Campaign medals

[oakleaf777]

According to my research, many of the US campaign medals from WW2 and earlier were authorized and issued well after, in some cases years, after the events they were associated with. My question is how were these medals issued to their recipients considering that most were likely discharged back into civilian life as soon as possible? Were the medals issued only to those service members who cared to take the time to request them?

[Rakkasan187]

I believe that the medals were mailed to the recipients based on the address on the discharge paperwork. I know several veterans received their medals in the mail after discharge, in some cases a few years later, depending on the decoration..

 

 

Leigh

[MMcollector]

The U.S. Army started issuing Campaign Medal in 1908. Initial contracts were made by the U.S. Mint and numbered with a Nọ prefix, they were issued at no expense by the Army to qualifying veterans who applied. Nọ numbered Army medals are generally traceable if issued before 1926-1927 when the Army stopped recording who the medals were issued to all together.

 

U.S. Army M.Nọ contract medals were also made by the U.S. Mint for veterans who were no longer actively serving in the military and were not authorized for a medal at the Armys expense. These veterans purchased their medals directly through the U.S. Mint after providing certification from the Adjutant General's office that they were entitled to the medal requested.

[BigJohn#3RD]

I believe that the campaign medals have to be requested by the veteran post discharge from WWI through the Civil War. If a veteran was still on active duty, they still had to seek issue of the medal to which they were entitled to receive. That is what documentation has shown both here on the forum and when sold be folks that buy, sell, and trade the decorations from the era.