Any clues from these medals about his unit?

[AJK]

Hi all,

 

I have no idea why the pictures posted upside-down. I turned them all right-side up before uploading, but no matter what I do they upload upside down for some reason. 

 

Here are the WW1 medals I have that belonged to my great-grandfather, Leroy C. Lewis. Other than the fact that he served in WW1 and he was my great-grandfather, and that he was from Pennsylvania, I know next to no facts about him or his military service. Do his medals give any clues to what unit he probably served in or anything else that could be helpful? 

 

Unfortunately, these medals are all I have from his service. No pins or bars or anything, as far as I can tell.

 

(And even though I have no plans on selling any of these, if anyone has any insight into their potential value, that would be appreciated as well. I intend to keep them all and maybe put them in a display case.)

 

 

The clasps on the Victory Medal ribbon read, from top to bottom: Champagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne, Somme Offensive, Oisne-Aisne, and Defensive Sector. 

 

The medal next to the Victory Medal is in French, and, correct me if I'm wrong, basically means that at some point he served under French authority/in a French unit?

 

The Purple Heart is obvious!

 

The last one says US Army Ambulance Service Association. That one I cannot find anything about for the life of me. 

 

 

 

[mes]

[bertmedals]

Looks to me like he was in Ambulance Section 584 which was one of the sections the US allocated to support the French Army (incoming passenger roster below).  That service probably qualified him for the French War Commemorative Medal (the medal with the red/white striped ribbon). Should be able to figure out which French units Section 584 supported but I haven't been able to put my finger on it yet.

Dennis

 

[AustinO]

Here's his PA state service card:

[AJK]

Wow, thanks guys!

 

I never knew his exact date of birth nor his parents' names. This is all amazing information. What little family lore I've been told had him being a Colonel in WW1, but that's clearly not the case. My mom (his granddaughter) said she'd been told he also served in Korea (which I'm not sure about; maybe she meant WW2, but WW2 wasn't mentioned-- which I thought strange, since it doesn't seem to make sense that he'd be involved in WW1, skip WW2, then go to Korea at age 51-52.)

 

Then again he wasn't painted in a flattering light by my grandmother's (his daughter's) family, since apparently sometime during the Depression he left my great-grandmother for a show girl he met while working as a traveling salesman and left her high and dry with the kids.

 

Dennis, is that passenger roster a list of other people who served in Sec 584 with him? Anyone know anything about or know of resources that discuss the Ambulance Service specifically?

 

(Also, I discovered the number on his Purple Heart is 83182, if that means anything).

[BEAST]

AJK,  If you can find a copy, I'd recommend starting with "THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY AMBULANCE SERVICE WITH THE FRENCH AND ITALIAN ARMIES, 1917-1918-1919" "Commemorative history published by the United States Army Ambulance Service Association in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of the USAAS and the founding of Camp Crane, Allentown, Pennsylvania" by John R. Smucker, United States Army Ambulance Service Association, [1967].

 

Smucker's history provides a summary of the service for each section plus a general history of the USAAS.  The complete book used to be online, but I can no longer find it.

[Dave]

10 hours ago, AJK said:

Then again he wasn't painted in a flattering light by my grandmother's (his daughter's) family, since apparently sometime during the Depression he left my great-grandmother for a show girl he met while working as a traveling salesman and left her high and dry with the kids.

 

I was curious, so I checked. In the 1940 Federal census, he's listed as married to Nelle with two daughters. In the 1950 Federal census, he's listed as married to Edythe (17 years his junior)...and no kids, so it appears your family lore was (sadly) correct, though a few years off. 

[bertmedals]

17 hours ago, AJK said:

Wow, thanks guys!

 

I never knew his exact date of birth nor his parents' names. This is all amazing information. What little family lore I've been told had him being a Colonel in WW1, but that's clearly not the case. My mom (his granddaughter) said she'd been told he also served in Korea (which I'm not sure about; maybe she meant WW2, but WW2 wasn't mentioned-- which I thought strange, since it doesn't seem to make sense that he'd be involved in WW1, skip WW2, then go to Korea at age 51-52.)

 

Then again he wasn't painted in a flattering light by my grandmother's (his daughter's) family, since apparently sometime during the Depression he left my great-grandmother for a show girl he met while working as a traveling salesman and left her high and dry with the kids.

 

Dennis, is that passenger roster a list of other people who served in Sec 584 with him? Anyone know anything about or know of resources that discuss the Ambulance Service specifically?

 

(Also, I discovered the number on his Purple Heart is 83182, if that means anything).

I think he was a WW2 vet also.  Here is a BIRLS death file for who I think is the same man indication WW2 service from 1942-1945.

 

U.S., Leroy C Lewis Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 - AncestryLibrary.com

[268th C.A.]

Very nice medal grouping too... 

Every family has them, my mothers first husband was a scoundrel same situation but a lot worse... he left kids everywhere with many different women

Thankfully he was not my father... His Vietnam service record was impeccable.  Good soldier rotten father to my step siblings. Horrible ex to my mother...

He was murdered by a jealous husband. Happy ending...