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Official Wounded in Action Engravings


tdogchristy90
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tdogchristy90

Liken to other threads in which a database is formed of a particular “style” of militaria, I thought we’d do one on official WIA engravings. This area seems to be rare and uncommon. However without an engraving, unless your medal number is noted in a file, it becomes hard to determine ownership. So I wanted to see about the community posting their official WIA engravings to form a visual resource.
 

Obviously if I’m somehow off base on this or am missing something in my thought process, feel free to update or delete this to help better educate. 

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In my experience with WWII medals, officially engraved PHs to NON-KIAs primarily happened in 2 ways.  

 

1. You see a lot of them to ex-POWs.  This also segways into point #2,

2. POWs and Veterans discharged before receiving the actual medal often received an officially engraved one from the PQMD.  There was a form that was filled out at Separation Centers and redistribution centers where the veteran could request a decoration not received but earned. PHs were a common request. This request was often filled with an officially engraved medal. Sometimes they received an unnamed one at the center, Sometimes they received a named/stamped engraved one at the center.

 

Kurt 

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tdogchristy90
20 minutes ago, KASTAUFFER said:

In my experience with WWII medals, officially engraved PHs to NON-KIAs primarily happened in 2 ways.  

 

1. You see a lot of them to ex-POWs.  This also segways into point #2,

2. POWs and Veterans discharged before receiving the actual medal often received an officially engraved one from the PQMD.  There was a form that was filled out at Separation Centers and redistribution centers where the veteran could request a decoration not received but earned. PHs were a common request. This request was often filled with an officially engraved medal. Sometimes they received an unnamed one at the center, Sometimes they received a named/stamped engraved one at the center.

 

Kurt 


This was exactly my thought Kurt, or at least how I understood the process. So they’d technically look no different than the KIA officially engraved.

 

I thought this could be a place to post them for those that have them. I.E. like threads we have for Pearl Harbor KIA, Midway KIA, ect.

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I have two medals that I believe falls into this category. 

This is the first one. I have no information about him yet. It's a nicely engraved medal to Lewie F. Andrews. 

IMG_20210904_121912.jpg

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Not to be redundant, but are we talking about official, US-government engraved Purple Hearts for WIA?

 

The one to Andrews (above) is nice, but it is not official. It's an unofficially engraved one, but still nicely done.

 

As far as officially engraved ones, I agree with Kurt's two points. I would also add that many of the officially engraved non-KIA PHs from the Army during the WW2 time period were awards for WW1 service, as veterans were still applying for them, even 10+ years after they were eligible (three years after the Great Depression started, a lot of WW1 vets didn't have applying for a retroactive medal on their mind as a priority...)

 

Officially engraved PHs to the Navy and USMC are a different situation, as those were done by contract jewelers, so finding those are quite rare - I don't know how the WIA names made it on the list to the jewelers for engraving. Maybe a fluke? It was not at all common, whatever the case.

 

I've never encountered an officially engraved USCG Purple Heart to a WIA.

 

Dave

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tdogchristy90
22 minutes ago, Dave said:

Not to be redundant, but are we talking about official, US-government engraved Purple Hearts for WIA?

 

The one to Andrews (above) is nice, but it is not official. It's an unofficially engraved one, but still nicely done.

 

As far as officially engraved ones, I agree with Kurt's two points. I would also add that many of the officially engraved non-KIA PHs from the Army during the WW2 time period were awards for WW1 service, as veterans were still applying for them, even 10+ years after they were eligible (three years after the Great Depression started, a lot of WW1 vets didn't have applying for a retroactive medal on their mind as a priority...)

 

Officially engraved PHs to the Navy and USMC are a different situation, as those were done by contract jewelers, so finding those are quite rare - I don't know how the WIA names made it on the list to the jewelers for engraving. Maybe a fluke? It was not at all common, whatever the case.

 

I've never encountered an officially engraved USCG Purple Heart to a WIA.

 

Dave


Yes Dave, official government engraved WIA medals. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
Just now, Wharfmaster said:

Script engraved PH to a WW 1 Vet., awarded 1947-49.  327th Infantry, slightly wounded 7 Oct. 1918.

IMG_2666 (1726x1775) (836x441).jpg


I’ve always enjoyed the look of these, would like to add one to my projects eventually. Thank you for sharing! 

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On 9/16/2021 at 8:28 PM, HIGHROAD said:

WIA Sept of 1944 In France. 
654th Tank Destroyer BN supporting the 35th infantry dv

C8DE8CC6-99A7-4621-9D55-917847178A29.jpeg

 

So we would assume that this officially engraved PH was issued per Kurt's second point above, that he he was discharged before actually receiving the medal? Could an award like this ever be an example where it was actually mistakenly issued as a posthumous award?

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  • 1 month later...
On 9/20/2021 at 8:51 AM, Brian R said:

 

So we would assume that this officially engraved PH was issued per Kurt's second point above, that he he was discharged before actually receiving the medal? Could an award like this ever be an example where it was actually mistakenly issued as a posthumous award?

 

I have heard they exist, but I have not personally seen a "documented" example to a soldier declared dead , a Purple Heart issued posthumously, and then he turned up alive.  When I say documented, I mean that the medal has a bunch of original paperwork with it, not photocopies.  

 

This could have happened with some soldiers who were POWs of the Japanese.  In May 1943, a list of POWs being held by the Japanese was sent to the US by the Red Cross.  Soldiers who had been in the Philippines , but not declared as POWs, were issued a "finding of Death". The vast majority of these were soldiers who died either on the Death March or in Camp O'Donnell in 1942.  The Date of Death was set as May 7, 1943.  When the war was over, and the actual date was established, the date of death was often updated, 

 

I own and have owned a number of officially engraved PHs to normal ( not POWs ETC)  soldiers who were issued their awards by the PQMD in 1945-1948 after they were discharged . 

 

Kurt

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