Please help identify this Marine's medal

[jcroach1]

My Father-in-law served in the USMC from 1951 to 1953, serving one year in Korea. His uniform and medals, including his Purple Heart are long gone. Lost or hoarded by one of my wife's 5 siblings. I'd like to get replacements or buy replicas of his medals for my wife as a surprise.

 

According to his discharge papers, he earned the following medals:

• Purple Heart
  
• United Nations Service Medal
  
• Korean Service Medal with 3 stars
  

I was surprised to not see the National Defense Service Medal on the list. According to this photo we have of his uniform, there are 4 ribbons shown. Can anyone help me identify them? I know it's a bad photo. I believe the one in the top row is his Purple Heart and the one in the middle of the lower row is his Korean Service Medal with one of his 3 stars. The one on the right may be the United Nations Service Medal. No idea about the one on the left.

 

Any help?

[teufelhunde.ret]

Appears to be the Presidential Unit Citation

[Kadet]

..Yes, it is the PUC. He would also rate the NDSM and probably a retroactive Combat Action Ribbon (CAR). The vet or his NOK can write to SECNAV to have his awards officially updated. I would suggest having the medals/ribbons mounted and framed. This company does a very nice job w/ mounted medals and custom ribbons.

 

http://www.ultrathin.com/

 

This website will tell you everything you need to know about the retroactive awards. Click "Veterans" link

 

https://awards.navy.mil/awards/webbas01.nsf...tm?OpenDocument

 

The PUC and CAR do not have medals, only the ribbon.

[Jack's Son]

That would bring him up to date, and make a nice display.

I'm sure you can find period replacements for each of them.

(No need for the CAR.)

[jcroach1]

..Yes, it is the PUC. He would also rate the NDSM and probably a retroactive Combat Action Ribbon (CAR). The vet or his NOK can write to SECNAV to have his awards officially updated. I would suggest having the medals/ribbons mounted and framed. This company does a very nice job w/ mounted medals and custom ribbons.

 

http://www.ultrathin.com/

 

This website will tell you everything you need to know about the retroactive awards. Click "Veterans" link

 

https://awards.navy.mil/awards/webbas01.nsf...tm?OpenDocument

 

The PUC and CAR do not have medals, only the ribbon.

 

Thank you to everyone! This is the first I've heard of the Combat Action Ribbon.

 

Which website is more appropriate, that navy,mil one or http://archives.gov/veterans/military-serv...ce-records.html?

 

I'm not sure it matters, but he is deceased.

 

I think he may also be eligible for the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation (Ribbon) and the Korean War Service Medal. Would that make sense? Since these were issued by the Republic of Korea, where would I go to request these for him?

 

On a similar line, I think my father (US Army, 1953-1956) may be eligible for the Korea Defense Service Medal. I believe his was in Korea for at least 2 months during the eligibility period (post July 28, 1954). This was created in 2002. Is there some sort of application form online for this?

 

He may also be eligible for the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation (Ribbon). Is it correct that it was retroactively awarded to members of the US army serving in Korea between 1950 and 1954?

 

I plan on mounting his medals and ribbons, as well as my father's and displaying them in shadowboxes. You'll be seeing more of me!

[Kadet]

Thank you to everyone! This is the first I've heard of the Combat Action Ribbon.

 

Which website is more appropriate, that navy,mil one or http://archives.gov/veterans/military-serv...ce-records.html?

 

I'm not sure it matters, but he is deceased.

 

I think he may also be eligible for the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation (Ribbon) and the Korean War Service Medal. Would that make sense? Since these were issued by the Republic of Korea, where would I go to request these for him?

 

On a similar line, I think my father (US Army, 1953-1956) may be eligible for the Korea Defense Service Medal. I believe his was in Korea for at least 2 months during the eligibility period (post July 28, 1954). This was created in 2002. Is there some sort of application form online for this?

 

He may also be eligible for the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation (Ribbon). Is it correct that it was retroactively awarded to members of the US army serving in Korea between 1950 and 1954?

 

I plan on mounting his medals and ribbons, as well as my father's and displaying them in shadowboxes. You'll be seeing more of me!

 

 

 

To have his record officially updated to include his missing/retroactive awards, use the website I posted. You may have to poke around a bit in there though. This site only applies to Navy/Marine awards. You could just assume that he rates these and add them to the display anyway...but I would take the extra step of having his record updated. Your wife can probably do this as NOK. The CAR wasn't created until 1969, but it was recently made retroactive to encompass WWII and Korea.

[jcroach1]

I'm bumping an old thread of mine.

 

I just received my father-in-law's medals from the Navy. I was surprised to NOT receive a Presidential Unit Citation in the package. Instead I received a Navy Unit Commendation. Neither the PUC nor the NUC were listed in his records. Looking at his records and comparing them to the dates for the PUC for the Marines in Korea, I think this is correct. He was definitely part of the 1st Marine Division when they were awarded the NUC for action in Korea in 1952–1953. He was part of 2 different training battalions when the 1st was awarded the PUC in 1951.

 

Would that make sense that he wasn't awarded the PUC? Were the training battalions in the 1950s part of the 1st Marine Division or the 2nd Marine Division? Are recruits/trainees (sorry, i don't know the correct term) generally not eligible for awards such as the PUC?

 

I wonder why he wore it in this photo? The photo was taken after he was awarded the Purple Hearts, so it would have been late 1952 or early 1953.

 

Oh, and in case anyone is interested, they did not award him the Combat Action Ribbon.

 

Thoughts? Thanks.

 

Jim

[BigJohn#3RD]

I know that when a soldier is assigned to a unit that has previously received a unit award PUC, VUA, JUMA, Croix de Gerrie Forrage etc the soldier wears them as long as he is assigned to the unit but stop wearing the awards when he departs the unit. I believe that it may have been that way for the marines a while back because I have see pictures of WWII Marine in 1st MARDIV wearing French Croix de Gerrie Forrage which was awarded to the unit in WWI. Maybe a USMC SME can confirm or deny what I have made a SWAG at. :think:

Regards

John

[jcroach1]

I know that when a soldier is assigned to a unit that has previously received a unit award PUC, VUA, JUMA, Croix de Gerrie Forrage etc the soldier wears them as long as he is assigned to the unit but stop wearing the awards when he departs the unit. I believe that it may have been that way for the marines a while back because I have see pictures of WWII Marine in 1st MARDIV wearing French Croix de Gerrie Forrage which was awarded to the unit in WWI. Maybe a USMC SME can confirm or deny what I have made a SWAG at. :think:

Regards

John

 

thanks for the reply. The little bit of research that I've done suggests that the Marines do not permit wearing of these citations unless the Marine was a member of the unit at the time the citation was given.

 

I don't know if this was the case in the 1950s.

 

I found this link: http://usmilitary.about.com/library/milinf...lunitawards.htm

 

"Transient, limited active duty for training (less than 30 days), special active duty (of limited duration), and temporary duty personnel assigned to the cited unit are normally not eligible" Would this apply to the training battalions?

[jcroach1]

Bump. Can anyone else shine light on this?

 

I'm bumping an old thread of mine.

 

I just received my father-in-law's medals from the Navy. I was surprised to NOT receive a Presidential Unit Citation in the package. Instead I received a Navy Unit Commendation. Neither the PUC nor the NUC were listed in his records. Looking at his records and comparing them to the dates for the PUC for the Marines in Korea, I think this is correct. He was definitely part of the 1st Marine Division when they were awarded the NUC for action in Korea in 1952–1953. He was part of 2 different training battalions when the 1st was awarded the PUC in 1951.

 

Would that make sense that he wasn't awarded the PUC? Were the training battalions in the 1950s part of the 1st Marine Division or the 2nd Marine Division? Are recruits/trainees (sorry, i don't know the correct term) generally not eligible for awards such as the PUC?

 

I wonder why he wore it in this photo? The photo was taken after he was awarded the Purple Hearts, so it would have been late 1952 or early 1953.

 

Oh, and in case anyone is interested, they did not award him the Combat Action Ribbon.

 

Thoughts? Thanks.

 

Jim

[jcroach1]

I'm bumping an old thread of mine.

 

I just received my father-in-law's medals from the Navy. I was surprised to NOT receive a Presidential Unit Citation in the package. Instead I received a Navy Unit Commendation. Neither the PUC nor the NUC were listed in his records. Looking at his records and comparing them to the dates for the PUC for the Marines in Korea, I think this is correct. He was definitely part of the 1st Marine Division when they were awarded the NUC for action in Korea in 1952–1953. He was part of 2 different training battalions when the 1st was awarded the PUC in 1951.

 

Would that make sense that he wasn't awarded the PUC? Were the training battalions in the 1950s part of the 1st Marine Division or the 2nd Marine Division? Are recruits/trainees (sorry, i don't know the correct term) generally not eligible for awards such as the PUC?

 

I wonder why he wore it in this photo? The photo was taken after he was awarded the Purple Hearts, so it would have been late 1952 or early 1953.

 

Oh, and in case anyone is interested, they did not award him the Combat Action Ribbon.

 

Thoughts? Thanks.

 

Jim

 

One more bump.

[seanmc1114]

Following is some information primarily coming from the Navy Awards Manual:

 

1. This issue has been dealt with in another post on this site (http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=26488), and maybe some Navy experts can chime in, but my understanding is that at least during WWII and probably Korea as well, a small bronze or sometimes blue star device similar to campaign stars was worn on the Navy PUC to signify that the wearer was assigned to the unit and present for duty during the action that earned the award. Check out reply #3 on post I referenced.

 

The lack of a star on your father-in-law's PUC ribbon in the picture probably means that he was only wearing it while assigned to a unit that had earned it before his assignment.

 

2. At the time the picture was taken, the Navy Unit Commendation had probably not been awarded to his unit, thus he would not be wearing it. With unit awards, it was very common for a service member to have participated in a qualifying action and be long be discharged before the award was approved. As a consequence, all of his unit awards may not have appeared in his official records. That would also be true of the National Defense Service Medal which was awarded for service during the Korean War but not actually created until 1954. That is why you seldom see any period uniforms or photos of uniforms with that ribbon. In fact, any uniform with the NDSM would have to be from after the war ended.

 

3. It is also my understanding that while many specific units were awarded the Korean PUC during the war, at some point after the war the South Korean government made a blanket award to all American personnel serving during the Korean War. Again, per the current Navy Awards Manual:

 

"Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation

a. Authorization. Awarded by the President of the Republic of Korea, and approved by SECNAV for wear by eligible

Naval service personnel.

b. Eligibility Requirements. Authorized for wear by personnel who served with certain commands or with units of

those commands that were individually cited by the President of the Republic of Korea for service in Korea. Lists of

eligible units are maintained by CNO and CMC.

c. Eligible Operations. The following operations have been designated as eligible for the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit

Citation. Note: Service stars are not authorized for wear on this award.

Task Force 90 01 Jul 50 to 31 Mar 51

1st Provisional Marine Brigade 02 Aug 50 to 06 Sep 50

1st Marine Aircraft Wing 03 Aug 50 to 26 Feb 51

Task Force 95 12 Sep 50 to 03 Aug 51

1st Marine Division 15 Sep 50 to 27 Sep 50

1st Marine Division 26 Oct 50 to 27 Jul 53"

 

4. In addition, he should also be entitled to the Korean War Service Medal which was originally offered to U.S. personnel by the South Korean government in 1954 but not approved by the U.S. government until 1999. Here are the criteria from the Navy Awards Manual:

 

"Republic of Korea War Service Medal

a. Authorization. Awarded by the Republic of Korea Minister of Defense and accepted by SECDEF on 20 August 1999.

b. Eligibility Requirements. Military personnel, workers, and policemen who either served in or through some special

duty deployed to and returned from the combat zone during the Korean War from 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953.

c. Information on obtaining this medal is available online at https://awards.navy.mil."

 

5. Finally, when the Navy/Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon was originally created in 1969, it was only retroactive to 1961. However, in 1999 it was made retroactive to December 7, 1941. From the Navy Awards Manual:

 

"The principal eligibility criterion is, regardless of military occupational specialty or rating, the individual must have

rendered satisfactory performance under enemy fire while actively participating in a ground or surface engagement.

Neither service in a combat area nor being awarded the Purple Heart Medal automatically makes a service member

eligible for the Combat Action Ribbon (CR)."

 

Hopes this helps.

[jcroach1]

Thank you very much! This was extremely helpful.

 

I have a couple of questions about this:

 

3. It is also my understanding that while many specific units were awarded the Korean PUC during the war, at some point after the war the South Korean government made a blanket award to all American personnel serving during the Korean War. Again, per the current Navy Awards Manual:

 

"Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation

a. Authorization. Awarded by the President of the Republic of Korea, and approved by SECNAV for wear by eligible

Naval service personnel.

b. Eligibility Requirements. Authorized for wear by personnel who served with certain commands or with units of

those commands that were individually cited by the President of the Republic of Korea for service in Korea. Lists of

eligible units are maintained by CNO and CMC.

c. Eligible Operations. The following operations have been designated as eligible for the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit

Citation. Note: Service stars are not authorized for wear on this award.

Task Force 90 01 Jul 50 to 31 Mar 51

1st Provisional Marine Brigade 02 Aug 50 to 06 Sep 50

1st Marine Aircraft Wing 03 Aug 50 to 26 Feb 51

Task Force 95 12 Sep 50 to 03 Aug 51

1st Marine Division 15 Sep 50 to 27 Sep 50

1st Marine Division 26 Oct 50 to 27 Jul 53"

 

I had read on the web that this was the case for the Army during Korea, but I wasn't able to verify it on the board. Do you have any similar knowledge or language about the blanket awarding of the Korea PUC for Army units? My Dad served in the Army from March 5, 1953 to March 19, 1956. He was in Korea September 53 to September 54. This was after the cease fire. I've always assumed that he was not eligible for the Korea PUC even if there was a blanket award. He was awarded the NDSM, Korea Service Medal, and UN Korea Medal however.