Looking for advice on military awards/ribbons

 
Dale Challener Roe
 
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Dale Challener Roe
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28 February 2014 11:31
 

First post in a while.  So to start off, I’ll say hello, again…

Hello

 

 

A friend has asked me to design arms for him.  I’m still working on the design…nothing settled yet.  But I have a question about military awards and their display in the full achievement.

 

He is a Gulf War Veteran and when I asked him about any military he listed these as his noteworthy awards:

 

Combat Infantryman Badge

Parachutist Wings (airborne)

Armed Forces GWOT Expeditionary Medal

GWOT Service Medal

Army Achievement Medal

Army Commendation Medal

Iraqi Liberation Medal

 

 

So my question is, how do I determine which of these would be appropriate to display in the achievement, and in what order?

 

I understand that this may not be a simple answer so even just pointing me in the right direction would be appreciated.

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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Joseph McMillan
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28 February 2014 12:27
 

Dale Challener Roe;101594 wrote:

First post in a while. So to start off, I’ll say hello, again…

Hello

 

 

A friend has asked me to design arms for him. I’m still working on the design…nothing settled yet. But I have a question about military awards and their display in the full achievement.

 

He is a Gulf War Veteran and when I asked him about any military he listed these as his noteworthy awards:

 

Combat Infantryman Badge

Parachutist Wings (airborne)

Armed Forces GWOT Expeditionary Medal

GWOT Service Medal

Army Achievement Medal

Army Commendation Medal

Iraqi Liberation Medal

 

 

So my question is, how do I determine which of these would be appropriate to display in the achievement, and in what order?

 

I understand that this may not be a simple answer so even just pointing me in the right direction would be appreciated.


As an integral part of the achievement, I’m afraid the answer is "none of the above."  None of these qualify as decorations.

 

Holders of the CIB are unlikely to like that answer very much, but that’s what the guidelines say, and it’s consonant with general heraldic practice.

 

I’d recommend starting off by telling him that the arms themselves can be surrounded by a framework or border, etc., into which some of these can be worked.  Alternatively, you might reflect his service somehow in the design of the arms themselves.

 
steven harris
 
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steven harris
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28 February 2014 17:31
 

While service, campaign, and training medals don’t rate being shown, I would have thought that the Army Commendation Medal and the Army Achievement Medal would have been okay to include since they are classified as personal decorations.

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Army_Commendation_Medal_ribbon.svg  http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Army_Achievement_Medal_ribbon.svg

 
Guy Power
 
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Guy Power
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28 February 2014 18:09
 

Ditto Joe.

But if you do incorporate the badges into a frame (like some Gordon MacPherson-drawn bookplates I’ve seen), give pride of place to the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, then the Jump Wings.

 

examples:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vo_NOPZ40VA/T59BEMJU_kI/AAAAAAAAASE/gYCm7_mmLG0/s1600/bp09DUBUC.jpg

 

 

http://armorialbookplatesmodern.weebly.com/uploads/3/8/2/8/3828252/9760403.jpg?343

 

Your friend might like his combat patch to be displayed as well—soldiers are mightly proud of their combat patch which is now worn as a "Combat Service Identification Badge" on the Army Service Uniform.

—Guy

 
Dale Challener Roe
 
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Dale Challener Roe
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28 February 2014 18:21
 

Thank you for the answers.

Joe, I won’t have to worry about how to broach the subject with him.  He put the medals in the questionnaire I gave him, but he would never know that any decorations could go on an achievement, let alone which ones.

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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Joseph McMillan
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01 March 2014 00:57
 

I apologize.  I read too quickly late at night while jet lagged, and probably assumed the medals were listed in precedence order.  Yes, ACM and AAM are decorations.

 
Dale Challener Roe
 
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Dale Challener Roe
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01 March 2014 09:52
 

Joseph McMillan;101600 wrote:

I apologize.  I read too quickly late at night while jet lagged, and probably assumed the medals were listed in precedence order.  Yes, ACM and AAM are decorations.


Joe, my apologies for not listing them in order.  I must admit to having a notable lack of knowledge of military awards—a shocker since so much of my social circle is made up of military veterans.

 

So it WOULD be appropriate to display the ACM and AAM below the arms?  Would the order matter?

 

And, an add-on question…As far as the blazon goes, the awards would be ignored, correct?

 
Snyder
 
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Snyder
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01 March 2014 12:47
 

My thought is that military awards being displayed is that they should be held to military/branch standards on order of precedence. So, when looking at the display, the ACM would be on the left and the AAM would be on the right.

For example:

 

http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/us-army-medals-3900863.jpg

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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Joseph McMillan
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01 March 2014 17:10
 

See the AHS guidelines. Senior decoration to dexter.

Yes, decorations ignored in the blazon.

 
steven harris
 
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steven harris
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05 March 2014 00:56
 

Joseph McMillan;101600 wrote:

I apologize.  I read too quickly late at night while jet lagged, and probably assumed the medals were listed in precedence order.  Yes, ACM and AAM are decorations.


Hey, I’m not crazy!  :p