Combat Infantry Badge

Question - If a soldier was seriously wounded in combat, and sent to a hospital to recover and rehab before being discharged; is it possible that the soldier may have been awarded medals and badges like the CIB? I'm not speaking of the Purple Heart. I'm assuming that is a definite.

 

Yes, he would have assuming he met the requirements. That being said, in many cases veterans never received the medals they were entitled to for a variety of reasons. When the war ended, there was a rush to demobilize and send the troops home -- I don't think there was a lot of attention paid to who had what award.

The most common oversight is the Bronze Star. This should have been awarded to all recipients of the CIB as per a 1947 order. Many veterans were never retroactively awarded the medal. Its still common to see newspaper articles talking about a local WW2 veteran finally receiving his Bronze Star.

 

It seems as if he was Infantry (MOS 745) and engaged in ground combat he is eligible for the award:

Even though the award wasn't established until 1943 it was awarded retroactively to 6 Dec. 1941

 

Thanks. My grandfather has the CIB, but no official recognition of the award; therefore, I can't get the Bronze Star for him. I need to find out what hospitals he was transferred to after he was wounded. He was shot in the chest and spent many many months recovering before being discharged. If I can find this out, I can find his CIB paperwork.

 

Find out what unit he was attached to when he received the CIB. From there, see if there is a unit veteran's association. They will likely be able to help you.

 

Thanks formerjughead. Yes he meets all the requirements. No doubt. I have spoken w/ his buddy who was standing right next to him when he was shot. He vouched for him, but I have no official proof of his award beside him having the badge itself.

 

If you have a copy of his disharge paper work in box #30 it should read "Rifleman 745" or some 700 series number to qualify for the CIB beings that the 700 series was the designation for Infantry during WW2. There is a caveat that during the Battle of the Bulge Gen. Mc Cauliffe gave everyone a rifle and made them Infantry. So, if your grandda was wounded during that period things could be kind of tricky.

 

The problem is: could you prove it to a board of officers? If you have evidence he was assigned to an infantry unit when wounded then all other criteria is probably mute. There is not an officer today that would deny a CIB to a wounded infantrymen hit on his first day of battle.

Given that the Cannon Company of the Infantry Regiment also received CIB's everyone should realized the criteria is artificial.

An affidavit from a fellow veteran (also with proof of veteran status and unit assignment) should be sufficient. If still denied, use your Congressmen and local media.

My two cents, this is the avenue to use. Chasing paper that may not exist is a poor use of time.

 

Here is a question I have wondered about, and never had an answer to-- these retroactively awarded CIB Bronze Stars--did they have a "V" device, or no? Seems to me that awarding a Bronze Star for having won the CIB implies there was some sort of valor involved, but what do I know?

 

the Bronze Star medal is awarded for Meritorious Service and not necessarily for Valor or Heroism although it can be.

 

So the "standard" Bronze Star awards that were given to all CIB-authorized vets were not given with "V" device, then?

 

That seems to be an accurate deduction. The CIB itself was not awarded for valor, so there would be no reason to include the "V" device. I would presume that if an act of valor was involved they would have received a valor-type award (BS with "V" device, or higher) and the CIB (not for the act of valor, but for having been in combat).

 

Excellent--thank you all. Always nice to have confirmation on these little niggling issues, you know?

Cheers!

 

I have an affidavit and I used my congressman's office, Andy Harris in Maryland. His office took all the information I had and passed it on to the Army. The Army researched the issue for me and came back with.... European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one Bronze Service Star and the WWII Victory Medal. The Bronze Star was denied because there is no documentation of the CIB award. I don't think I'm going to go the media route. I'm trying to find out what hospitals he stayed in and if he may have been awarded the CIB during this time. I'm running out of options. I've even corresponded with a Major General seeking out help, and he gave me the same answer I've run into time after time. I need proof!

I see both sides of the argument regarding the award. The Army just doesn't want to hand these awards out, especially an award like the CIB or Bronze Star, but records are scarce because of the 1973 fire and I was lucky enough to find the one and only guy alive that was with him when he was hit! What are the chances? By the way, Joe Collie (knew my g-father, saw him get hit), is a great guy and has been very helpful... and what great stories he has. Joe was formerly the president of the 100th division's alumni group. His letter wasn't enough.

 

Do you have a case number or such with this agency? Are they saying the affidavit doesn't mean anything? This would be disappointing. Maybe they (think they) need an officer witness.

Army Review Boards Agency (ARBA)

But if they are willing to look at evidence (rather than a record that the award was processed at the time), further proof could come from finding your grandfathers name on the company roster before he was wounded. Morning Reports and rosters are kept in St Louis. You would need to visit there or hire a researcher.

Access to Morning Reports and Unit Rosters


It's the Regiment (or Division?) that posts the orders for awards such as the CIB. I've only seen hospitals handle Purple Hearts. Does your grandfather's discharge show what hospital posted orders for his PH? It might be a parenthetical reference after the PH.

In any case, these are the Army's records and they either lost them or failed to process them at the time. I can't see why they don't look at evidence.

I wish you better luck.

 

I think that is a common mis-step when researching these things...the Combat Infantrymans Badge was NOT awarded for valor...it was awarded for serving in an infantry unit actively engaged in ground combat. The Bronze Star was awarded for meritorious service to anyone who earned a CIB...the only time it was awarded with a "V" is when it was awarded for specific incidents of Valor on the battlefield. Not every Bronze Star has a Valor designation...the award itself states on the back, "Heroic or Meritorious Achievement" where is say, the Silver Star is awarded for only valor...states "For Gallantry In Action" I tried to post pictures of both buy phone will not upload

 

Thanks Earthican. I may go The Army Review Boards Agency Route. I have been told about this step, but have not considered it until now. I have the morning report of December 8, 1944, the day he was wounded. I also have access to the 397th roster, that can be found in many places.

 

It's a little backwards. It probably would have been better to have a case number with the ARBA before going to your Congressmen. That way he/she could make a direct inquiry about the rejection.

For all I know, your Congressmen may have just made a routine request for replacement medals.

I noted on the ARBA site that the request needs to be made by the legal(?) next of kin. A surviving spouse is obvious, after that I have no idea what the rules are.

Fingers crossed, I wish I was in a better position to help. I feel certain any currently serving officer reading this would agree. Hopefully it's just a matter of getting past the bureaucracy.

 

I started down this road not really knowing where every turn would take me. The order in which I've done these things were not well planned, they just came about. My grandmother is still alive. I'm doing all of these things through her and with her permission.