Help for ID of Korean War era ribbon

[Mark_E]

I have recently been trying to piece together my grandfather's service history.  I've identified all the ribbons on his uniform except the one on the far right of the bottom row.  Can't find anything relating it to a unit citation or Korean service award. He was an Ordnance officer who was in the CBI theater in WW2, then served in Korea before having several assignments at various ammunition plants and depots before retiring as an LTC in 1960.  Any help would be appreciated.

[Edelweisse]

I think this.. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War_Service_Medal

[sampo]

Hi Mark,

If you can send me his full name and rank, I can look into the Korean medal roll and tell you at least when he has received it and maybe even his unit at that time.

You can send it to me personally if it feels more comfortable to you.

Take care

Sampo

[sampo]

Hi Mark,

Just a quick explanation, the ribbon is the Korean distinguished military service medal 3rd grade. Issued by the Korean government from 1951-1967. It is called the Chungmu.

Hope this helps a bit.

Take care

Sampo

[Mark_E]

Thank y'all for your rapid responses.  I'd previously looked at both the aforementioned suggestions and essentially discounted them for various reasons.  However, after Sampo's suggestion I redoubled my efforts and spent a couple hours looking at as many references I could find on the "Order of Military Merit".  The "Order of National Security Merit" decoration has the taeguk symbol, but the coloration is way off, and the qualifications for it I suspect are a bit lofty for what I understand my grandfather did while in uniform.

 

Every reference I found for the Military Merit award has a graphic with a device on it that resembles a Korean military headdress of sorts.  However, there is a photo of the actual medal and corresponding ribbon that actually has the taeguk symbol ( https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Order_of_Military_Merit_(South_Korea) 

) which makes me wonder if the ribbon's design changed at some point.

 

So, given everyone's suggestions, and all the information I can find I'm going to conclude (perhaps incorrectly) that this is what the decoration is - 4th Class Order of Military Merit - faded and in an earlier design (taeguk symbol instead of bronze device attached).  I have a shadow-box in the attic with all of his actual medals, so when I get back from my current business trip I'll dig it out and see if there is a medal to go along with the ribbon on his uniform.  If there is, maybe it will provide more clues.

 

Because of COVID, MILPERSON isn't working on "common" requests for Veteran's records.  I'll have my mom request his 201 file and maybe there will be something in it to shed more light on the question.

 

Grandfather's name was Jewell G. Haynie.  Major or LTC during the Korean Conflict, again, don't have his service record to pin down dates and assignment locations.

[sampo]

Hello Mark,

 

Thanks for the information. Your Grandfather has received the Chungmu on the 25th of October 1954, while he was serving the 2nd engineer corps. I would be thrilled to see the total medal group and know the number on the back of the Korean merit medal. I have attached an example of your Grandfathers medal.

Take care

Sampo

[Mark_E]

Thanks ever so much for that tidbit of info!!  Every piece helps with the timeline.  I'll be home late Friday, and will try to get photos for you over the weekend.

[sampo]

Hi Mark,

 

Looking forward to the pictures! Hope you can find the time in these strange times!

Stay safe

Sampo

[Mark_E]

Here's a photo of the shadowbox (very un-professionally taken).  I find it odd / interesting that his Bronze Star is on the lower course, and this Korean award is on the upper row, along with the Reserve service medal.  I'm disappointed to see that the ribbon of the Korean medal is as faded as it is.  The shadow box hung in a back hallway of my grandfather's home, out of the sun.  I forget when I came into possession of the awards (he died in 1983), but I know it has been in my attic since about 1995 (in the southern heat, but out of the light).

 

The shadowbox originally had a brass/bronze/gold star in each corner and one in the middle center.  It'd be just like my mother to take them out and "repurpose" them

[Mark_E]

Here are photos of the front and back of the Korean medal.  Extremely faded on the front, so much so, that it has to be looked at at a certain angle to actually make out the two thin white stripes on the ribbon.  From behind though, the colors are more vivid.

 

Does the number provide any information about an actual citation or date of award?

 

Regardless, I appreciate the information provided.  It has given me a "push" to investigate his history in more detail.

[Mark_E]

Can anyone following these postings translate the verbiage on the back of the award?

[sampo]

Hi Mark,

You are the best! Great pictures. The translation on the back: Line 1: Republic of Korea, line 2: Chungmu Distinguished military service medal, line 3: number 1747. The star is probably a gold one, they tend to turn black after the years. As the ribbon turns yellowish. 

The number is a serial number only, so unfortunately there is no more information to obtain from that. You will need the Korean document or the English translation. Those documents where always issued with this medal. Sometimes there is a record number inside the box, and it could be possible to obtain more information from the records, but not always, unfortunately.

 

Hope this helps a bit...

Take care

Sampo 

[Mark_E]

Sampo,  Thanks for all of your input on this.  I suppose until I get hold of his official records, this is the end of the story.  There is a gap in his timeline (two actually) that our family attributes to his association with the OSS in '44-45, and assignments "in Washington and Korea" during the Korean war.  I'm not going to suggest to myself that he was some upper-level "player", but there are records that suggest he was more than a low-level staffer.  Time will tell.

 

Thanks again for  your help. :-)  Stay safe in these troubling times.

[sampo]

Hi Mark,

 

All I could find is:

commissioned in 1926 as 2nd lieutenant, stationed at the 8th ordnance service coy. During WW2 operating in the China, Burma, India theater, then transferred to Force East Asia command. After this job sent to in 1946 to Korea stationed at the 46th ordnance group and where he received the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1950. He was executive officer at Radford Arsenal VA and Ogden Arsenal UT. Then post commander of Badger Ordnance works Wisconsin.

 

That is all I could find.

Stay safe

Sampo

[316th FS 324th FG]

On 12/15/2020 at 9:23 AM, Mark_E said:

  I suppose until I get hold of his official records, this is the end of the story.  There is a gap in his timeline (two actually) that our family attributes to his association with the OSS in '44-45,

Mark, is Jewell his given name? There is no one by that name in the OSS records. There is someone else with the same middle initial and last name who was with the OSS, but his first name was Luther. There is also a Jewell G. Haynes listed. It is possible it is a typo in the last name. I would request the file from NARA. Both men are in Box 320, Location 230/86/32/06

[Mark_E]

Yes, I too came across this interesting potential transposition of names.  It so happens that my grandfather's Service Number is listed against the Jewell G Haynes individual which also leads me to believe there is a possible mistake.  I've confirmed his Service Number through National Guard roles dating back to 1926, AND there is a tag sewn into his Class A uniform jacket with the same Service Number.

 

I've found references in a few newspaper clippings where he is quoted as saying that he can't talk much about his time in the military because he was involved in a lot of classified work.  That could be regarding (possible) OSS support, or it could be because he was involved in ordnance manufacturing, procurement, contracting, distribution, etc in his positions as Commander of the Badger Ordnance Works and finally as XO of the Philadelphia Ordnance District.  I don't want to jump to embellished conclusions about his service, so I filled out a request for his 201 File and had my mother submit it.  I'll wait to see what information it has to offer before submitting a request for the OSS files.

 

Another supporting piece of information that he had ties of some sort to the OSS is that after his death I came into possession of one of his sidearms, a Colt Model 1903 .32 calibre pistol whose provenance traces back to being issued/shipped to the Office of Strategic Services in September 1944.