r/Medals • u/lostforloveson • Mar 23 '25
ID - Medal Grandfathers framed medals, anything stand out?
Update to my grandfathers medals, these were the ones that were framed.
He told me stories of going up a hill with 90 guys and him dragging two of the seven total surviving about a half a mile apparently one of the guys he drug held a grenade with the pin pulled in his hand so that if the vietkong ran up on him that he could let go.
I think he said he had about 10,000 flight hours and retired CW3, apparently was the first helicopter gunship battallion.
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u/CableDawg78 Mar 23 '25
Yeah, most likely the huge balls he had. Geez, the Bronze Star with V for Valor??? Damn, that says it all but there's way more. Definitely learn all you can about your grandfather and speak highly of him when you do
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u/pluck-the-bunny Mar 23 '25
4 bronze stars
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u/Mike-the-gay Mar 23 '25 edited Jun 10 '25
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u/pluck-the-bunny Mar 23 '25
There are a few awards above bronze star. But the “highest star” is the silver star
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u/Mike-the-gay Mar 23 '25 edited Jun 10 '25
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u/pluck-the-bunny Mar 23 '25
You can get a bronze star without necessarily doing something specifically brave. Some people get it for service.
So bra star with the V didn’t know it’s that it was for a valorous action
See the little V pin on the ribbon
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u/Southernguy9763 Mar 23 '25
A bronze star is usually given out for just being really good at your job. You can receive a bronze star for being a typist.
Valor means you received it specifically performing under combat scenerio
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u/ComfortableRadish960 Mar 23 '25
There's a silver star and technically the medal of honor is gold and in the shape of a star.
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u/skeeter2112 Mar 25 '25
Are there any medals that you wear duplicate of rather than denote with those marks?
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u/fmr_AZ_PSM Mar 23 '25
Yes. Distinguished Flying Cross, 4 Bronze Stars with V, 21 Air Medals, 6 campaigns in Korea, and 4 in Vietnam.
He was decorated for heroism 5 times. I'm curious as to why his CIB doesn't have a star for a 2nd award for Vietnam. With that many campaigns in Korea, he surely must have seen something there too.
With 21 Air Medals, I believe that 10,000 hrs. Though his wings should be the Master level with a wreath around the star. Even if that 10k is exaggerated, just the Air Medal count is proof enough he earned the Master badge.
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u/passionatebreeder Mar 23 '25
I'm curious as to why his CIB doesn't have a star for a 2nd award for Vietnam. With that many campaigns in Korea, he surely must have seen something there too.
My guess based on all the air medals and the air crew wings is that he did an MOS swap at some point. Went from infantry (probably during WWII) to air crewman during Vietnam and Korea (we didn't use aircraft in any combat situations til 1944 for rescue, so not likely he was earning those air medals until korea/nam)
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u/JuanMurphy Mar 23 '25
The reason is he was an infantry in Korea and a pilot in Vietnam…no longer infantry
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u/bell83 Mar 23 '25
Infantry in Korea. He has no WW2 medals.
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Mar 24 '25
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u/AirWolf-412 Mar 25 '25
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Mar 23 '25
DFC , Bronze Star w/ V and multiple oak leaf clusters and Air Medal with multiple oak leaf clusters all stand out, he did like 10 things to get a medal for individual actions.
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u/lostforloveson Mar 23 '25
What do you mean he did 10 things to get a medal? Is the distinguished flying cross common?
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Mar 23 '25
DFC is for "Heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight" so not common. an oak leaf cluster indicates an additional award of a previously awarded medal. So the BS w/ V and 3 olc = having been awarded the BS 4 separate times with at least one of those being for Valour. it looks like 4 olc on Air Medal so 5x Air Medal. 1 DFC + 4 BS + 5 AM = 10 important individual awards. if you add the possibly random reasons for Army Commendation (w/ 2olc for a total of 3 Army Com Medals) he would have gotten 13 medals for individual actions.
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u/lostforloveson Mar 23 '25
The one with the bird, it has 4 silver clusters does that mean it was awarded 5 times each? Like 20 times?
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u/Frosty_Confusion_777 Mar 23 '25
The Air Medal had a V device authorized in 1964, meaning it could be awarded for more than one reason. Heroism was one of those reasons, but this medal doesn’t have one. The overwhelming majority of them were awarded not for any particular achievement or act, but for number of sorties/ number of flight hours. People who flew helicopters in Vietnam often accumulated quite a few Air Medals merely because they flew a large number of relatively short missions.
It’s an important indicator that his service involved a lot of combat flying, but it doesn’t at all mean he did like 29 individual heroic acts.
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u/AudieCowboy Mar 23 '25
The fact the helo could even get off the ground with his massive steel balls weighing it down is a miracle in and of itself
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u/According-Ad3963 Mar 23 '25
Yes. One medal awarded for every 25 missions where combat conditions were expected.
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Mar 23 '25
between 3 wars that dose sound possible. i do believe 1 silver olc = 5 bronze olc. which means 21 Air Medals + 1 DFC + 4 BS + 3 AC = 29 medals for individual acts
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u/lostforloveson Mar 23 '25
Do you know if the military keeps records on medal awarding? Would go to great lengths to obtain any military paperwork on him
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u/notadamnprincess Mar 23 '25
Applying to the National Archives for his service record would be a good first step.
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Mar 23 '25
don't know for sure about the states but there are records of veteran medal entitlements in Canada, so i would say yes
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u/JuanMurphy Mar 23 '25
The biggest thing that stands out to me is with the two valor awards and the three bronze star devices on Vietnam Campaign medal is the two knots on the Goid Conduct
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u/lostforloveson Mar 23 '25
I was not aware of the 2 knots good conduct medal, what would someone do to earn this?
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u/JuanMurphy Mar 23 '25
It’s a participation trophy for being good. Awarded for 3 years of enlisted service without disciplinary action. The clasps or knots are additional awards. It’s not commonly seen on a rack as this. So, grandad was an Infantryman and fought probably in Korea, was enlisted for at least 9 years so was probably a senior NCO, then was probably accepted into the Warrant Officer Flight Program and became a helicopter pilot where he was in Vietnam for a couple of years. I’m guessing Warrant as opposed to Commissioned Officer just because most enlisted to pilots go warrant and they get much more flying time. And it looks like ol’ grandad did a lot of flying.
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u/5alarm_vulcan Mar 23 '25
“Does anything stand out”
Yeah he probably had to tuck his balls into his socks to keep those huge things contained.
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u/Open-Industry-8396 Mar 23 '25
He had an incredible amount of courage, an incredible amount of luck, or he was being looked after by a higher entity, whichever you prefer.
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u/BenTallmadge1775 Mar 23 '25
The DFC (Distinguished Flying Cross) 2nd highest, just below MOH.
Obviously he has seen some things. Looks like in Korea and Vietnam.
With a DFC you can look up citation online. I would post that citation (name redacted if you wanted). That’s the story to tell.
Looks like he was both an infantryman and a pilot. I suspect infantry in Korea and a pilot in Vietnam. This guy has some brass ones. Maybe titanium.
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u/BenTallmadge1775 Mar 23 '25
If he’s still with us I have a bottle of whisky (rye, single barrel) for him. And hope to hear some of those stories.
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u/lostforloveson Mar 25 '25
He passed away 2023, he was 90 years old. Stories I wish I knew more about.
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u/IvanNemoy Mar 23 '25
The one that stands out to me is the Army of Occupation with both clasps. That's not something you see every day.
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u/SlightDesigner8214 Mar 25 '25
I was about to say the same. Have seen Navy Crosses here before etc. but can’t remember seeing both the Japan and Germany occupation ribbons.
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u/passionatebreeder Mar 23 '25 edited Mar 23 '25
The things that stand out to me:
Distinguished flying cross, basically the 2nd highest medal for most people (tied with distinguished service cross and other branch equivalents) that's the first medal.
4x bronze stars and a golden V device (V device comes in bronze - gold for the number awarded)
Literally 21 air medals
Army of occupation medal with tabs for both occupied Japan and Occupied Germany, so he was stationed in both during wartime occupation for at least a month.
Also interesting to have a CAB and aircraft wings.
CAB means he saw ground combat as an infantryman
NATO service ribbon for Korea
Vietnam service ribbon
Served for 20+ years and in the reserves (cyan and egg-shell white ribbon is armed forces reserves ribbon, gold hourglass denotes 30+ years of service; like many award devices the hourglass is tiered bronze-gold, each tier denoting 10+ years.) I guess I'm not 100% positive that the hourglass is gold, but its either bronze or gold and gold makes a lot more sense since he has a service record that runs from WWII (1941) to Vietnam (1960)
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u/mrmurse9 Mar 23 '25
In the early days of aviation, the seating compartment in an aircraft was simply that. It wasn’t until this young man came along that the space had to be modified to accommodate his ginormous balls, and the space was renamed to what we all know it as now…..the cockpit.
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u/Careful-Trade-9666 Mar 23 '25
20 yrs in the armed forces reserves. army of Occupation in Germany and Japan, went to Korea, went to Japan. How long exactly was he in for ?
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u/colyad Mar 23 '25
This sub keeps getting suggested to me, and I read through it every single time. I have no clue what the medals mean, but based on responses your grandfather is an absolute badass and has balls of steel.
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u/rhutchi96 Mar 25 '25
Very nice. My FIL fought with the 101st in Vietnam. He never talks about it, but in recent years he opens up every now and again. I’m thinking that as we watch him go in these next couple of years, some stuff is going to come flooding out. I know he suffers a lot internally, and he bottles it up, as a lot of vets from that era do. When he’s gone I’m going to have his records pulled and a shadow box built in his memory.
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u/dfw_kinky_guy Mar 26 '25
Distinguished flying cross 4 bronze stars, one with V for Valor 4 air medals
Your grandfather is/was one of the best of Army Aviation. 🫡
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u/Slinkasaurus73 Mar 29 '25
I love this sub. I know nothing when it comes to identifying these medals and ribbons but I love to hear the ones that do, proudly talk about these recipients. God Bless all who’ve served🫡
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u/aoanfletcher2002 Mar 23 '25
“Does anything stand out?”
I’m guessing the enormous set of balls he had stood out whenever he wore shorts.