Researching American #d awards: Please help the stupid Dane again!

[Bjoern Clausen]

Hello there,

I have some questions I hope someone can help me with…


The questions:

1. How do you research a numbered medal? Is it possible? If it is, is this information available for non-us-citizens?
2. Is there a database somewhere, where it is possible to find US-soldiers service records by name?
3. I know there is a database for Vietnam KIA’s. Are there databases for WWII/Korea/Vietnam KIA/MIA/POW/WIA?

If you're not already tired of my endless questions, I'd like to ask you two more:

1. What is the difference between silver and a bronze oak leave on a US ribbon?
2. And what is the difference between silver and a bronze star on a US ribbon?


You might think the questions are stupid, but I really need the information!

I've been collecting German awards and medals for about 13 years...
But for about a year ago I started collecting U.S named or numbered medals, medals with documented history and other U.S quality medals.

I live in Denmark, and it is quite difficult to get answers to the simplest question here!

That's why I ask you!

Any help would be appreciated!!!

Thank you in advance,

Bjoern Clausen

[TJ Suter]

I can only answer a couple of your questions:

Bronze Oak Leaf - represents second and subsequent entitlements of awards

Silver Oak Leaf - a silver oak leaf is worn for the 6th, 11th, or in lieu of 5 bronze oak leaf clusters

Bronze Star - for designated battles, campaignes, or additional awards

Silver Star - equals 5 bronze stars

[Dave Danner]

On the stars, to clarify:

Small bronze and silver service stars are for campaigns and are worn on campaign medals. These are 3/16 inch (0.48cm) in diameter.

For the Navy and Marine Corps, larger gold and silver stars (5/16 inch in diameter) are used instead of the bronze and silver oakleaves the Army and Air Force use for repeat awards.

On the numbered campaign medals, there are lists somewhere for most of them. Jeff Floyd would probably know best how to get them.

Dave

[Bjoern Clausen]

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[Bill D.]

Bjoern...

First of all, read this sentence very carefully:

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A STUPID QUESTIO!!!

Asking questions is how all of us learn about our areas of collecting.

Now, as to the oak leaf emblems: If you were awarded a medal or decoration OTHER than a campaign medal for a second time, you wore a bronze oak leaf on the ribbon to represent a second award. If you received it a third time, you received a second bronze oak leaf to represent the third award. You would wear a silver oak leaf for every five bronze oak leaf devices.

Sometimes, if an award was received many times, the soldier would wear a number on the ribbon. This hapened in viet Nam with the Helicopter pilots and the Air Medal. I met a pilot who was officially given credt for 54 Air Medals. On the Air Medal ribbon on his uniform he wore the number "54".

As Dave has discussed, this is the Army system, and the Navy and Marine Corps use stars instead of oak leaf devices.

On a campaign medal, the soldier wears bronze stars for each official campaign in which he served. For every five campaigns he wears a silver star.

As to the data base on American soldiers:

Some numbered medals can be researched just on the number, but it depends on what medal it is.

I have a list of all Americans killed in World War II and Korea, as well as Viet Nam. If you would like a name checked, I would be happy to do it for you.

I know that a list exists for at least the WW II P.O.W.'s, but I don't have it myself. another Forum member might have a copy.

I don't know of any listing of soldiers that were wounded.

With certain information about a soldier you can get some materials from the U.S. Government, if the soldier's file was not destroyed in a fire that they had several years ago.

I hope that this information is of some help.

Bill

[Bjoern Clausen]

PD Sergeant, Dave and Bill,

THANKYOU very much!!!

Exactly the information’s I needed! (For now!)

I have an Airmedal with four silver oak leaves attached to the ribbon! I guess that means the man received the medal twenty-one times! (Correct me if I’m wrong!)

(Maybe my questions aren’t “stupid”. But when you are a “beginner” on the U.S militaria, I’m sure that some of my questions seems too simple to some of all you American experts.
I’ve posted some threads a few times now – And every time I do it, I’m always wondering if someone really would take their time to answer these simple questions!
Luckily there’s always been an answer! – And thanks for that, to all who helped me on this and other subjects.)

I’ve got some names that you might want to check for me Bill?
I would be very gratefull!
I haven’t been able to find a lot about these soldiers.

Ernest H. Beattie ( I have NO information’s on him!) (Bronze Star Medal)
Van R. Auburn (SP4 Vietnam?) (Bronze star medal, Purple Heart)

The other named medals I got, is all from U.S Vietnam KIA's.
I've been able to find some great information on:
"Wall on the Web" http://grunt.space.swri.edu/thewall/thewallm.html

But it's not every time the informations tell you the division or major organization of the soldier.

Is it possible for a Danish collector to obtain information’s on soldiers records from the U.S Government? And if that’s possible, how do you do it?

Thanks again!

Regards,

Bjoern

[Bill D.]

Bjoern...

I will check on those names for you, with pleasure.

Also, when it comes to American medals, there really are no "simple" questions! We all have asked them, and we all still ask many questions!

If you have the name of an American Army Soldier who was killed in WW II, Korea, or Viet Nam, there is a file on him (or her) at the Army's "Casualty Affairs" office in Alexandria, Virginia. I'm sure that it will not make any difference that you are Danish when requesting information. They will send you a file that will provide all details about the soldier's death, his unit, the cause of death, and what was done with his remains, along with other information. I'm certain that the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air force also have such offices. I will see if I can find the addresses for you.

Also, there is a government agency called "The American Battle Monuments Commission". They are resposible for taking care of all of the American military cemetaries in other countries. They have a website on which you can check a name. If the soldier was buried overseas, he will be on it (such as General George S. Patton). However, if you don't find a name on their website, that does not mean that the soldier wasn't killed; it only means that he wasn't buried outside of the United States. Here is the website:American Battle Monuments Commission

Also, in World War II, at least, every time an American plan did not return, the military prepared a "Missing Air Crew Report". This gives all types of information about what other pilots saw happen to the plane, and later word that the soldier was a P.O.W., or killed, etc. A report was prepared the referenced every airman who did not return. These are in the National Archives in Maryland. They are kept alphabetically. If you have the name of an American Airman and you know that he was killed, or that his plane was shot down, then you can easily get the Missing Air Crew Report by requesting it from the Archives with just the name.

Keep asking questions!

I will be very happy to help you in any way that I can, and I know that other Forum members will do the same!

Best regards...

Bill

[JBFloyd]

Bjoern,

You are getting a good start from the answers you have received already, but let me add a little bit:

Numbered campaign medals are often traceable by number. Numbered decorations are very rarely traceable by number.

US service records are maintained by the government in St. Louis, Missouri. Those records are available to the public. However, as mentioned, a fire in the building in 1973 destroyed most World War II Army and Army Air Force records. To get the records requires knowing the veteran's service number (which is often hard to find).

The American Battle Monuments Commission site lists those who were buried in ABMC cemetaries overseas or who were listed as missing in action, so they do not cover everyone. But there are other data bases with similar information. For example, I have a roll of World War II and Korean War prisoners of war; Army WIA/KIA roll for Korea; and others.

Bill mentioned the casualty files. These are available, but may take a year to acquire (American bureacrats are like all bureacrats - slow).

For regular officers, Army, Navy and Air Force Registers often have data; for reserve officers, they usually do not. For NCOs, research is very hard.

Keep asking questions. We learn by trying to explain what seems obvious to us.

[Bill D.]

Bjoern...

I will add a personal note here.

The post above was made by Jeff Floyd. In my opinion, Jeff is one of the most knowledgable people in the area of American medals and decorations. I also consider him to be an absolutely trustworthy dealer in medals and decorations as well.
I only have the pleasure of seeing Jeff two or three times per year, at the Meadowlands show in New Jersey, but it is always a very enjoyable and educational experience!

[Bjoern Clausen]

JBFloyd,

Thanks for your invaluable information's!
I really have something to work with now!

Bill,

I can only agree with you!

I learned a lot from this thread!

Thanks to all who contributed!

Bjoern

[Rick Research]

This may be of little help to you over there, but American military records are kept in DUPLICATE here in each of the 50 states. If you know where the man came from (which obviously you don't in this case with only a number), it is easier to get records from a state Adjutant General than from the Federal "wait three years or untiul we've forgotten" archives.

There are also a number of other ways to get records. Earlier ones are often published-- I have ALL of Connecticut's WW-ONE veterans records in 3 volumes, Ohio's are on a CD, and most states published Civil War personnel records which are also often on CDs (I have Massachusetts's that way).

The way things are coming out on computer CDs, I would not be surprised if WW-TWO records are not available fairly soon (10-20 years ).

[McCulloh]

I cheerfully offer to research Maine WW1 (and earlier) vets for free.
By the way, check out Planchet press for great reference items. I have almost the complete numbered set now. THE GLEIM letters is another great US reference. Al Gleim was a great man and I'll always pay a LOT more for anything that came from him.