Posted: 1/12/2012 3:59:28 PM EDT
|
At Christmas, while at my mother-in laws we were going through my father-in law's WWII items. He died 2 years ago and she keeps finding WWII items of his all over the place. Nothing much except for a Nazi SS belt buckle I was able to sell for $1800.00. It was a rare bird and I found out and she wanted the money. So...
Any way while looking through his army discharge papers it listed his decorations which were a CIB, European, African, Middle East Campaign Ribbon with 2 battle stars and a WWII Victory Medal. He was only in Germany for the last 3 months of the war. My question relates to the paragraph below. There was no mention of a Bronze Star in the discharge papers. Should there be or was his service too short Congress approved an extra ten dollars in monthly pay to every infantryman awarded the CIB—excepting commissioned officers. The WWII regulations did not formally prescribe a specific combat service period establishing the infantryman’s eligibility for being awarded a Combat Infantryman Badge, thus, in 1947, the U.S. Government implemented a policy authorizing the retroactive awarding of the Bronze Star Medal to World War II veteran soldiers who had been awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge, because the CIB was awarded only to soldiers who had borne combat duties befitting the recognition conferred by a Bronze Star Medal. Both awards required a commander’s recommendation and a citation in the pertinent orders. Thanks for any information. |
|
Quoted:
At Christmas, while at my mother-in laws we were going through my father-in law's WWII items. He died 2 years ago and she keeps finding WWII items of his all over the place. Nothing much except for a Nazi SS belt buckle I was able to sell for $1800.00. It was a rare bird and I found out and she wanted the money. So... Any way while looking through his army discharge papers it listed his decorations which were a CIB, European, African, Middle East Campaign Ribbon with 2 battle stars and a WWII Victory Medal. He was only in Germany for the last 3 months of the war. My question relates to the paragraph below. There was no mention of a Bronze Star in the discharge papers. Should there be or was his service too short Congress approved an extra ten dollars in monthly pay to every infantryman awarded the CIB—excepting commissioned officers. The WWII regulations did not formally prescribe a specific combat service period establishing the infantryman’s eligibility for being awarded a Combat Infantryman Badge, thus, in 1947, the U.S. Government implemented a policy authorizing the retroactive awarding of the Bronze Star Medal to World War II veteran soldiers who had been awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge, because the CIB was awarded only to soldiers who had borne combat duties befitting the recognition conferred by a Bronze Star Medal. Both awards required a commander’s recommendation and a citation in the pertinent orders. Thanks for any information. Yes If he was discharged before this time, it would not be in his records. |
|
He was honorably discharged right at the end of the war. I'm not sure he knew about this.
We're going to donate his decorations and service papers to the WWII museum here in New Orleans and I want it to be accurate. He never talked much about what he did except being a member of a machine gun crew, liberated some concentration camps and coming home on the Queen Mary. He also said he did not kill any Germans when his mother asked upon his return home. Among his war possessions was a piece of a "pineapple grenade, Nazi SS belt buckle, Nazi Party pin, his "Ruptured Duck Pin, shoulder insignia, CIB and a lapel pin version, Marksman Rifle pin, and a small pin boarded in red with a white background with 2 red stars in the center (Battle Stars I assume). There were no ribbons or medals to be found. Just the mention in his papers. His "Prize" was as .32 cal. Baby Browning pistol taken from a captured German Doctor. I'll keep the pistol. |
|
Quoted:
Just requested my wife's grandfather's service record. He was also in WWII. Would be nice if he was also eligible for a Bronze Star. Do you have a link to that information? Wikipedia is where I found the information. Just do a goggle search and you'll find plenty. After looking up "Bronze Star" I found this along with other information. CIB & CMB Conversion As a result of a study conducted in 1947, the policy was implemented that authorized the retroactive award of the Bronze Star Medal to soldiers who had received the Combat Infantryman Badge or the Combat Medical Badge during World War II. The basis for doing this was that the badges were awarded only to soldiers who had borne the hardships which resulted in General Marshall's support of the Bronze Star Medal. Both badges required a recommendation by the commander and a citation in orders. |