Please help ID my Grandfather's medal

Hi All-
Actually only need to know what one of them is - I know the Combat Infantry badge, Purple Heart medal and ribbon, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign ribbon, slightly mangled American Defense ribbon, and his 5th Armored shoulder patch.
The one that is stumping me is the on that looks like the French tricolor. The only thing I can find listed under US medals that looks like that is the Philippines Defense ribbon, but that also has a gold border and I know that my Grandfather wasn't in the Pacific theater.
He was a Staff Sergeant surgical technician in the 46th Armored Infantry Battalion, 5th Armored Division.
Anybody know what that mystery ribbon is?
Thanks!
Chris
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If he was ever in the National Guard, several States had medals with ribbons that were "blue, white, red". A few examples are Montana, Georgia and Iowa. There are other States that had "red, white, blue". If flipped around, they might match your grandfather's ribbon. Keep in mind, I could be completely off base as I only did a brief Google search and did not check to see if the State NG medals were even in existence back then. Perhaps someone else can get you a more definitive answer.

 

Sandstorm,
Welcome to the forum! I believe TD is on to something but it would help to know where your grandfather is from or served. On USA Military Medals, Army Medals, Navy Medals, Air Force Medals, Marine Corps Medals, Coast Guard Medals, Civilian Military Medals, Rack Builder, Ribbons they not only have medals for national guard as TD posted but I also saw possible matches from Alaska,Virginia,Wisconsin, North Carolina and North Dakota.

Regards
Clint

 

Thanks for the replies! He was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. I can dig up where he served later tonight.

 

The ribbon next to the tricolor is the Africa-Italy-France and Germany campaing (green white red = Italian flag, the blue white red = france, the black and white = Germany and the brown north Africa). I beleive the tricolor is a fantasy recall to make the official one next to it more recognisable. It probably shows your grandad was proud (and he had reasosn to be) of his campaign in France. What is most remarkable are the five stars on the recall.

 

The VFW has several medals and awards with the same colors as the unidentified ribbon--My guess is that he joined the VFW after he got out and was awarded one of these and it got placed with his other awards.

 

That's exactly where I was going. The VFW was a very important organization after the war and has always been a very vocal advocate of veteran's rights. They also offered very cheap booze and comraderie very important to returning servicemen.

 

It wouldn't surprise me that your grandfather was the proud owner of the French 'Médaille d'honneur pour acte de courage et de dévouement en bronze'.
This medal was given to persons after an act of self-sacrifice en saving the live of somebody. Because he was a surgical technicien, this is very much possible. Maybe you will also find a diploma, because that was also given with the medal. The rubbon must be 30 mm by 10 mm (that is 1.18 inch by 0.394 inch).
This is a very important medal. You can say that your grandfather must have done some extraordinary things!

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Raf, Another very good possibility-I'm just not famililar with this award. This should show up in his records.
I'm having a little trouble understanding the CIB when his MOS was surgical technician, seems he would have been given the Combat Medical Badge instead. Either one also qualifies him for the Bronze Star.

 

About de CIB, the CMB and the Bronze Star, you are right. It's not clear to me either. But are you certain about his MOS? I'm just brainstorming: I would think that a surgical technician would be part of the medical battalion of the division and not of an armored infantry unit. There were medics in the combat units but I would think dat a surgical technician would work in the operating room of a field hospital. What's your opinion?

About the French medal ,the more I do research on it, the more I'm convinced that this is the case.

 

RD3 could be right, the recall sure looks like the Courage and Devouement (devotion ) medal.

 

Sand_Storm, what's the name of your grandfather? Maybe there are records in France about the medal he got.

 

They should also show in his personnel records. In WWII, when a foreign government issued medals or award they sent a copy of the citation to the American War Department. Sometimes they were included on the seperation papers and sometimes not, depending when they were awarded. My brother's Belgium awards were not presented until after the war (1946) after he had been discharged. I found them in his personnel records but not his seperation papers. For instance, Audie Murphey was not awarded the Belgium Croix de Guerre until December 1955. So Sand_Storm, if you haven't done so, get his personnel records from NARA and make sure they they list all his awards, including his foreign ones. In fact, ask for a replacement set of awards-you won't get his foreign awards but they should be listed. The replacement medals are free.

 

On Section 31 (Military Qualification and Date) it does list "Medical Badge" but I didn't know that it qualified him for the Bronze Star.

In this case I'm just going by what it says on his honorable discharge paper - specifically in section 5 - Organization. Medical Det 46th Armored Inf Bn. I also have a photo of him wearing a medic's helmet -I could post that if anyone is interested in seeing it.

His name was Donald Leigh Higdon

Thanks I didn't know you could do that but I will certainly look into it.
His military career is mostly a mystery to the whole family - when he left the service he left behind just about anything that reminded him of the war. I'm not sure why he kept his medals and photos. He never spoke about it and made a point of not attending VFW functions. If indeed he was a medic I'm sure he saw some pretty horrible injuries - maybe that was why he left that part of his life behind.
There also seems to be some discrepancy between what his HD paper says about his rank - it lists Staff Sergeant as his highest rank held, but I have a very good photo of him wearing what looks to be a 1st SGT rank insignia.

I haven't visited here in a few weeks - thanks so much for all the replies! I'm determined to piece this together and you have all given me some more leads to check out!!

 

Sand_storm, read through this thread Sticky: Requesting Copies of Military Personnel Records
It will tell you where to go. I have always added a letter along with the filled out Form-180 explaining exactly what I'm after. NARA is good at what they do but they are not mind readers. A letter will help them focus.

About the Combat Medical Badge, that indeed qualifies him for the Bronze Star--I can't recall the Army Regulation but look at this site Combat Medical Badge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

I can't imagine anyone dealing with all the human carnage and not having some damage. It was just "sucked up" back then but I'm glad the military is beginning to deal with PTSD for the vets.

Would love to get an update what you learn from NARA--Good luck.

 

Well it has taken a while but I finally have a little bit of an update - I got the morning report records for his unit from the time he enlisted until his unit was deactivated after the war - and if anything it has left me even more confused!! It very clearly shows his progression in rank to Staff Sergeant - but still doens't explain the photo of him in a tanker jacket with 1st Sgt stripes. Is it not an offense to wear a higher rank than you have earned? also, in spite of what is listed on his discharge papers, there is no mention of him being wounded - in fact nobody in his unit was wounded around the same time. I know it happened because he had the scars to prove it. I'm hoping for some more info when I get his personnel file - if it wasn't burned up in the big fire in the archives in the 70s. It has been requested but I've been told not to expect too much.

Is there any way to check if he was awarded the French medal described in this thread?


Cheers
Chris

 

No, as far as I know he wasn't. My grandmother always said that after the war he wanted nothing to do with the service so he never joined any other military organisation.

 

Just a guess:

I know for some officer ranks you would have to hold the rank for a certain period of time before you retired in order for it to show up as your final rank on your discharge papers. Maybe there is a similar regulation involving the sergeant rank. Alternatively, he could have been an 'acting' first sergeant until a replacement showed up.

 

Sand_storm,
A couple things--with the First Sergeant insigna, I believe George Patton nailed it with the temporary position. Depending on how long he held that rank, it should show up in the records. It could be somethng as innocent as posing for a picture to impress a girl back home--?

If he didn't want anything to do with the military after he was discharged, the tri-color may well be the French medal that RD3 mentioned. If it was issued after he was discharged, and he didn't re-enlist, it may not show up on his personnel records. The French would have a copy. I don't have any idea where to begin on that search.

I went through the medical records thing last year regarding a hospital visit. If he was wounded and required medical attention it should be in his medical records. Look at this thread Veterans Medical Records . Most records have been archived, so they should be at NARA and they should be available. If you can prove 1) that he was wounded and required medical attention and 2) it was the result of direct enemy action, you can ask for a change of records and he will be awarded the Purple Heart. I did this for my brother and had two awards added for service in the Berlin Airlift--it's not easy and they do require proof.

Be persistant and keep us updated. Dave