Help from military/WW2 types

The small stars indicate repeated awards. On a campaign medal they probably indicate each campaign he was in.

The little stars signify participation in a campaign area. So he qualified in at least two different campaign theaters and participated in three campaigns in the Asiatic theater.

d. A bronze star is worn on the ribbon to indicate participation in designated campaigns. The designated campaigns for the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and inscriptions used on the Army Flag streamer set are:

• Philippine Island 7 Dec 41 - 10 May 42 * Burma, 1942 7 Dec 41 - 26 May 42 * Central Pacific 7 Dec 41 - 6 Dec 43 * East Indies 1 Jan 42 - 22 Jul 42 * India-Burma 2 Apr 42 - 28 Jan 45 * Air Offensive, Japan 17 Apr 42 - 2 Sep 45 * Aleutian Islands 3 Jun 42 - 24 Aug 43 * China Defensive 4 Jul 42 - 4 May 45 * Papua 23 Jul 42 - 23 Jan 43 * Guadalcanal 7 Aug 42 - 21 Feb 43 * New Guinea 24 Jan 43 - 31 Dec 44 * Northern Solomons 22 Feb 43 - 21 Nov 44 * Eastern Mandates 7 Dec 43 - 14 Jun 44 * Bismarck Archipelago 15 Dec 43 - 27 Nov 44 * Western Pacific 17 Apr 44 - 2 Sep 45 * Lyete 17 Oct 44 - 1 Jul 45 * Luzon 15 Dec 44 - 4 Jul 45 * Central Burma 29 Jan 45 - 15 Jul 45 * Southern Philippines 27 Feb 45 - 4 Jul 45 * Ryukyus 26 Mar 45 - 2 Jul 45 * China Offensive 5 May 45 - 2 Sep 45 * * Antisubmarine 7 Dec 41 - 2 Sep 45 * * Ground Combat: 7 Dec 41 - 2 Sep 45 * * Air Combat: 7 Dec 41 - 2 Sep 45

It means your Dad saw some Bad Shit (tm)

My respects to him.

Gunner

I am the Sword of my Family and the Shield of my Nation. If sent, I will crush everything you have built, burn everything you love, and kill every one of you. (Hebrew quote)

I used to thumb through his scrapbook when I was a kid. All of his ribbon awards on the front, and I didn't have a clue. He wouldn't talk about it. LOTS of photos, some color 8 x 10's before bombing, during bombing, and after bombing of the same locations. Bombs as they were leaving the plane. Lots of pictures showing him in a boneyard of shot up P51's and lots of others, probably scrounging parts. Others around camp, playing baseball, whatever. He was a flight engineer. (Is that it.) Sergeant USAC. I remember the names Borneo and Balikapapan on some of the pics.

They had four WW II planes fly over at his funeral, one a bomber.

Steve

"Gunner Asch" wrote

Thanks for your information.

I figured he did. I met Paul Tibbetts at the National Business Aviation Association convention in Vegas a few years ago. Got an autographed book and picture. Neat old guy. In his book, he relates of people shot to pieces all around him.

You can't be in that tight of quarters, be in that much AA and other aircraft firing at you, and not take a lot of hits. He was never wounded, though. Am trying to research just what battles he actually was in, and some of his history.

The records we got to get the medals were copies that were in a fire, and they were all scorched around every edge. But I guess it was meant to be, because they lost a lot of men's records in that fire.

Steve

Kansas City fire?

Ayup...lots of records lost in that one

I am the Sword of my Family and the Shield of my Nation. If sent, I will crush everything you have built, burn everything you love, and kill every one of you. (Hebrew quote)

My dad was a WAC recruiter in CO, we still can't figure out how he was awarded a Purple Heart.

JAP slap?

It may have been intended for someone with a similar name. There were a lot of errors in the DOD's paper records. You see it in the news from time to time where some W.W.-I W.W.-II or even later was finally awarded a medal they were supposed to get.

I noticed they had GSA part numbers but looking them up didn't help a lot. I only tried one since the resolution wasn't that good or my eyes that great.

I wonder what happened to dads dress greens with his ribbons. Dad is isn't my biodad since mom remarried but I bet my two sisters and a brother would like to know what he went through in WWII. He had a lot of ribbons with devices attached. He was fond of using chunks of the rubber sealing washers from German beer bottles with the wire bail to replace the metal things that held on to the pins. Cheap bastard ;)

Wes

Oh! Tawm - thou art a great pacifier.

My dad was a WAC recruiter in CO, we still can't figure out how he was awarded a Purple Heart.

Oooooooooh!!! Thats worth thinking about...isnt it?!!

I am the Sword of my Family and the Shield of my Nation. If sent, I will crush everything you have built, burn everything you love, and kill every one of you. (Hebrew quote)

A paper cut? :-)

A stack of TMs dropped on his foot?

Enjoy, DoN.

what he went

Perhaps he felt that the Germans owed him something, and this was a way to collect? :-)

What I wonder is what the process was for selecting the fabric patterns for the ribbons -- each has to be unique, and I suspect was a custom weave ordered from a fabric provider.

Hmm ... I wonder where my Father's ribbons wound up when we split the estate. He was Navy, and I think was stuck in Washington during the action in WW-II. I know that he collected photos and engravings of naval ships throughout history.

Enjoy, DoN.

I think he got the purple dong first, then the heart.

-- Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed. -- Storm Jameson

Did you ever see him when he had his Purple Heart on?

WAC stands for Women's Army Corps, Don. Think about it for a sec. Doesn't that bring new (and lascivious) thoughts to mind?

-- Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed. -- Storm Jameson

And JAP is a Jewish-American Princess, answering that rudeness with a zetz upside the head.

LOL, now that's bad.

karl