Ref Thread: USMC Good Conduct Medals

[Brig]

bought this off eBay today from Wartime Collectables for about $150. I searched the man up on ancestry.com, and it had only 6 entries on the Muster Roll, all as a QuarterMaster Sergeant in NY and PA. Any idea how he'd gain a rank that fast? I doubt he ever left the states. What do you guys think? This is my second named Good Conduct and I can't wait until it arrives. I think I got a pretty good deal

[Brig]

rear

[bobgee]

Brig..........I looked at him on Ancestry.com. Apparently he was enlisted as a QMSgt in some special program to perform some special tasks in and around New York. He served less than 2 years. This would have qualified him for a rim-numbered 'Duration of War' GCM but apparently around 1921/22 he received a standard fully engraved medal. Most unusual from a medal collector's standpoint. You got a REAL good one! Get his SRB from St. Louis and more will be revealed. I'll bet it's much less than 50 pages.

S/F................Bob

[Brig]

I noticed on Ancestry that he didn't have any roll call info the year he enlisted. delayed entry, perhaps?

 

any ideas why he'd receive a full engraved medal after he was discharged? also, it looks like he died in 1958 according to Ancestry.com, so this medal was probably sitting for a long time in the family before Andrew got it

 

I decided to use some of that money that's been sitting in my PayPal account from thinning out my collection and buy some more quality USMC pieces. glad I did with this one, placed a last minute bid and didn't check ancestry.com until afterwards!

[Dirk]

Brig: Making Quartermaster Sgt during the 1st enlistment was not uncommon. I've seen guys get assigned to a post's QM both Pvt and/or Cpl...do a good job for a year or so and get the rank when the QM leaves....saw this a lot in pre-WWI China and I've got an image of a west coast marine that did just that at Puget sound (see below). Nice medal.

[USMCR79]

While reading the reprinted extracts from "Decorations Medals, Ribbons, and Badges of the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard 1861 - 1948" I was reading the section on Marine Corps Good Conduct Medals and saw this entry:

 

"On 5 January 1944, the Secretary of the Navy (Frank Knox) authorized the award of Good Conduct Insignia to enlisted men of the Marine Corps who served during World War One and were discharged at any time between 6 April 1917 and 11 November 1918 to accept a warrant or commission or appointment in the naval or military academy"

 

Is anyone aware of any of these late application GCM's ? As far as duration of war enlisted men who accepted a commission before 11 November 1918 I can think of Gerald Thomas.....

 

Bill

[bobgee]

Howdy....I think the policy applied to Regular Marines who would have had to serve their 4-year enlistment and be reccommended for the GCM under existing policy to receive one. I know of several situations where this occurred and also have seen WIA Regular Marines who had been discharged early for wounds or illness denied the GCM. Those fellows who enlisted for the "Duration of the War" were exempted from the 4-year service requirement and automatically received a rim-numbered GCM regardless of the amount of service. There were about 50,000 of these awarded in 1920. Certainly an unfair USMC policy. Since we don't often encounter engraved, numbered GCMs in the "A" or "B" series with 1914 - 1918 dates, I'm guessing that this info was not well-publicized to eligible veterans in 1944.

Semper Fi-------Bobgee

[bobgee]

In his post today with the pics of the named WWI Victory Medal to USMC Capt. Robert Lytle, "Belleauwood" posed the question of whether the WWI Army 'Ypres-Lys' battle clasps found on WWI Victory medals in combination with 'Aviation' clasps to WWI Marines are authorized or self-awarded.

 

I have a group in my collection which answers this question However since the group itself has a story beyond the 'Ypres-Lys' clasp question I thought I'd post it here in a new thread. Thank you Dennis for 'calling the question!"

 

This Marine & former U.S. Army cavalry trooper is Emil F. Johnson. Born in Copenhagen, Denmark September 19, 1880, he enlisted in the 14th Cavalry, U.S. Army on November 1, 1901; discharged October 28, 1904, Character: “Very Good”. (1st Enlistment) He re-enlisted November 12, 1904 in the 15th Cavalry; discharged November 12, 1907, Character “Good”. (2nd Enlistment)

 

He enlisted in the Marine Corps for his first hitch on November 22, 1907 and was discharged November 21, 1911, Character: “Excellent”. (3rd Enlistment) There is no indication that he was recommended for a Good Conduct Medal. He did receive USMC Philippine Campaign #257, confirmed in his records with several entries and the medal receipt dated December 15, 1908. (The ribbon on this medal was shot and has been replaced.) His qualifying service for this USMC Philippine Campaign was as an Army Pvt, 14th U.S. Cavalry, Feb 1902 - Aug 1904. service.

 

He again re-enlisted in the 15th Cavalry, U.S. Army on November 30, 1911 serving 1-year and being discharged November 26, 1912, having served less than 1 year. (4th Enlistment)

 

He re-enlisted into the USMC again on December 17, 1912 and was discharged December 16, 1916, Character: “Excellent”. (5th Enlistment) He was awarded his first USMC GCM No. 6747 for his 5th Enlistment.

 

 

He again re-enlisted into the USMC on January 17, 1917. It was during this enlistment that he entered Marine Corps Aviation. He served in France with “B” Squadron, First Marine Aviation Force, exact duties unknown, from July 30, 1918 until December 6, 1918 when he returned to the U.S. He arrived with his aviation squadron at Port-au-Prince, Haiti on July 1, 1919. He died there of “acute alcohol poisoning on October 30, 1919“. A review of his records indicate he had problems with alcohol. His remains and personal effects were returned to the U.S. the following day aboard the U.S.S. Gulfport. Later, his wife received a WW I Victory Medal with the Aviation Clasp and the Ypres-Lys Clasp in January 1921 as confirmed by letter in his records. So it is without a doubt an 'official' award.

 

 

This is a rare Victory medal combination for USMC recipients and is only found to members of this Aviation unit, the First Marine Aviation Force. In the late Col. Al Gleim's "The Medal Letters" he discusses this unusual combination in detail on Page 94, Sect. D42. Mrs. Johnson also later received USMC 1919-1920 Haitian Campaign #2579 for which he is indicated as eligible in Smith’s compilation for that medal. This is a most unusual medal group to a Marine who unfortunately “died of the drink”. He was a Private, age 36, at the time of his death. Here is his medal group. hope you enjoy!

Semper Fi.....Bobgee

 

 

[Brig]

Well, I know the ribbon is a bit worn and frayed, but it'll be well-loved. This is the second rim numbered GC in my collection of 3 rim numbereds that I acquired cheaply (20 bucks or less) from eBay auctions that neglected to mention the rim number.

[Brig]

I've been looking for a USMC Good Cookie with a bar on it for awhile now, but they always seem to go for big bucks. Managed to snatch this one on eBay. Well worn with the ribbon tattering where the rifle suspension hangs, a common problem on Marine Good Conduct medals as any of you who collect them will know. The edges on the medal itself are a bit more round than many examples out there. The reverse of the bar is engraved by hand 'No 95585' and '1934-1938'. The medal itself, however, is unnamed and unnumbered. Why do you suppose? Was it a replacement medal the individual purchased? Or perhaps in the 30s they no longer engraved the medals for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc enlistments? Any ideas from you older medal collectors? thanks

 

a well worn, but nice piece welcomed into my USMC Good Conduct Medal Collection. Lucky number 8 (10 if you count the minis).

[Brig]

bar engraving...

[bobgee]

I've been looking for a USMC Good Cookie with a bar on it for awhile now, but they always seem to go for big bucks. Managed to snatch this one on eBay. Well worn with the ribbon tattering where the rifle suspension hangs, a common problem on Marine Good Conduct medals as any of you who collect them will know. The edges on the medal itself are a bit more round than many examples out there. The reverse of the bar is engraved by hand 'No 95585' and '1934-1938'. The medal itself, however, is unnamed and unnumbered. Why do you suppose? Was it a replacement medal the individual purchased? Or perhaps in the 30s they no longer engraved the medals for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc enlistments? Any ideas from you older medal collectors? thanks

 

a well worn, but nice piece welcomed into my USMC Good Conduct Medal Collection. Lucky number 8 (10 if you count the minis).

 

Tim - This piece is likely a replacement medal with re-enlistment bar added. Or, an un-named specimen to which someone added a loose, issued bar. No. 95585's original 1st Enlistment Named medal was awarded in 1934. I have Medal No. 95597 in my collection. "No. 95597 WILLIAM V. LYNES - 1st Enlistment 1930 - 1934" (Harris Type VII)(S) (B. 01/02/1909, D. 11/22/1974 MSgt )"

Semper Fi....Bob

[Brig]

the wear of the ribbon on the edges around the bar indicate that this bar has been on there for quite some time, looks like decades, so I'm inclined to think he replaced his original medal. Is there a reference to determine the 'types' of this medal? I haven't seen one yet

 

Thanks for the info, Bob.

[bobgee]

the wear of the ribbon on the edges around the bar indicate that this bar has been on there for quite some time, looks like decades, so I'm inclined to think he replaced his original medal. Is there a reference to determine the 'types' of this medal? I haven't seen one yet

 

Thanks for the info, Bob.

 

George Harris, GBHMedals on EBay, many years ago published an article which "typed" the styles of engraving found on USMC GCMs. Many Medal Collectors are familiar with the types and often use them in their descriptions. The medals themselves have almost no differences in the planchet, the most common difference being the chocolate brown coloring on the first issues in 1896, about 200 pieces. The first and second types also had two different types of open catches, which often broke, up until about 1911/12. Then the catch was replaced with a lock & roller type which continued until the bar was eliminated. Scott Smith of San Diego has recently published a GCM refererence which incorporates the "Harris Engraving Types" Search on Google.

Semper Fi....Bob

[barker944]

Here is an update for those collectors of rim numbered Marine Corps Good Conduct Medals. Sometime after WW1 Culver Military Academy (a military prep school in Culver, Indiana) suveyed it's alumni who were veterans of the Great War. Based on that survey an analyis was done corelating enlistment dates and GCM rim nos. This was detailed in OMSA's Medal Collector. I don't remember the year and issue number but perhaps a forum member with the index can look it up. I'm not sure how many Marines we're talking about but some should be traceable thru this source. This school is still in operation - you should be able to google it for contact info.

 

 

Jim

[Mark M]

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