Expert: Jason Grabill - 9/27/2004

Question
I am a junior high school teacher and we are learning about WWII.  We are searching the internet, but finding it difficult to locate information about medals.  I would like to know what types of duties you recieve medals for.  My students have also come up with some questions.  

1-What is the highest ranking Medal you can get?
2-Are there different types of Medals for each branch of the military?
3-For each task or assignment, would there be a different Medal of Honor?
4-Do you know any resources (books, magazines, websites) we can use to further our research?

Thanks,
Miss Miller's History Class

Answer
Miss Miller (and class):

  Sounds like you are really getting into the WWII stuff...most classes don't get this in depth..(I wish mine had!).  Very cool question.  I'll answer each one in turn..

1.  The highest medal an American Military person can get is the Medal of Honor.  Some call it the Congressional Medal of Honor, but the proper name is just "Medal of Honor".  Here is a website about the MOH...

http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/moh1.htm

 Go to the website that lists WWII.  I also suggest you read some of the citations for the Medal of Honor...you will be awed at what these men have done.

 2.  Yes, there are different types of medals for each branch of the military, as well as the Coast Guard.  This gets a bit complicated at times, but think of the awarding of medals like a pyramid:  The highest, the Medal of Honor, is at the top.  Altho each branch of the service has a differently designed MOH, they are the same award.  Next down comes the Distinguished Service Cross/Navy Cross/Air Force Cross.  This is also a valor award.  Following that are a whole slew of other medals awarded for "Meritorous performance of duty" that don't neccessarily involve combat.  The next highest valor award is the Silver Star.  Followed by the Bronze Star (with 'V' means 'Valor', without 'V' means 'meritorous service').  Each branch then has it's own 'Commendation' medals, the Army Commendation Medal, Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Coast Guard Commendation Medal, and the Air Force Commendation Medal.  These can also have a "V" attached, for Valor in combat.  Lastly, there are the Achievement Medals, Army Achievement, Navy & Marine Corps Achievement, Air Force Achievement, Coast Guard Acheivement medals.  They can also have "V" affixed, denoting Valor.  

 See how the pyramid works?   The braver the act, the higher the award.  You don't have to get the others to get the Medal of Honor.  (Some countries do do this, most notably Germany during WWII....a lengthy topic I won't get into, but suffice to say a soldier had to earn each level of the pyramid before moving on to the next. The highest German medal, somewhat equivlant to our Medal of Honor, was the Knights Cross to the Iron Cross).

  3.  No, for each task or assignment, there would be only 1 Medal of Honor.  However, there are very, very, few people who have ever gotten a second Medal of Honor, and most of them were given out during the time period of the Civil War to World War 1.  No second award of the Medal of Honor has been given since then.  Usually, once someone wins the MOH, they are pulled from the combat zone.

  4.  The best resource I can give is probably google.  The resarch on this could be very, very, in depth.  

I'll give you some help, tho.  

 The 'pyramid' I spoke of was instituted around the WWII time period, basically because it was felt that some acts of valor were of a higher level than others, and vice versa, so they needed a medal to recognize them.  There is also the topic of 'Campaign' Medals, awarded for participation in a certain action or theatre of operations.  The WWII period produced 5 of these types of awards.

1st:  The American Defense Service Medal:  Here is the website:   http://foxfall.com/csm-common-adsm.htm

Basically awarded to draftees and volunteers who served prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor.

2-4:  American Campaign, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medals:  Awarded for service in these theatres of war.  The American Campaign medal was for service in the area of the United STates

5:  World War 2 Victory Medal:  Awarded to any serving member of the military during the time period of WWII.

This is an excellent website and a great discussion of campaign medals:  http://foxfall.com/csm.htm


  Finally, as to awards, most veterans of WWII came home with at least 2 medals, usually more.  Contrast this to todays military, who typically sport 13-15 medals after a tour in the combat zone.

 The medals/ribbons that a WWII Army veteran of the European Campaign would typically have are as follows:

 Good Conduct Medal (awarded for staying out of trouble for 3 years, not a valor award), European Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal.  If the vet was an active infantryman (most guys were not, it takes about 100 men to support the guy with the rifle in the foxhole), he may have a Bronze Star (every Infantryman in WWII was issued a Bronze Star Medal in late 1944 for combat service).  He would also have a Combat Infantrymans Badge, which is a Kentucky flintlock rifle on a blue enamel background, surrounded by a wreath.  This signified the man had been in combat.   Chances are, he may have a Purple heart as well; this medal is awarded for wounds (or death) due to enemy action (you don't have to be in the Infantry to get it).  

So, hopefully, that is not too much information at one time.  Don't hesitate to write back if you have more questions/comments or concerns.

Best Regards,

Jason Grabill