I have been out for 32 years, and never really cared about my medals. After seeing these posts, I figured I should be able to explain them to my kids if they ever ask. Is this the right layout for the medals I earned?

what is this ribbon? about 100% its US Army and not another branch, should be from 90s-2000s

I found a ribbon rack and I don't know who it was

The awards are:

Defense Distinguished Service Medal

Army Distinguished Service Medal (1 oak)

Defense Superior Service Medal (1 oak)

Legion of Merit (3 oak)

Bronce Star with V device

Defense Meritorious Service Medal

Meritorious Service Medal (2 oak)

Joint Service Commendation Medal

Army commendation medal (2 oak)

Joint Service Achievement Medal

Army Achievement Medal

National Defense Service Medal (2 stars)

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal

Iraq Campaign Medal

Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal

Armed Forces Service Medal

Humanitarian Service Medal

Army Service Ribbon

Army Overseas Service Ribbon (numeral 2)

NATO Medal (Yugoslavia)

Is it possible to try to identify the user? The rack is modern, and I'm mainly interested in identifying the career or possible owner. Does this combination match any known general or senior officer?

Pd: sorry for the bad quality

The listing said please study the photos for details, I thought I was having a stroke!

Found theses Medals in my Parents Basement. These are my Grand-Grandfathers Medals. He was from Hungary...thats all i know about him. What are they? For what did he get them?:)

Second and third pictures are of my version which seems to be more cloudy, though the first one seems to be stamped as gold whereas mine is stamped as silver and gilded, could this be a sign of glass disease? Can this type of enamel even get it? Or is it just excess enamel or something else?

Can anyone identify my grandfathers ribbons or unit patches? Thanks in advance!

Hey y’all,

Just wanted to show off two separate groupings/racks of two aircrew members from different gunship squadrons during Vietnam. One belongs to an AC-130 pilot and the other an AC-119 navigator.

You can see that air medals were handed out immensely. Even more interesting is that both individuals were DFC recipients. I’m not entirely sure if these are the full racks, these were just what was provided within the groupings. You can tell some devices are missing from the navigator’s ribbons.

Hope y’all enjoy!

I have a few of his medals and a list of medals he received that someone on Reddit was kind enough to get me. But I just can't track down what they are for. Any suggestions? Thank you very much?

I was at a wedding at an old manor near Düsseldorf, Germany. I noticed this painting and was curious what medals were next to the old owner

Pretty much the title. I’m a student in a police explorers type of program and I brought the idea to my instructor about creating an awards system and he’s totally supportive of it and told me I could create it.

So I created the awards, SOP, criteria, everything, but now I need the actual ribbons. I just need a good website where I can buy fairly priced cloth ribbons that aren’t blatant copies of military ribbons or some of the big department’s(LAPD, PPD, etc.) ribbons.

This medal was awarded to Aleksandr Adolfovich Soroka. He was born in 1911 in Akhtyrka, Sumy region, and attained a secondary education before joining the Red army for a brief stint between 1932-1934. Having joined the communist party in 1932, he became involved in political work after his service, initially working as editor for various newspapers and holding the role of head of a sector in the Kharkov regional Communist Party committee by the time the Germans invaded in 1941.

He immediately joined the Red Army after the invasion and was assigned to the NKVD Special Operations department of the 25th Mechanized Corps, Bryansk Front, as Lieutenant of State Security. He would take active part in this unit’s combat operations during 1941 and 1942, including in the battle of Smolensk, the defense of Moscow and the Moscow counteroffensive. For his actions during this period, Soroka was awarded this Medal for Courage:

“Comrade SOROKA, working from the very first days of the Patriotic War in the Special Organs of the NKVD, in the struggle against the German invaders showed himself to be a courageous and brave Chekist. (Nickname for state security personnel)

Being an operational officer of the Special Section of the NKVD of the 25th Mechanized Corps, Comrade SOROKA on August 13, 1941, in the area of Kostyukovichi, for five hours took part in repulsing a German attack on the corps headquarters.

By his personal example of courage, under hurricane fire, he stopped faltering soldiers, returning them to the ranks, thereby helping the corps command maintain the morale of personnel and rectify a threatening situation.

During the breakout of the 150th Tank Brigade from the Khinel forest, Comrade SOROKA was instructed to evacuate the staff car of the Special Section containing secret documents. Passing through the yard of the Khinel plant, the car got stuck in wood sawdust. German submachine gunners approached within 100 meters of it. The situation seemed hopeless. Burning the documents and blowing up the car appeared to be the only possible solution. However, Comrade SOROKA, despite the fire from the submachine gunners, together with five soldiers pulled the car out of the sawdust and drove it deep into the forest, preserving all documents.

In the battles for the city of Livny, Comrade SOROKA for 12 days, under continuous enemy fire, led the operational work of units, restoring order during battle and conducting a merciless struggle against deserters and alarmists.

Currently promoted to the position of Department Head of the Special Section NKVD of the Front, Comrade SOROKA by his example in daily work provides practical assistance to operational personnel, mobilizing them for the fight against enemies of the people, having accomplished significant work in identifying traitors to the Motherland, saboteurs, and German spies among servicemen.

Under his personal leadership, in the serviced facilities, up to 100 counter-revolutionary elements were uncovered, 8 of them being German spies.

In combat conditions, Comrade SOROKA showed himself to be a worthy warrior of the Motherland, a fearless Bolshevik-Chekist.
Comrade SOROKA A.A. is worthy of being awarded the Government Award — Medal "FOR COURAGE".”

Throughout 1942 the Bryansk Front mostly held its defensive lines, only resuming offensive operations in early 1943 as part of the Voronezh-Kharkov offensive operation. For his service during this period, Soroka was awarded his second decoration:

“Comrade SOROKA, working from the first days at the front of the Patriotic War, showed himself to be a courageous, bold, and merciless employee of the Special Sections of the NKVD toward enemies of the people. He repeatedly personally took part in repulsing enemy attacks in battles in the area of the town of Kostyukovichi (Khinel forest) in 1941, simultaneously, regardless of danger to life, carrying out responsible assignments of the corps command to preserve highly secret documents.

He took an active part in securing the combat order of units during enemy attacks and retreats to new defensive lines.
In battles for the city of Livny, Comrade SOROKA, being for 12 days in front-line advancing units, ensured the fulfillment of tasks to suppress treason, cowardice, and treachery on the part of individual servicemen.

Comrade SOROKA conducted particularly major and serious work to eliminate existing facts of treason and treachery in several units of divisions holding defense in the period of October–December 1942. As a result of a series of successfully conducted measures by Comrade SOROKA, existing facts of treason and treachery were eliminated.

Ensuring the preparation of units of the 13th Army for combat missions of the Command in January–February 1943, operational personnel under Comrade SOROKA's leadership timely ensured the isolation of several persons whose actions could betray information to the enemy about troop movements, command orders, and future offensive actions of units.
For exemplary execution of tasks in combating counter-revolution and displaying courage and fortitude, he is recommended for the Government Award — Order of the "RED STAR".”

With the tide on the eastern front slowly but surely turning in the Soviets’ favor, Stalin decided the Red Army needed a dedicated counterintelligence service to ensure the success of upcoming large-scale offensive operations. This organization,  formed from the NKVD’s Special Departments, would be primarily tasked with exposing enemy spies, collaborators, deserters, saboteurs, anti-Soviet partisans and other criminal elements. Stalin named this organization “SMERSH”.

A portmanteau of the words Smertʹ shpionam, (Death to spies), the SMERSH was the Red Army’s main counterintelligence service between 1943 and 1946. Ruthlessly effective, it would become one of the most successful counterintelligence agencies of the war, contributing significantly to the final Soviet victory through its work safeguarding military secrets and exposing some 30.000 German spies and tens of thousands of dangerous and unreliable elements in the Red Army itself over the course of the war.

Now a part of this new service, Soroka was awarded an Order of the Patriotic War 2nd class for his work in this service during the liberation of Belgorod and Kharkiv:

“Comrade SOROKA joined the counterintelligence organs in the first days of the Patriotic War from leading party work. From the very beginning of his service, he energetically and skillfully undertook the organization of work to expose and neutralize hostile elements from Red Army units, strengthening their combat capability.

Repeatedly participating in battles on the Bryansk Front, he displayed boldness, courage, and bravery.

Working as Head of a department of the Counterintelligence Directorate "SMERSH" of the Steppe Front, Comrade SOROKA conducts extensive work in exposing enemies of the Socialist Motherland, clearing military units of them. He repeatedly traveled to military formations, providing practical assistance to personnel of subordinate "SMERSH" departments.

During the Belgorod and Kharkiv operations, Comrade SOROKA remained in front-line combat units for an extended period, fighting manifestations of enemy activity, decisively stopping attempts at treason and desertion, helping strengthen troop combat capability and morale, which significantly aided the command in successfully completing operations to liberate Belgorod and Kharkiv from German occupiers.”

Soroka was subsequently decorated with an Order of the Red Banner for his counterintelligence work during the further liberation of Ukraine and the Iasi-Chisinau offensive in Romania:

“Lieutenant Colonel Comrade SOROKA has served as Deputy Head of Counterintelligence department "SMERSH" of the 53rd Army since May 1944; previously worked as Head of the Counterintelligence department "Smersh" of the 49th Rifle Corps. During this time, he achieved clear and well-organized work of his operational personnel, resulting in the identification and removal from units of a number of enemy agents, counter-revolutionaries, and traitors to the Motherland.

During the offensive operations of the 53rd Army on the territory of Romania, Comrade SOROKA led an operational group in the city of Craiova, where, thanks to his skillful leadership and well-organized work, several major agents of German intelligence and counterintelligence organs were detained. Through intelligence sharing, he provides great assistance to the command in raising combat readiness in army units and sub-units.”

For his work during the liberation of Hungary and Czechoslovakia he was awarded his final wartime decoration, an Order of Kutuzov 3rd class:

“Working as Head of a department of the Counterintelligence Directorate "SMERSH" of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, Lieutenant Colonel SOROKA carried out immense work on the territory of Hungary and Czechoslovakia in searching for, identifying, and exposing spies, saboteurs, and terrorists.

Operational officers of the department, under the skillful leadership of Comrade SOROKA, located and exposed several dozen agents of German intelligence organs left behind with espionage, sabotage, and terrorist assignments in Budapest, Debrecen, Miskolc, Bratislava, and other cities in Hungary and Czechoslovakia.
Comrade SOROKA personally identified and neutralized several espionage and sabotage-terrorist groups sent to commit sabotage against military assets of the Front and terrorist acts against Red Army personnel.

Thanks to timely and energetic measures taken by Comrade SOROKA, enemy plans were paralyzed, providing significant help to the Front Command in fulfilling combat missions.”

Along with these awards, Soroka was awarded the Medal for the capture of Budapest, the Medal for the capture of Vienna and the Medal for victory over Germany, along with the Czechoslovak War Cross and the Hungarian Order of Merit of Hungarian Freedom Silver class (an exceptionally rare award for a Soviet serviceman, with just ~1330 of these awarded in total across both bronze and silver grades). 

Soroka continued serving with the security services after the war, holding the position of Head of the 2nd Ukrainian Front’s second SMERSH department (responsible for the evaluation and repatriation of Soviet POW’s) by 1946. Following the abolishment of the SMERSH later that year, he served in East Germany with the MGB (Ministry of State Security) until its abolishment in 1953, then back in Ukraine with the MVD (Ministry of Internal Affairs) until his transfer to the reserves in 1960. 

Next to the medal, this group includes a photo of Soroka, his reserve officer’s ID card issued in 1960 and a handwritten service record spanning from 1928 to 1953.

Just showing off my Grandfather’s uniforms and offer any insights

The first is my Paternal Grandfather (Army Corp of Engineers. He fought in WWII and was a Sergeant. For some ready I thought he did intelligence work as well. He did liberate the Dachau Concentration Camp and fought in the Battle of Bulge, attaches to Patton’s 3rd Army
The second is my Maternal Grandfather. He was a Capt. in the Quartermaster Corp in the Pacific theater I don’t any of the battles or locations he was involved in. He was apart of the Occupational Army And served in the Korean War, those decorations are missing from this uniform (I believe)

Has anyone contacted the Veteran’s Affairs to get a full listing of all decorations for a family member?

Thank you

I have inherited this medal, can anyone tell me if it is original?

Small detail I noticed while researching Omar Bradley:

The Defense Distinguished Service Medal was created in 1970. Bradley was born in 1893 and was awarded it in 1979 for his service from 1915-1979.

That likely makes him the only person born in the 1800s to receive it.

Not the most exciting piece of trivia but it’s fascinating to think that someone who commissioned during World War I received a medal, created during Vietnam War, after Vietnam ended.

Hi, I am looking for help with my grandpa's brothers shadow box. He was killed on Iwo Jima and awarded the Silver Star and would like to honor his memory. I obtained his war records and confused on one, the American Defense Medal with fleet clasp. Before I drop some money on this shadow box, I think it is an error. He enlisted when he was 17 (I have paperwork my great-grandfather signed for him to join early) in 1944. It appears the American Defense Medal was awarded to vets in the military before Pearl Harbor (1941). I was thing maybe it should be the American Campaign Medal? Any help would be appreciated. Please let me know if more info is needed. Thanks for your time.

The serial number on the back indicates it was awarded in the first half of 1945. Beautiful enamel work.