Help with military question

[TwoSpirits]

John B,

You are very fortunate to have so much information about your dad's service right at your fingertips. Very fortunate.

The two pins on the uniform lapels are called Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI), and these DUI are for the 35th Signal Company.

As others have said, the patch above the right breast pocket is the Honorable Service or Discharge patch -- it was nicknamed "the ruptured duck", and was given to military personnel when they mustered out of service. (In the medal presentation box that you have, you will also see it came as a lapel pin.) Honorably discharged personnel received this to wear on their uniforms even though they were no longer in service because they most often did not have civilian clothes immediately available to them. Wearing the patch on the uniform would have provided some benefits as they travelled home, as would wearing the lapel pin on their civilian clothes.

As others have said, the ribbons over the left pocket are (as pictured) American Campaign; Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign, with 5 bronze campaign stars; American Defense Sevice; and Army Good Conduct. The medals in your presentation box are the same, except it also has the Occupation Medal.

The rectangular red pin at the bottom of the case is the Meritorious Unit Commendation. Your dad's uniform shows the earlier, embroidered version on the lower right sleeve, but at some point the Army changed that over to the red pin; it would be worn centered over the right breast pocket (not both types at once, however.)

The European Campaign medal in the box has 1 silver campaign star; this is the same as having the 5 bronze campaign stars as shown on the medal on the uniform. The campaigns that the 35th Infantry Division were credited with were: Normandy, Northern France, Alsace-Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe.

If you wanted to complete the ribbon rack on the uniform, you only need to add the Occupation medal. If you want the rack to be really accurate, they just need to be placed differently, as they are "out of order" -- the military uses an order of precedence for wearing the decorations. I believe the proper placement would be (from the viewer's perspective): top row, left to right -- Good Conduct, American Service (yellow), and American Campaign (blue); bottom row, left to right -- European Campaign, WWII VIctory, and then the Occupation medal.

I had to laugh when I read that your dad spent the was "driving a jeep lost, reading maps that made no sense, and trying not to cross over enemy lines..." My dad was a radio operator in a anti-aircraft battalion, and he said practically the same thing!

You are fortunate to have these items as well as so much of your dad's information and memories. Take good care of them. I know that I can't measure up to any of these men & women who served, but I can be a steward and pass their memories on.

And hey -- hang around Whiteblaze and go for a hike!

[One Half]

I believe that the stripes on the lower left sleeve are service stripes. He may have gotten one for each year he was overseas.

I bet your Dad had some great stories.

one stripe for every 3 years of service. So that would be 12 years up to 15 years that he served. once he made 15 years, he would be due another. those generally take a while to receive depending on the unit and how "on top of it" they were.

[One Half]

if your dad is deceased you may request his full service record. there may be much more info in there than what you have. (if he's still living he can request the record).

Here's a link about how to request his service record
https://www.usa.gov/military-records

Yes, many records were "burned." some of those are actually being restored.
If you want I can do a search on Fold3 for service records for him. It's a paid site that many who do family history research use. Also, you could look for unit histories and sometimes you will end up with photos! I'm hoping some day that my father's records will be restored.

Also, the state where he enlisted in will sometimes have some info on his service as veterans at the end of WWII were encouraged to "file copies" with their home state. I think this had to do with VA benefits and GI bill.

[Wyoming]

Originally Posted by thestin
I believe that the stripes on the lower left sleeve are service stripes. He may have gotten one for each year he was overseas.

I bet your Dad had some great stories.



[/QUOTE]one stripe for every 3 years of service. So that would be 12 years up to 15 years that he served. once he made 15 years, he would be due another. those generally take a while to receive depending on the unit and how "on top of it" they were.[QUOTE]

Both of these comments are incorrect.

The hash marks on the 'left' sleeve of the picture consist of 1 Service stripe (you can barely see it at the bottom of the pic) and 4 WWII Overseas bars (one was worn for each 6 months of combat service overseas).

. Service Stripes, or "Hash Marks", (awarded for every 3 years of service) were worn on the lower left sleeve. World War I Overseas Chevrons [created 1918] and/or World War II Overseas Bars [created 1944] (awarded for each six months combat service overseas) were worn on the lower left sleeve between the elbow and lower sleeve, but above the Service Stripes. The World War II Bars were worn over the World War I Chevrons. After 1953 the Service Stripes were kept on the lower left sleeve and the Overseas Service Stripes were moved to the lower right sleeve.

[One Half]

Both of these comments are incorrect.

The hash marks on the 'left' sleeve of the picture consist of 1 Service stripe (you can barely see it at the bottom of the pic) and 4 WWII Overseas bars (one was worn for each 6 months of combat service overseas).

. Service Stripes, or "Hash Marks", (awarded for every 3 years of service) were worn on the lower left sleeve. World War I Overseas Chevrons [created 1918] and/or World War II Overseas Bars [created 1944] (awarded for each six months combat service overseas) were worn on the lower left sleeve between the elbow and lower sleeve, but above the Service Stripes. The World War II Bars were worn over the World War I Chevrons. After 1953 the Service Stripes were kept on the lower left sleeve and the Overseas Service Stripes were moved to the lower right sleeve.

Ah, you are correct. I didn't see the lower service stripe for 3 years service. saw the 4 stripes and thought they were service stripes, not overseas bars/stripes.