Military Officers Uniform Breast Patches (Fruit Salad)

[robby]

@Loach

Are you forgetting the brown shoe Navy?

Yup.

Seriously, though, I know the aviator-types wear brown shoes with khakis, but do they also wear them with Service Dress Blues?

[Icerigger]

The ribbons and citations that military personal wear became a national issue in the mid 90s. Col. David Hackworth made an issue of Admiral Jeremy Boorda
wearing two "V"s on his Vietnam ribbon. The V’s stand for valor under enemy fire and sometimes the Admiral had them on other times he did not. Hackworth called into question if Booda had been exposed to combat conditions and came under fire. The Admiral claimed he was entitled to wear the Vs but others disagreed, Boorda under the strain shot himself. It made national news when Clinton was given a note while in a meeting being filmed and was visibly taken aback by the news.

[Zebra]

Is there some way to look up the ribbons my late father had? I have his uniform but not the ribbons. Those were dispersed long ago. Where can I look up his service record and what on that would tell me what ribbons he would have had? (USAF)

[robby]

@Zebra

Is there some way to look up the ribbons my late father had? I have his uniform but not the ribbons. Those were dispersed long ago. Where can I look up his service record and what on that would tell me what ribbons he would have had? (USAF)

Awards are recorded in service records, as well as the DD-214, which is the separation document you get when you get out of the military.

Next-of-kin can request copies here:

Request Military Service Records

One caveat to this, though. I received my DD-214 when I got out, and received an award several months later. I have never filed a request to record the award I got after I separated, so this last award is presumably only in my service record, and not on my DD-214. Also, I was eligible for a second National Defense Service Medal, which I was never officially awarded.

[SharkB8]

@Scruloose

Sure we do, we just don’t shoot the rifle in boot camp anymore. We did when I went through, but stopped sometime in the mid to late 90s, I believe. But folks in the field who shoot the rifle are still eligible for the rifle ribbon if they qualify.

(Plus, you only use a 9mm in boot camp for some reason. In the field, it’s the Sig .40. They probably still shoot the 9mm in boot camp to use up remaining ammo supplies)

Yeah, I meant at basic. That’s a bummer though. I wonder why they stopped.

We shot the Sig Sauer at boot. A bunch of us were disappointed about the rifle, but were satisfied with the option of learning once we got to our units. And you can totally not qualify and still graduate boot camp, but you are required to qualify at your unit before you are eligible to start working on some of your other quals.

For those in the military, I’ve wondered what the preferred method for affixing the metal letters letters, etc. onto various ribbons.

They told us at boot to poke the pin through and then bend it 90 degrees to keep it in place. Is this routine?

I guess same goes for the ball cover insignia…I just bent mine the other day because I whacked my head on a low entryway and the back of the insignia pin left little divot in my forehead!

[Scruloose]

@SharkB8

For those in the military, I’ve wondered what the preferred method for affixing the metal letters letters, etc. onto various ribbons.

They told us at boot to poke the pin through and then bend it 90 degrees to keep it in place. Is this routine?

I guess same goes for the ball cover insignia…I just bent mine the other day because I whacked my head on a low entryway and the back of the insignia pin left little divot in my forehead!

That’s all I’ve ever done. And yes, it takes one good whack to the head to realize you should do the same with the ball cap insignia.

[UncleRojelio]

Although not strictly on topic, I found this fact concerning the Purple Heart to be interesting:

@Wikipedia

During World War II, nearly 500,000 Purple Heart medals were manufactured in anticipation of the estimated casualties resulting from the planned Allied invasion of Japan. To the present date, all the American military casualties of the sixty years following the end of World War II — including the Korean and Vietnam Wars — have not exceeded that number. In 2003, there were still 120,000 of these Purple Heart medals in stock.[1] There are so many in surplus that combat units in Iraq and Afghanistan and United States are able to keep Purple Hearts on-hand for immediate award to wounded soldiers on the field.[1]

[Elendil_s_Heir]

I wrote a high-school history essay on Truman’s decision to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and I still remember that factoid. After the terrible experiences of Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Tarawa, Allied planners (rightly, IMHO) expected major casualties in any invasion of the Japanese home islands.

[Monty]

@robby

You’re correct, of course. :smack:

The award that I was referring to is indeed the “Sea Service Deployment Ribbon,” as shown here. FWIW, though, there is also a “Navy Reserve Sea Service Ribbon.”

You are also correct that it’s an individual award. However, for me, it was awarded just like a unit award. For instance, on my first deployment, I received a “Sea Service Deployment Ribbon,” “Navy Arctic Service Ribbon,” and a “Battle E” award. Everyone on board received the same, even though the first two were individual awards, and the latter was a unit award.

It may not always be the case that everyone on board receives the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon as there is a time qualifier: 90 days continuous (IIRC) deployment away from home port within a one year period.

Effective 1 July 1976, the Battle Efficiency Award,an “E” sewn on the sleeve of the uniform, was superceded by the Navy “E,” a ribbon with an “E” accouterment/attachment. Yes, I agree that’s a stupid change in the name.

[Monty]

@robby

Awards are recorded in service records, as well as the DD-214, which is the separation document you get when you get out of the military.

Next-of-kin can request copies here:
Request Military Service Records | National Archives

One caveat to this, though. I received my DD-214 when I got out, and received an award several months later. I have never filed a request to record the award I got after I separated, so this last award is presumably only in my service record, and not on my DD-214. Also, I was eligible for a second National Defense Service Medal, which I was never officially awarded.

You should request a DD-215 (that’s a correction to the DD-214). An “on-the-ball” PS or YN would’ve ensured that one was prepared for you once the award was prepared.

[Mk_VII]

the large numbers of medals (or at any rate ribbons) that American servicemen appear to accumulate merely for being on the ration strength excites a good deal of derision in our armed forces.
At one time it was asserted here that they used to route trooping flights over Northern Ireland so that they could pick up a medal for passing through a combat zone. I have no idea if this be true (it sounds unlikely) but that the fact that it was widely believed tells you something.

[Bobotheoptimist]

@KRM

I don’t know accurate or updated it is but this site says that there are only 99 left and over half of those remaining are 70+ years of age.

But if anyone ever deserved a drink, it’s these guys.

I know one of them. Quiet, unassuming, was so mangled earning it that he can’t drink (interferes with his meds), and I’d never have known if I hadn’t seen a picture of him in uniform. He’s over 70 and I doubt I’ll ever get the story out of him

[LurkMeister]

@Bobotheoptimist

I know one of them. Quiet, unassuming, was so mangled earning it that he can’t drink (interferes with his meds), and I’d never have known if I hadn’t seen a picture of him in uniform. He’s over 70 and I doubt I’ll ever get the story out of him

If you’re seriously interested in knowing his story, this site has information on all Medal of Honor recipients, including the action for which the Medal of Honor was awarded.