Jump to content

25th ID Awards Ceremony w/Unit Marked Helmets


Verdun16
 Share

Recommended Posts

Nice pics Verdun.

I am assuming that they are 27th Infantry Regt.

You got them at a good price.

Thanks for sharing them. thumbsup.gif

 

I was in Korea not too long ago. Unfortunately it was just before you joint the forum, so there was no chance to say hi.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am sure it is the 27th Reigment. I can see at least 3 different colors being used for the Wolfhound symbol so I am guessing the color denotes the company or battalion. Forgot to mention that most of these are dated OCT 55 on the reverse,

 

Bryan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Captainofthe7th

What awards are they getting? Before you said it was 55 dated I could tell it was post Korea (and not IN Korea). Perhaps a non combat ribbon or good conduct? Or a qual badge? It's hard to tell.. They seem to be all officers.. Nice group of photos!

 

Rob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It looks like he is pinning on the Korean Unit citation ribbon onto the pocket. Great photos! I love those detailed shots with ribbons and patches. Man, some of thoese Lts were tall, either that or the Colonel was on his knees, hehehe...

 

-Ski

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
What awards are they getting? Before you said it was 55 dated I could tell it was post Korea (and not IN Korea). Perhaps a non combat ribbon or good conduct? Or a qual badge? It's hard to tell.. They seem to be all officers.. Nice group of photos!

 

Rob

Looking at the full-size picturs, it looks like they're getting the ribbon bar for the Bronze Star pinned to their pocket. I could only make it out clearly in a few of the pictures though.

 

Was there a shortage of actual Bronze Star Medals in October '55 like there was late in World War II?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

25th ID returned to Schofield Barracks (from Korea) late 1954 and this awards ceremony might have been on Ralston Field. The Waianae range and Kolekole pass are visible in the background of photos #2 and #4 -- prominent Schofield landmarks.

 

The Army Commendation Ribbon appears to be the ones presented in photos #1, #3, and #5. I doubt if the corresponding medals were in short supply in 1955 but the Colonel's ribbon pinning M.O. at this ceremony obviously is to attach the ribbons only to the bottom corner of the left pocket flap. It is a large group and this method may simply have been more expedient than juggling so many full size medals.

 

As to the ROK PUC: 25th ID won two of these in the Korean War. Foreign unit awards in 1950s were worn on the left pocket flap, as shown by the captain in photo #2, which also clearly shows where the Colonel is pinning the presentation ribbons. Foreign unit awards eventually migrated over the right pocket, joining U.S. unit awards. The two leftmost lieutenants show this mid-50s arrangement: U.S. DUC above right pocket; ROK PUC on left pocket flap.

 

Great pictures of Korean War era Wolfhounds. Thanks for posting them, Bryan. Where are you in Korea?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Wailuna,

 

I think you're right. Looks like those are Army Commendation Ribbons after all. From some of the angles the photos were taken from, the ribbons kind of looked like the BSM. I somehow overlooked photo #2 which is clearly an ACR. Since the ACR wouldn't become the ARCOM until a bit later, it would certainly explain why they're receiving a ribbon bar instead of a medal.

 

Need to get my eyes checked now pinch.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...Looks like those are Army Commendation Ribbons after all. From some of the angles the photos were taken from, the ribbons kind of looked like the BSM. I somehow overlooked photo #2 which is clearly an ACR. Since the ACR wouldn't become the ARCOM until a bit later, it would certainly explain why they're receiving a ribbon bar instead of a medal....Need to get my eyes checked now...

You're right about the Army Commendation Ribbon starting its existence as a ribbon-only award in 1945 and it was not renamed Army Commendation Medal until 1960. However, in 1949 there was an intermediate step that actually turned this ribbon-only award into a medal, with this awkward mouthful of a name: Army Commendation Ribbon with Medal Pendant. So an Army Commendation Medal did exist well before 1955, just under another name (link here for TIOH coverage of this subject). Why the Colonel is pinning ribbons only, we likely will never know for sure.

 

You think your eyes are going bad...try looking at some of these Forum images through mine. I am fortunate to accurately ID half the stuff I look at.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Laury Allison
Could be the Bronze Star and ARCOM he's awarding. Many different awards will usually be awarded druing a single ceremony.

 

Very true. It would be unlikely that a whole unit would receive the exact same award like a BSM or ARCOM. I once received a AFCM along with most of the rest of the unit for a major inspection that we passed with flying colors and scores no active duty unit had ever obtained. Just about everybody got the Air Force Commendation Medal....mine was one of only about 2 or 3 that had an oak leaf cluster on it. About a half a dozen or so folks got the lesser Achievement Medal. I think there were maybe about 6 or 7 folks that didn't get anything....guess they didn't do anything.

 

That was cool to get a medal for busting my hump for 3 or 4 months leading up to the inspection....building and weighing pallets and such, but sucked that I got the same thing as most of those that showed up the day the thing started. But that's how it goes with the awards system. At least they didn't read each individual citation at this ceremony (they were all the same....LOL).

 

As far as these pics go, I'm sure it is a mix of BSMs and ACR w/Pendant at this time. I think my Dad's frst ARCOM from Korea is listed that way....I can't remember exactly when the name changed to the Army Commendation Medal....but I'm thinking late 1950's. Sometmes there aren't enough full-size medals to go around at a big awards ceremony, so they improvise, adapt and overcome.....aka made due with what they have.

 

I can remember in the 1980's when something not commonly awarded would be approved and you had to do some creative phone calling of buddies at other bases to get the medals for the ceremony. When I was at Blytheville AFB, Arkansas, in the mid-1980's, we had a KC-135 tanker coming in that couldn't get the landing gear to go down. They still had a mostly full fuel bladder. They flew around for several hours trying to burn up and give away fuel while still trying to get the landing gear down. They figured if they did have to belly land it, it's better not to be sitting on a load of JP-4 and blow them all up. They did finally manage to hand crank the landing gear down after quite a while. The pilot and co-pilot were awarded Distinguished Flying Crosses for it and the rest of the crew received Air Medals. I had medals on hand for both awards...which I know now were WWII era awards. The Wing Commander's Exec didn't like those....he and I had a phone conversation about them....he chewed me out for sending over those "old medals" for an awards ceremony. He wanted them in the "plush cases....not some "old looking medals. I checked eacj medal before I sent them over to Wing and they looked fantastic to me....he didn't like them (this forum would have a fit over them today). A mission was flown to Offutt AFB to retrieve more "modern" medals to be used for the awards ceremony.

 

Award Ceremonies have always been funny on how they are handled from unit to unit. One of my medals was taken away after I told them I didn't want a presentation/retirement ceremony. Does this mean I didn't get it??? I had a friend of mine in Personnel give me one of the medals after that....I guess I was in a "cheap" squadron. Just because I didn't need to have somebody hang it on my uniform, does that mean I shouldn't have the actual medal???? I had 21 ribbons when I retired (not sure how many multiples in there). As far as I recall, I only had two medals presented to me. Most of them I declined presentation....I didn't need to boost my ego and have my accomplishments read to everybody else.

 

I guess this has always been and will continue to be a sore spot at times for military members. Interestingly though, I did find a pic of my 'Dad's first Bronze Star Medal presentation on the internet. Well....actually it show the guy before him and the guy after him (he has the BSM pinned on him by then). Still pretty cool.

 

BTW....to keep on topic of the 27th Infantry Regiment....my Great-Uncle was and is MIA from the 27th at the Chosin Resivoir. His name was MSgt William Millard Stephens, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. I believe the date was 27 November 1950 when they got overrun across the Yalu River. If anybody has anything from that unit/period, please let me know. I hope to get his body home where it belongs before I die. I almost got a motor pool named after him on Schofield Barracks a few years ago. They were looking for a Senior NCO who had recieved a Silver Star who hadn't had anything named after them. All of the Medal of Honor and DSC recipients have had something named after them. The officer that had been in charge of the motor pool project had moved on to Division, but was excited about the nomination. I never heard anything after that.

 

I remember seeing his Silver Star and Purple Heart Cerficates (signed by Harry S. Truman)....I'm sure they were original signature since they were in blue ink. I never saw his actual medals....I was told there was a "footlocker" full of his stuff upstairs, but never got to see it. All I was told there wasn't much sent back other than some of his skivies and a towel with some of his blood where he had cut himself shaving. I've never been able to find a copy of the citation for what he did. I've written St Louis, and gotten the "they were burned up in the fire" answer....but I don't believe that since he is still technically MIA. He was declared KIA in the Spring of 1951 so the family could collect the GI Insurance. It is doubtful he could be possibly be alive today....he was born in 1910. He went in the Army in 1932. I know he was in Hawaii before WWII. He served in North Aftrica, and all through Europe with the 2nd Armored Division. I've got a letter from him to my grandfather from "somewhere in North Africa" talking about having to carry that "damned machine gun" and talking about a nurse he was dating....and thing were looking serious.

 

I've verified his Silver Star and Purple Heart from the certificates years ago in my Great Grand Mother's room and also at the "Punchbowl" in Hawaii. They also verified that his remains are MIA and were never retrieved. When the 27th was overrun at the "Chosin Resevoir", the Chinese came across the Yalu River on the 27th of November 1950. There was a slaughter of the US Marine Corps units and the US Army's 25th Infantry Division. They were pushed back and never got that far back north after that.

 

Please support anything you can to recover remains from that battle as well and any others. Without remains....and a grave there is no closure. I've talked with people from CILHI about this and have attended repatriation ceremonies for remains from Vietnam while I was at Hickam.

 

I don't give a damn what you collect....don't forget the soldier, airman, marine, or sailor that wore it. I'm sure a lot of what we have in our collections...whatever it may be the original owners are no longer with us. Let's don't forget them....whomever they may be and the sacrifices they made for that little piece of ribbon or medal.

 

Gold Bless them All.

 

Laury

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...