All This Talk About Medals.....
 

Recently there was some chit chat about Campaign Medals/Ribbons and awards for service here and there.

This is a classic example of what a real Warrior looks like.....and it appears he has all the bases covered starting with Haiti with Butler and all the Banana Wars forward to current day!

Now for starters....ever wonder why A USMC Master Gunner would be wearing Navy SEAL Trident, EOD Badge, a mere twelve rows of Ribbons?

This is as good example of a Wannabee as one can find!


https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...67573724_n.jpg

Rather more than the total of this line-up of former RSM-A s, who each probably have more service.

I don't see one from Weight Watchers :E

But you get a ribbon in the US military for crossing the road.... Being a member of the Tufty club and for successfully passing your driving test.

I think he used to be an F3 pilot?

Glad to see he keeps himself fit.

in his spare time he collects Nazi memorabilia, of course.

Rides a Harley.

Paradoxically at the end of World War Two the US awarded fewer campaign medals than Britain, a total of five, as opposed to the ten authorised by the British authorities.

These were

American Defense Medal - equivalent to the 1939-45 Star
European - African - Middle Eastern Campaign Medal- Atlantic, Aircrew Europe, Africa, Italy and France & Germany Stars
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal- Burma and Pacific Stars
American Campaign Medal - Defence Medal
WW II Victory Medal - 1939-45 War Medal

Admittedly, once the Tufty Club type medals as displayed by our portly US Marine were added, US servicemen still ended up with rather more fruit salad on their chests than their British and Commonwealth comrades.

All to do with the US capitalist acconomy. (It costs about £10 per medal to get each new medal mounted from RAF tailors - fifth medal equals £50. Add the same cost for miniatures)..... It must have made much profit for this chap's tailor.

TTN, please enlighten me as to the qualification for the 1939-41 part of the Victory medal.

On P&O Oceana last month the security officer had an impressive rack on his mess undress. The minatures were overlapped to fit them all in. The also had an RM badge and para wings.

WD, tax deductible of course.

P-N - Yes fair point, but all I meant was that these were their nearest British equivalents.

But I think you knew that ;)

Re overlapping, this is laid down in regs for groups of medals of over five. When I used to do medal mounting in my shop I'd do groups of up to five myself, and contract out larger groups, as neat overlapping was a skill I never mastered, as was court mounting.

I think he might just have medal ribbons for the War of Independence and the Civil War amongst that lot! Do you think that the MoD will issue a medal for those who 'serve' in the 'campaign' protecting the Olympics?

If he is (and I'm not suggesting otherwise) entitled to all that chest cabbage, I reckon he's also entitled to pack a few pounds on in later career!

CG, GSM (NI) no Bar, no Long Gong

TTN, apologies, I misread what you didn't write :)

You didn't repeat the 'equivalent' on the Victory medal. My question then is did their's specify a date viz 1941-1945 or just WW2? Certainly many USN and USCG (?) were engaged in a fairly robust neutrality pre-Pearl Harbour.

It is rumored this portly chap got rumbled by the Plod....was convicted in Court under the Stolen Valor Law and served time in Prison.

He is probably quite fortunate he did not meet up with a genuine Navy SEAL or his stay might very well have been in Hospital rather than Prison.

The SEAL's are well known for their succinct message to such folks....upon confirming the guy is actually a Fraud....they inform him of the penalty for passing himself off as a SEAL when he really isn't. There has been more than one big ol' can of Whoop Ass opened upon said Fraud showing up in public wearing a SEAL Trident.

There are way too many sharp pointy edges to a Trident to want to have one manually inserted up your stern tube!

Surely the giveaway is wearing the SEAL trident on a Marine uniform as the SEALs are US Navy...?

From that well know source of (in)accurate information

Probably a better site for information on the SEAL program is:

Navy SEALs : Special Operations: Careers & Jobs: Navy.com

Qualifications

By law, only men are eligible to apply for the SEAL program. Upon joining the Navy, you must:

Meet specific eyesight requirements: 20/40 best eye; 20/70 worst eye; correctable to 20/25 with no color blindness
Meet the minimum Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) score: GS+MC+EI=165 or VE+MK+MC+CS=220
Be 28 years old or younger
Be a U.S. citizen
Pass a physical examination required for divers

It looks like you join up as a SEAL. Well I never. Every day's a school day.

Duncs:ok:

Duncan....one may enlist for the SEAL's....if qualified.....then there is the small task of actually making it through the training program. Not many succeed in that wee small task for some very simple reasons....it is a tough rite of passage.

The AVSAB score of 165 alone is a daunting threshold. A 110 score will get you into Officer Candidate School in the Army.

Now I've checked, I find that whereas their Victory Medal is for service in the years 1941-45, and does in fact show those dates, the American Defense Service Medal qualification period includes service in "the limited emergency proclaimed on 8 September 1939 or the unlimited emergency proclaimed on 27 May 1941"

Not sure of the significance of the latter date - maybe someone can clarify.