A double V bar to a long-serving enlisted Marine. The devices are dark bronze, the one on the Commendation almost black. Interesting combo without Korean War Service.   Patent of the mounting bar is from the late '50s.

Here is what I have observed from seeing many of these belts. There are pre-June 1944 contract dated examples with 2 buttons and 3 buttons. Likewise, there are post June 1944 examples of both. From what I have seen, the 3 button is more commonly encountered in the earlier dated belts. Also, most of the two button belts I've seen are army contract belts. In fact, I struggle to remember if I have ever seen a 2 button navy contract belt. I have also never seen a D-Day picture of a soldier with a 2 button belt. Were I to speculate, I would say that the army simply drew from navy stocks already on the boats, resulting in there being only 3 button belts seen during D-day. Paratroopers during Market Garden were known to wear them and I would assume these are drawn from Army stocks and thus would be 2 buttons. 

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15+ year bump for coolness and comments   Carry On

Very nice

Joint Task Force Eight (JTF-8)     When the Soviet Union resumed nuclear atmospheric testing in September 1961, the United States responded with its own testing in Operation Dominic I. These tests took place from April to November 1962. In addition, the Navy conducted two tests in May 1962. Questions exist about the level of radiation exposure crewmen were subjected to during these tests.  

One kid got the sword, one kid got the scabbard- and then the sword fight began!

Hi all,    I can’t believe my luck lately. I found this for a whopping $45 at the local indoor “flea market” (ie. junk store). Missing the CIB (as usual) and one of the infantry blue collar disc backings.  Astounding that its a silver star winner, but I have no idea who it could be. Even more, a 32nd infantry regiment man (same as me from 2012-2015)   does anyone have a spare 1950’s infantry disc backing they could spare?  

Title: Barracks Craft (APL -26) Caption: Serving as mothership for United States Landing Craft and tugs of mobile riverine force of task force 117 in The Republic of Vietnam, November 1967.