World War II Victory Medal
World War II Victory Medal | |
---|---|
Service ribbon (top) and campaign streamer (bottom) | |
Precedence | |
Next (higher) | European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal |
Equivalent | Merchant Marine World War II Victory Medal |
Next (lower) | Army of Occupation Medal or Navy Occupation Service Medal |
The World War II Victory Medal is a
The World War I Victory Medal is the corresponding medal from World War I.
History
The World War II Victory Medal was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945. The medal was designed by
The Congressional authorization for the medal specified that it was to be awarded to any member of the United States military, including members of the armed forces of the Government of the Philippine Islands, who served on active duty, or as a reservist, between 7 December 1941 and 2 September 1945.[2]
On 8 August 1946, the separate Merchant Marine World War II Victory Medal was established for members of the United States Merchant Marine who served during World War II.[3]
Criteria
The World War II Victory Medal was awarded for service between 7 December 1941 and 31 December 1946, both dates inclusive, with no minimum time in service requirement.
As every member of the United States Armed Forces who served from 7 December 1941 to 31 December 1946 was eligible for the medal, there were over twelve million eligible recipients, making the World War II Victory Medal the second most widely awarded military award of the United States, after the National Defense Service Medal.[4][5]
Appearance
The bronze medal is 1 1⁄2 inches in width. The
The suspension and
Although the World War I Victory Medal included clasps, the World War II Victory Medal did not. This was because campaign medals were awarded instead.
-
Reverse
-
TheNational World War II Memorialhas an engraving of it in one of the two pavilions
See also
- Awards and decorations of the United States military
- Merchant Marine World War II Victory Medal
References
- ^ a b "Army Regulation 600-8-22, Military Awards" (PDF). Headquarters Department of the Army. 24 June 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "World War II Victory Medal". The Institute of Heraldry: Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the ARMY. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
- ^ piecesofhistory.com Merchant Marine World War II Victory Medal
- ^ "World War II Veterans" (PDF).
- ^ "WWII Veteran Statistics". The National WWII Museum | New Orleans. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
External links
- United States Statutes at Large. Vol. 59. Washington, DC: Office of the Federal Register. 1946. p. 461.
- Code of Federal Regulations (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of the Federal Register. 2008. 32CFR578.47. Retrieved 4 June 2009.
- NavPers 15,790: Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual (PDF). Washington, DC: Department of the Navy. 1960 [1953]. p. 161. OCLC 45726498. Retrieved 4 June 2009.
- MIL-DTL-3943/237A: Detail Specification Sheet — Medal, World War II Victory (PDF). 15 August 2008. Retrieved 4 June 2009.
- MIL-DTL-11589/149E: Detail Specification Sheet — Ribbon, World War II Victory Medal (PDF). 15 September 1995. Retrieved 4 June 2009.
- "World War II Victory Medal". Fort Belvoir, Virginia: The Institute of Heraldry, U.S. Army. Archived from the original on 9 September 2009. Retrieved 4 June 2009.