Odd WWI Oregon Service Medal

[Uniforms of the Day]

Just as found at an old Portland, OR estate. I am still trying to run down a name. Maybe you can help me figure this out? This is a Bailey Banks & Biddle "Dept. of Insignia" box with "Pilgrimage of Mothers and Widows" logo on it. The PofM&W was a later War Dept. program, initiated in the late 20s, that arranged for mothers and wives, of soldiers, sailors and airmen KIA, to visit the European cemetaries where their loved ones were buried. Inside this box is a WWI State of Oregon Service Medal with a large gold star on the ribbon. This star very much resembles the star in the logo on the box. The card that the medal is pinned to fits the box precisely. The medal ribbon is still fairly rigid as if never used and well stored. But the medal is maker marked by Whitehead & Hoag, Newark, NJ. The pillow below the card shows the impressiin of the pin on this medal, but no evidence of any other pin whatsoever. The condition of the box and medal seem consistent. QUESTIONS: First, does the gold star on this medal mean KIA? Second, I don't want to remove the star (to look for markings) for fear of breaking a pin. But do you think that maybe the star was produced by BB&B and they were put on the appropriate state medal, in BB&B boxes, for presentation to the mothers and widows during the pilgrimage? I just thought some of you might have the back story on this? Obviously a forerunner of the more often seen Mothers' Gold Star pin for WWII and later conflicts.

[AustinO]

Yes the star does denote KIA, here is one of my Oregon KIA medals.  I have other BB&B KIA medals with the same star on them (notably Rochester NY). 

 

I have never seen that box before, but I would suspect it contained a Pilgrimage medal, which was also produced by BB&B and is about the same size, maybe slightly longer. 

 

All of my pilgrimage medals are stored in a bankers box, but I'm sure a search on the forum would yield a couple results and maybe even the same box with one.  

[AustinO]

Here's another Whitehead with the same star.  

[Uniforms of the Day]

Interesting. Thank you.

[KASTAUFFER]

The box does not go with that medal. The missing medal probably somewhere in that estate. The Oregon medals were always issued in a small brown paper envelope. 

 

Kurt

[Uniforms of the Day]

Hey Kurt. I searched the sale thoroughly for anything more, but nothing. However, the estate sale lady said "Fallin" is the family name. I haven't had time to do anything with that yet, but will do some digging when I get a chance.

[AustinO]

There are two Fallin's from Oregon KIA, both buried in the US (so a mothers pilgrimage medal would not have been issued).  There are no Fallin's buried overseas. Could be the typical maiden name type situation.  Can you reverse lookup the sale address on property tax records to get a name?