Pennsylvania World War Service Medal

[dbruhn]

Good morning everyone,

 

I'm struggling a bit with the Pennsylvania World War Service Medal.  I have a mostly complete collection of my great-grandfather's medals from WW1.  I also have a card where he requested the "Pennsylvania World War Service Medal" which is marked as "Approved."  While I'm still looking through my family's things to see if I can find the actual medal, I'd like to try and acquire one just to have it.  However - everything I see is National Guard/28th Division when I search for this medal (attached).  My Grandfather was neither.  In fact, in the newspaper listing at the time (attached), advertising the availability of the above-mentioned medal, it says "members of the national guard are not eligible for this medal as that class of personnel has already been provided with a service medal."

 

So - my question is - what was the non-national guard Pennsylvania Service Medal?  Does anyone have any pictures of such a thing?

[collectsmedals]

The United States officially entered The World War (World War 1) on April 6, 1917. For the period of April 6 through August 5, 1917 who entered Federal Service while members of the Pennsylvania National Guard received the first medal pictured. After August 5, 1917  they received the second medal pictured. The second medal had the inscription around the edge changed from Pennsylvania Federal Service to Pennsylvania National Guard and on the front the shield center was changed from a star to the letters PNG and on the back the shield center was changed from the letters US to the number 28.                                                            

[collectsmedals]

Note, the article you posted does not say members of the National Guard are not eligible for the medal, it says if they entered Federal Service while members of the National Guard before August 5, 1917 they were not eligible for the medal because they would have already received the first medal pictured.

[dbruhn]

This is incredibly helpful - thank you!

 

If I may ask a follow-up - just to clarify that I'm understanding:

 

Anyone who entered service between 4/6/1917 and 8/5/1917, received the "Pennsylvania Federal Service/US" medal (if requested).  Anyone who entered service from 8/5/1917 to the end of the war, received the "Pennsylvania National Guard/28" medal (if requested) - even if they weren't in the National Guard or the 28th div?

[dbruhn]

I guess going a step further - what medal would this card have returned?  From what I can tell (with my extremely limited historical knowledge, mind you,) he was not in the Pennsylvania NG (85th div).  Since he joined post 4/6 and pre 8/5 - would he have received the non-NG medal?

 

 

[collectsmedals]

It is a good question but I am not actually sure which medal they would have recieved.