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Restoring a uniform


ColdWarRules
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ColdWarRules

Hi guys (and gals),

 

I'm in a bit of a dilemma in regards to restoring my Great Grandfather's WW1 uniform. He was missing his medals, discharge stripe, and wound stripe. I got the appropriate victory medal, a discharge stripe, and a wound stripe that fit their ghosts perfectly. Later today I'm going to put them on.

 

However, I got to thinking that he is missing a few more things, but I'm not sure if I should go through with it. First I was thinking of getting the Army of Occupation of Germany medal, however, he was never formally awarded it or even applied for it, but he does qualify. Second, I considered getting a early issue Purple Heart because he has the wound stripe, but when he applied for it later on in life he was denied (the reason was his records were burned, however, I have a surviving copy stating where and when he was wounded and that he qualified for the wound stripe). I didn't go through the process of getting him a PH a few years ago because my grandmother didn't want to do the paper work.

 

So my question is, am I embellishing his service if I get these two medals? Technically he qualified for them and they were only awarded retroactively in the first place. He never even received his Victory Medal when he got home. Would it be appropriate? Or should I just not do it?

 

Thanks,

 

- Nick

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Too Much WW1 Militaria

Well, the Army of occupation medal itself didn't come out until well after WW1, (can't remember when offhand), and the PH didn't come out (back) until 1932. If you are going for how it looked when he was discharged, leave the ribbons off. If you're looking for how the tunic looked when worn to a reunion, then add the ribbons. A lot of WW1 groups I've had had either the PH ribbon (if earned), MBS and VM. Some had the Verdun ribbon as well. So, it all depends what time period you want. If it were me, I'd just reattach the cloth, which it is most likely how it looked in 1919 when he came home. You had to apply for the Victory medal. My grandfather had 3 wound cheverons, never applied for the PH, so, I left it alone.

 

My .02,

 

John

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TheGrayGhost

If you are looking to restore the uniform, I would only go so far as to replace all of the medals and awards that he was formally awarded. You could have the other medals for display, but I wouldn't attach them to the uniform. Not sure if you can apply for them yourself as a next of kin, but I would be careful having medals "attributed" to him that were not actually awarded to him (could cause confusion for future generations of your family).

 

Just my 2 cents.

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ColdWarRules

I think what I will do is just note he qualified for said medals, however, never applied or formally awarded.

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The WWI Army of Occupation medal was officially created in November 1941. In December 1941 because of Pearl Harbor and our involvement in the war the medal was put on hold for the duration. The first medals were not manufactured and available for issue until late 1945.

 

I agree with the others I would restore it to the uniform he came home in and notate the other medals.

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