Remount medals or not?

[D_Dutch]

Hello everybody,

 

Two weeks ago I bought a large grouping which included all the framed medals of the soldier. However, when I received it yesterday I noticed the frame, or at least the back where the medals were mounted on, is in quite a bad shape. The back almost falls out of the frame if it was not for the wire to hang the frame on the wall to prevent that from happening. The medals and some of the ribbons are not mounted very well which causes them to move. Hanging it on the wall is unfortunately not possible because then the medals hit the glass.

 

So I am wondering if I should re-frame the medals. The only thing I am not sure of if this would be the right thing to do. I have no idea if this was the way it was when presented to the mother of the soldier and if this was the case it would really make it difficult for me to decide. Maybe then only change the mounting system and keep the frame and glass? I have a newspaper article which shows the framed medals which were presented to the mother but it is quite hard for me to make out if it is the same one, there are at least more medals in the one I have.

 

What should I do?

 

With kind regards,

 

Koen.

 

Front view of the framed medals.

 

 

Back view of the display case.

 

 

How the back almost falls out of the case.

 

 

Newspaper articles showing the framed medals being presented.

 

 

 

Photograph of the soldier.

 

[12A54]

The frame has little to do with the history of these medals. Mount and display them properly to better preserve them and to honor what they stand for.

[12A54]

Try something like this: http://www.egframes.net/index.php?cPath=6_71

 

Am sure a local frame shop could do something similar.

 

Also - looks like there are some missing. You might want to research to see what else he was eligible for.

[teufelhunde.ret]

The final decision always rests with the owner. That said, it looks horrible as is. Were the group mine, I would re-frame the items without hesitation.

[Jack's Son]

I'll have to agree....the mans memory deserves better then this! :salute:

[TLeo]

Dittoes to the above comments..... they need to be remounted and framed

[MasonK]

Are you positive this is how they were presented? Or is it possible the family framed the awards and the article just included a photo of the mother with the display?

 

I'm going to assume the latter considering how sloppy the mounting was. Not in its current state, but rather in the photo from the article. I would assume if the military or local VFW put together this display to present to the family, they would have done a better job (or the company they outsourced it to would have).

 

As for its current state, if you truly want to preserve it, I would strip the wood and refinish it. Then have the medals remounted by a professional framer in the same order and style (even using the red felt background).

 

My personal opinion, though, is to start from scratch with a nice display, similar to those in the link provided by 12A54. I think you’ll be much happier with the result. As others have said, it’s the medals that represent this man’s service; not the case it came in.

 

Nice grouping by the way!

[USMCR79]

The final decision always rests with the owner. That said, it looks horrible as is. Were the group mine, I would re-frame the items without hesitation.

 

I agree with Darrell

 

Bill

[D_Dutch]

Thanks for all the comments! I agree that the soldier's medals deserve the best display possible, I was only not sure how others might feel about it if I reframed them. I have the address of his sister (who sold everything to the person I bought it from) and shall ask her if she is fine with the medals being reframed.

 

 

Try something like this: http://www.egframes.net/index.php?cPath=6_71

 

Am sure a local frame shop could do something similar.

 

Also - looks like there are some missing. You might want to research to see what else he was eligible for.

 

Thanks for the link, I shall think about how I want all of his medals framed. I have no idea if there are any missing medals. I have all of the documentation about the presentation of his medals (and also for the Vietnamese medals) and as far as I can see there is nothing missing. I have requested his IDPF and who knows if it mentions any medals which are missing. I do know that he was also presented the Infantry Blue Cord.

 

 

Are you positive this is how they were presented? Or is it possible the family framed the awards and the article just included a photo of the mother with the display?

 

I have no idea to be honest. It might have been possible that after the Vietnamese medals were presented the family just bought a new frame and mounted them themselves. The newspaper article does show the original frame they were framed in. They were presented to the mother in November 1968, 10 months after her son was killed in action.

 

 

Nice grouping by the way!

 

Thanks! This is only a small part of the grouping, it also includes a newspaper with a frontpage article about his death and a full two pages regarding his life with photographs, a couple of newspaper obituaries, colour photographs of the soldier in Vietnam with his buddies, and a lot of letters which were sent to the mother after his death, including letters from various Senators, General Westmoreland and President Johnson. All of the items of the soldier were on display in a museum, also including items of his grandfather (First World War) and an uncle (World War Two) and were afterwards given back to the sister.

 

However, when the previous owner of the grouping bought everything from the sister she claimed she did not have anything from her grandfather and uncle which was kinda odd as it was on display in the museum. It also seems strange that, according to her, the Army never presented award documents for the Purple Heart Medal and Silver Star Medal etc. :think: