1939 to Present and co author of The Decorations and Medals ofthe Republic of Vietnam. He and his wife Linda, who was decorated with the Army Commander's Medal for service to the Army, live in Fountain Inn, South Carolina.

Colonel Frank C. Foster

Grateful Acknowledgments My deepest appreciation to the following individuals for their invaluable contributions. Without their unselfish efforts, this book would never have happened. Authors, Consultants and Reviewers without which this book would not have been written Mr. Lawrence H. Borts .. .for splendid editing and suggestions. Mr. Peter Morgan ...for loans of anything I needed and reviewing the text. Mr. Jim Thompson for blazing the way with his two books on the Marines and Navy and checking my azimuth. Institute of Heraldry, United States Army These gentlemen and their talented staff have provided the material on badges and branch insignia over the past five years. Colonel Gerald T. Luchino - Former Director, The Institute of Heraldry Mr. Thomas B. Profitt - Former Director, The Institute of Heraldry Mr. Robert 1. Hopkins and Mr. Stan Haas The Institute of Heraldry Medals of America, Inc. For their willingness to provide any help requested: Mrs. Linda Foster Lt. Col. Anthony Aldebol, USAF Ret. Mrs. Lois Owens

2

Joint StafflPentagon Cdr. Jerry Mahar, (Retired), DOD Awards Chief Magic Wands For making it fit 40 inches all around and dress right dress and cover down: Mrs. Bonnie Crocker, P. P. D. Mrs. Buz Isham-Martin, A.D. U. S. Army Awards Branch Mrs. Arlette King and her fine team at the Army awards branch. Vanguard, Inc. America's leading military insignia supplier to the Armed Forces for unfailing support. Mr. Bill Gershen, President and CEO Mr. Michael Harrison, Vice-President Mr. Gary Duncan, General Manager Photography The beautiful photography of these medals, badges and insignia are the fine work of Mr. Steve Russ.

Table of Contents Introduction, Background and History Seals and Emblems Hat Badges, Buttons and Lapel Pins Origin of Officer Rank Insignia US Army Commissioned Rank Insignia Full Dress, Mess Dress and Slid-on Officer Rank Insignia WalTant Officer's Insignia of Rank Background and Development of Enlisted Rank Enlisted Rank Insignia Introduction to Branch Insignia Infantry US Army Badges and Tabs Marksmanship Badges Identification Badges Army Air Corps, Army Air Force Wings Awards, Insignia and AccoutelTllents Uniforms Aiguillette, FoulTagere, Langyard and Blue Cord Introduction to Color Plates Types of Medals, Ribbons and Attachments Different Forms of Medals Ribbon Devices COlTect Order of Army Ribbon Wear Decorations and Medals Non-US Service Awards Veteran's Military Medals Examples of United States Commemorative Medals How to Determine A Veteran's Militqry Medals Displaying Military Awards Army Badges and Insignia Subdued Insignia Descriptions of Decorations and Medals Ribbon Only Awards Foreign Decorations United States Army Unit Awards Certificates , United Nations Medals Commemorative Medals Issue of US Medals to Veterans and their Families Bibliography Index

:

:

4 13 14 16 17 18 19 20 22 24 24 43 52 54 59 62 64 68 69 70 70 72 73 74 83 87 85 86 89 90 105 106 84, 131 132 136 139 140 142 143 145 145

List of Illustrations Full Dress, Mess Dress and Slide-on Officer Rank Insignia US Army Enlisted Rank Examples of Correct Badge Wear Today Wear of Marksmanship Badges with Combat and Skill Badges Awards, Insignia and Accounterments Uniforms Types of Medals, Ribbons and Attachements Placement of Bronze and Silver Campaign Stars on the Ribbon and Medal Army Ribbon Devices Army Correct Order of Ribbon Wear Decoration and Medals US Personal Decorations Non-US Service Awards Ribbon Only Examples of United States Military Commendation Medals Veteran's Military Medals Displaying Military Awards Badges Identification Badges Examples of Marksmanship Badges Authorized For Wear Officer Insignia Officer Branch Insignia Enlisted Branch Insignia US Army Commissioned Rank Insignia US Army Enlisted Rank Insignia US Army Shoulder Sleeve Insignia Ribbons, Miniatures and Full Size Medals Examples Examples of Subdued Pin -On Badges Samples of United States Army & Foreign Award Certificates

,

18 22 43 53 62 64 70 71 72 73 74 75 83 84 85 87 88 90 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 104 105 139

3

Introduction Background of United States Army Medals, Badges and Insignia Growing up in a southern family that has seen military service since the Cherokee Uprising in 1756, the Army has long been a part of our family heritage. After retirement from the Army, I looked for some way to express my appreciation to all the men and women who have so unselfishly served our country for the past 225 years. The decision is to honor them with a book which explores the honors and rewards our grateful country has used to recognize her soldier. I hope that future generations will understand the significance of these unique symbols of service. These honors, in the form of decorations, medals, ribbons, badges and insignia, symbolize the valor, bravery, dedication, patriotism, skills and devotion to duty that millions of loyal Americans have so nobly demonstrated while protecting their nation and their fellow countrymen. World War II represented the United States Army's greatest victory. It also saw the major expansion of the Army's current system of awards, for service and development of most of the uniform insignia we know today. This clearly makes World War II the place to begin the narrative. Of the millions of American citizens who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States since World War II, the majority served in the United States Army. This book tells the story of the honors they won, the skills they developed and the military symbols they served under. The book is not only for veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Kosovo, the Liberation of Iraq and dozens of other skirmishes and expeditions, but also for veterans' families. It is probably more important for a soldier's family to read this book and gain an appreciation for the dedication and skill which goes into earning these awards. I am trying to tell the story of our Army over the past 70 years through its symbols of valor, professional skill and esprit de corps. Every effort has been made to provide the criteria and background for each emblem. However, when it came to the area of shoulder sleeve insignia or patches, it soon became clear that we could only try to address the major units involved in each war (for the enthusiast, Major Peter Morgan has done a superb job of covering the wide variety of shoulder sleeve insignia in his book, The American Military Patch Guide). Additionally, the area of unit crest and distinctive unit insignia is so vast that it could only be touched upon very briefly. Finally, as hard as we try, we know there will be mistakes in this book. We therefore invite all readers to send their comments, suggestions and corrections in care of the publisher. Thank you for using this book for, in so doing, you honor the memory of those great Americans, our Army veterans. Colonel Frank Foster, U.S. Army, Retired

4

'"'''' ,r'

Silver _____Epaulette ...,.,..... for Officers

AMERICAN REVOLUTION At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, 'the uniforms and insignia of the Army were basically the same as the Colonial regiments that fought in the French and Indian Wars. Pennsylvania troops wore green uniforms, New Jersey troops and South Carolina troops wore blue uniforms, while Connecticut soldiers wore red uniform coats. In 1775, Congress ordered all continental troops to wear brown uniforms but, by 1779 the standard was blue with different colored facings for New England, the southern and the central states. Aside from uniform color, during the early years of the Revolution the only real distinctive United States Army insignia were pewter buttons with the initials U. S. A. intertwined. Later, towards the end of the war, some officers began to wear a small pewter or silver eagle in the center oftheir hat's black COCkade@ Insignia of rank was a green epaulette on the ~ right shoulder for a corporal and a 'A . red epaulette .for a sergeant. Officers often wore gold lace on their hats or silver epaulettes, Generals wore gold epaulettes on both shoulders, sometimes with a star to indicate Brigadier General or Major General. General Washington also directed that key officers wear colored ribbons across their chests for identification. Early in the American Revolution, Congress voted to award gold medals to outstanding military leaders. The first such medal was struck to honor George Washington for his service in driving the British from Boston in 1776. Similar medals were bestowed upon General Horatio Gates for his victory at the Battle of Saratoga and Captain John Paul Jones after his famous naval engagement with the Serapis in 1779. Unlike present practice, however, these were large, presentation medals not designed to be worn on the military uniform although General Gates portrait shows the medal hanging on a neck ribbon. Interestingly, once the dies were cut for these medals, many copies were manufactured and distributed by the mint as commemorative medals to instill patriotic , pride in the new country's victories.;\f· Many ofthese early commemorative me-k" dallions are still being struck and offered~, for sale by the U. S. Mint. "

1

Gold medal struck to honor George Washington for his service in driving the British from Boston in 1776.

The" Andre" medal broke the custom of restricting the award of medals to successful senior officers and is doubly unique in that it was designed for wear around the neck. The medal was presented by Congress in 1780 to the three enlisted men who captured the British Major John Andre with West Point's fortification plans in his boot.

The Andre Medal awarded to patriots Van Wert, Paulding and Williams by the Continental Congress in 1780.

In August, 1782, George Washington established the Badge of Military Merit, the first U. S. decoration which had general application to all enlisted men, and one which he hoped would inaugurate a permanent awards system. At the same time, he expressed his fundamental awards philosophy when he issued an order from his headquarters at Newburgh, New York, which read: "The General, ever desirous to cherish a virtuous ambition in his soldiers, as well as to foster and encourage every species of military merit, directs that, whenever any singularly meritorious action is peiformed, the author ofit shall be permitted to wear on his facings, over his left breast, the figure of a heart in purple cloth or silk, edged with narrow lace or binding. Not only instances of unusual gallantry, but also of extraordinary fidelity, and essential service in any way, shall meet with a due reward... the road to glory in a patriot army and afree country is thus opened to all. This order is also to have retrospect to the earliest days of the war, and to be considered a permanent one. " Although special and commemorative medals had been awarded previously, until this point no decoration had been established which honored the private soldier with a reward for special merit. The wording of the order is worth careful study. The object was "to cherish a virtuous ambition" and O"to foster and encourage every species of military merit." Note also, that General Washington appreciated that every kind of service was

important by proposing to reward, "not only instances of unusual gallantry, but also of extraordinary fidelity and essential service in any way." And finally, the wonderfully democratic sentence, "the road to glory in a patriotic army and free country is thus opened to all." Coming as it did, almost a year after Cornwallis' surrender at Yorktown, the message was never given widespread distribution and, as a result, there were only three known recipients of this badge, Sergeants Elijah Churchill, William Brown and Daniel Bissell. Unfortunately, after the Revolution, the award fell into disuse and disappeared for 150 years. However, it did not die, primarily due to the efforts of the Army's then Chief of Staff, General Douglas MacArthur, (and, by no accident, one of its first recipients). On the 200th anniversary of Washington's birth, February 22, 1932, the War Department announced that: "By order ofthe President ofthe United States, the Purple Heart, established by Gen. George Washington at Newburgh, New York... is hereby revived out of respect to his memory and military achievements." Washington's "figure of a heart in purple" was retained as the medal's central theme and embellished with Washington's likeness and his coat of arms. The words "For Military Merit" appear on the reverse as a respectful reference to its worthy predecessor. Towards the end of the war or immedi- 1932 Purple Heart atelyafter, General Washington authorized a stripe to be sewn on the sleeve of outstanding noncommissioned officers to honor three years of exemplary service. Those with six years wore two stripes. The evidence to support this first version of the good conduct medal is mostly from court-martial records when men were ordered to remove a stripe. These exemplary service or good conduct stripes disappeart;:d after the Revolutionary War along with the original Order of Military Merit.

1782 Badge of Military Merit

5

THE WAR OF 1812

The War of 1812 saw the widespread introduction of the American bald eagle as the Army's national symbol on flags, hats, breastplates and belt buckles. Infantry shakos used the eagle on the front while officers wore a small silver eagle in the black cockade of their hat. Additionally, the markings "U.S." began to appear on pieces of equipment for identification. Insignia of rank remained the silver and gold epaulettes for officers and colored epaulettes for noncommissioned officers. Congress retained the custom of commissioning large presentation medals to victorious commanding officers. An example, shown below, is the medal presented to Major General Alexander Macomb for his 1814 victory at the battle of Plattsburgh.

THE MEXICAN WAR 1846 TO 1848 By the time of the Mexican War, many of the U.S. Army insignia that we know today were appearing on the uniform. The eagle remained the centerpiece on hats and shakos. The large gold and silver epaulettes disappeared except on dress uniforms and were replaced for everyday wear with simple shoulder straps for officers and chevrons for noncommissioned offices. The two stripes were for corporal and three stripes for Sergeant. Some units wore chevrons pointed down while some units wore the point up. The infantry insignia was the hunting hom; artillery wore crossed cannons while the engineer castle appeared on the hat of enlisted engineers. Color often designated branch with the cavalry wearing yellow and artillery red trim on the uniform. The US insignia began to appear in more places; belt buckles, cartridge boxes, breastplates, canteen covers. In general, the eagle and letters "US" became the logo of the United States Army. The federal government still showed a great reluctance to strike medals for the soldiers in the Mexican War. However, states showed no such resistance. For example the state of South Carolina struck 1000 silver medals for members of the Palmetto regiment which served in the Mexican War and engraved each with the name of the soldier. Some cities such as Charleston, SC also struck medals specifically for their Company. After the war, the Army officers who served in the Mexican War formed the Aztec Club and struck a medal for their members to wear. The Certificate of Merit was established by the Army in 1847 to reward soldiers who distinguished themselves in battle, but this was not translated into medallic form until 1905.

Aztec Club Medal

6

1862 Army Medal of Honor

THE CIVIL WAR By the Civil War, Army officer shoulder strap ranks had almost evolved into today's symbols for lieutenant, captain, major, lieutenant colonel, colonel and general rank. However as rebel marksmen concentrated on federal officers easily identifiable by their shoulder straps, some officers removed their insignia and begin to wear pin-on rank during combat. The eagle insignia continued to be worn on some broad brim hats and officer belt buckles. The U.S. insignia became standard on enlisted belt buckles and breastplates. Each branch of the service began to wear its own symbols on hats. Hunting hom on hats symbolize the infantry, crossed sabers symbolize the cavalry, and crossed cannons the artillery. Enlisted rank continued to be shown by chevrons with each branch using different colors; light blue stripes for infantry, red stripes for artillery, yellow stripes for the cavalry. The Civil War also saw the first United States military decorations, a Medal of Honor for heroic service to be presented only to enlisted men. As the war' continued, the award of the Medal of Honor was extended to include officers. The Civil War also saw the establishment of unit insignia for the first time. Different devices such as diamonds, shamrocks and other distinctive symbols were selected for various divisions tOth Corps 2d Corps and corps within the Grand Army of the Republic. One corps symbol, a red diamond, is still used as the division shoulder sleeve insignia of the Fifth Infantry Division (mechanized). Identification badges also made their 6th Corps 7th Corps h b appearance in The Civil War w en com at soldiers started writing their names on paper and pinning the paper to their uniforms so their bodies could be identified. Enterprising sutlers began to make silver or metal badges about the size of a quarter with soldiers' names and units on them. These were pinned on the soldiers tunics and were the forerunner of our current dog tags and Identification badges. Following the Civil War, there was an absolute explosion of veteran's commemorative medals and reunion medals. Grand Army of the Republic Reunion medals began to so closely resemble the Medals of Honor that Congress was eventually forced to change the design and patent it.

Grand Army of the Republic Reunion Medal

Confederate soldiers only received recognition from the hands of the Daughters of the Confederacy who designed and struck a handsome Southern Cross of Honor which was belatedly awarded many Confederate veterans in the early 1900s. In 1905, President Roosevelt authorized campaign medals back to the Civil War. The Civil War Campaign Medal (Army) was issued for any Federal Army service between April 15,1861 and April 9,1865 (the period was extended for service in Texas through August 20,1866). The front of the medal has a bust ofAbraham Lincoln with the words "With malice towards none; with charity for all". The reverse of the medal is inscribed "Civil War, 1861-1865". The first medals had red, white and blue ribbons which were changed in 1913 to match the different Navy and Marine Civil War Medal ribbon done in blue and grey.

+~ $00 ~s

eS

7

THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR 1898 The Spanish-American War was a period of transition for U.S. Army insignia and military medals. The traditional U. S. insignia and branch of service insignia moved to the collar of the uniform. Metal pin-on officer rank insignia moved to the epaulette. The national eagle became the official dress hat emblem for officers. On the enlisted side, branch insignia also moved to the collar and the rank chevrons began to take on the look we know today. For nearly twenty years, the Medal of Honor had remained the sole American military award of any kind. The "Bully Little War" (four months of military action) changed that and produced a host of medals to commemorate the events surrounding the Spanish-American War. The Spanish Campaign Medal (Army) was authorized for service in Cuba between May 11 and July 17, and Puerto Rico between July 24 and August 16,1898. Additionally, the Spanish War Service Medal was created in 1918 to honor Spanish American War volunteers who were not eligible for the Spanish Campaign Medal. The first occupation medals were struck to honor soldiers who occupied Cuba and Puerto Rico in 1898 after the war When Roosevelt, an ardent supporter of the military, became President, he legislated the creation of medals to honor all those who had served in America's previous conflicts. By 1908, the U.S. had authorized campaign medals, some retroactive, for the Civil War, Indian Wars, War with Spain, Philippine Insurrection and China Relief Expedition ofl900-0 1. While the services used the same ribbons, different medals were struck. During this timeframe, the custom of wearing service ribbons on the tunic was adopted with the Army and Navy using different precedences. Thus, the services managed to establish the principle of independence in the creation and wearing of awards that is virtually unchanged today.

8

WORLD WAR I World War I saw most of the changes take place in uniform insignia from which our current systems developed. Skill badges appeared for military aviators as well as specialty insignia for flying instructors. Chevrons appeared on the lower sleeve to indicate periods of overseas service in : combat or for wounds. Unit shoulder J ",' u .• ~,.' '~:.../;-'., ~l~e~e insig~a was introduced after an lllitial reSIS, tance by senior headquarters.While old-time commanders did not like the new shoulder sleeve insignia, they grew so popular with the soldiers and were such a morale booster that unit patches soon overcame the senior leadership's resistance. At the time of the U.S. entry into World War I, the Medal of Honor, Certificate of Merit and NavylMarine Good Conduct Medal still represented America's entire inventory of personal decorations. This presented the twin dangers that the Medal of Honor might be cheapened by being awarded too often and that other deeds of valor might go unrecognized. By 1918, popular agitation forced the authorization of two new awards, the Army's Distinguished Service Cross and Distinguished Service ( Medal, created by Executive Order in 1918. In the same year, the traditional U.S. refusal to permit the armed forces to accept foreign decorations was rescinded, allowing military personnel to accept awards from the grateful Allied governments. The issuance of the World War I Victory Medal established another precedent, Army Distinguished that of wearing clasps with the names of Service Cross individual battles on the suspension ribbon of a general campaign medal. This was an ongoing practice in many countries, most notably Britain and France, since the 19th Century. When the ribbon bar alone was worn, each clasp was represented by a small (3116" diameter) bronze star. Fourteen such clasps were adopted along with five clasps to denote service in specific countries. However, the latter were issued only if no battle clasp was earned.

" V