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Paul A. Putnam
Brigadier General Paul Albert Putnam, USMC (June 16, 1903 – May 21, 1982) commanded Marine Corps Fighter Squadron VMF-211 during the defense of Wake Island in December 1941. He was awarded the Navy Cross for heroism during the defense of Wake Island. He survived three and a half years as a prisoner of war and rose to the rank of brigadier general. Early life Paul Albert Putnam was born in Milan, Michigan on June 16, 1903. His family moved to Iowa when he was young and he attended Iowa State University for one year. Education Putnam enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on December 1, 1923, and took advantage of an education program called the Marine Corps Institute which enabled him to qualify to become a commissioned officer. Early military career He was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the on March 4, 1926. Putnam served three tours of duty in Nicaragua fighting insurgents. After his first tour, he was sent to flight training and served the next two tours as a p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Milan, Michigan
Milan ( ) is a city in Monroe and Washtenaw counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,079 at the 2020 census. The community was settled as early as 1831. Milan incorporated as a village in 1885 and much later as a city in 1967. The center of the downtown area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Main Street Historic District. History The first settler to the area was John Marvin, who arrived in the spring of 1831 and settled the community under the name Tolanville after Marvin's brother-in-law Henry Tolan. He built his home and also operated a general store for travelers and other early residents. Other earlier settlers included Bethuel Hack and Harmon Allen, and their families became the area's first permanent residents. The population began to grow, and the first post office was established on March 27, 1833 under the name Farmersville. The name was changed to Milan on April 21, 1836. The post office has remained in operati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United States Naval Aviator
A naval aviator is a commissioned officer or warrant officer qualified as a crewed aircraft pilot in the United States Navy or United States Marine Corps. United States Coast Guard crewed aircraft pilots are officially designated as "Coast Guard aviators", although they complete the same undergraduate flight training as Navy and Marine Corps crewed aircraft pilots, and are awarded the same aviation breast insignia. Naming conventions In the U.S. Navy, most naval aviators are unrestricted line officers (URL), eligible for command at sea; however, a small number of former senior enlisted personnel subsequently commissioned as line limited duty officers and chief warrant officers in the aviation operations technician specialty have also been trained as naval aviators and naval flight officers. A small number of URL officers trained as naval aviators and naval flight officers who hold technical degrees at the undergraduate and/or postgraduate level may also opt to laterally transf ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Defense Service Medal
The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four specified periods of armed conflict or national emergency from June 27, 1950 through the present. Combat or "in theater" service is not a requirement for the award. History The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) was first intended to be a "blanket campaign medal" awarded to service members who served honorably during a designated time period of when a "national emergency" had been declared during a time of war or conflict. It may also be issued to active military members for any other period that the Secretary of Defense designates. To date, the NDSM has been awarded for four specific time periods, which roughly correspond to the Korean (1950-1954), Vietnam (1961-1974), Gulf (1990-1995), and the Global War on Terrorism (2001 to 2022). ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World War II Victory Medal (United States)
The World War II Victory Medal is a service medal of the United States military which 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 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 Thomas H. Jones and approved by the Secretary of War on 5 February 1946. Consequently, it did not transition from a ribbon to a full medal until after World War II had ended. The World War II Victory Medal was first issued as a service ribbon, referred to as the “Victory Ribbon.” 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 Govern ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Star
A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or service period. The service star may also be referred to as a campaign star or battle star depending on which award the star is authorized for and the manner in which the device is used for the award. Service stars, campaign stars, and battle stars are worn with one point of the star pointing up on the suspension ribbon of a medal or service ribbon. A silver star is worn instead of five bronze stars. A service star is sometimes mistaken for a Bronze Star (Bronze Star Medal) or Silver Star (Silver Star Medal). The service star is also similar to the gold and silver -inch stars that may be authorized to be worn on specific individual decorations of certain services to denote additional decorations. Service stars Expeditionary medals Servic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Medal Bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It most commonly indicates the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the recipient has met the criteria for receiving the medal in multiple theatres. When used in conjunction with decorations for exceptional service, such as gallantry medals, the term "and bar" means that the award has been bestowed multiple times. In the example, "Group Captain Leonard Cheshire, VC, OM, DSO and two bars, DFC", "DSO and two bars" means that the Distinguished Service Order was awarded on three occasions. A British convention is to indicate bars by the use of asterisks; thus, DSO** would denote a DSO and two bars. Bars are also used on long-service medals to indicate the length of service rendered. The two terms are used because terms "bar" and "clasp" both refer to two parts of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Defense Service Medal
The American Defense Service Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces, established by , by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, on June 28, 1941. The medal was intended to recognize those military service members who had served on active duty between September 8, 1939, and December 7, 1941. A similar medal, known as the American Campaign Medal, was established in 1942, for service in the American Theater during the World War II era. History The American Defense Service Medal was established by Executive Order 8808, on 28 June 1941, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and announced in War Department Bulletin 17, 1941. The criteria for the medal was announced in Department of the Army Circular 44, on 13 February 1942. The service ribbon design was approved by the Secretary of War and the Secretary of Navy on January 7, 1942. The medal was designed by Mr. Lee Lawrie, a civilian sculptor from Easton, Maryland. The model was approved by the Commission of Fine Arts on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Second Nicaraguan Campaign Medal
The Second Nicaraguan Campaign Medal is a campaign medal of the United States Navy which was authorized by an act of the United States Congress on 8 November 1929. The Second Nicaraguan Campaign Medal was awarded for service during operations in Nicaragua from 1926 to 1933, during the Nicaraguan civil war and the subsequent occupation. An earlier campaign medal, the Nicaraguan Campaign Medal, was awarded for service in Nicaragua 1912. History The Second Nicaraguan Campaign Medal was created by General Orders 197 of the Navy Department and approved by Congress to recognize participation by Navy and Marine Corps personnel in naval operations at Nicaragua between the dates of 27 August 1926 and 2 January 1933. Appearance The Second Nicaraguan Campaign Medal appeared as a medal suspended from a red ribbon with several white stripes. The medal displayed a woman (representing Columbia), armed with a sword, defending two other figures with a cloak A cloak is a type of loose ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wake Island Device
The Wake Island Device is an award device of the United States military which is presented as a campaign clasp to both the Navy and Marine Corps Expeditionary Medals. The Wake Island Device is authorized for any sailor or marine who was awarded the Navy or Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal due to service during the defense of Wake Island during the opening days of U.S. involvement in the Second World War. To be awarded the Wake Island Device, a service member must have been awarded either the Navy Expeditionary Medal, or the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal, and must have served on Wake Island between the dates of December 7 and December 22, 1941. The Wake Island Device is worn as a campaign clasp, inscribed with the words “Wake Island”, centered on the upper portion of the Navy or Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal. When wearing the Expeditionary Medal as a ribbon, the Wake Island Device is annotated by a silver “W” device, centered on the decoration. A total of only 4 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal
The Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal is a military award of the United States Marine Corps. It was established on 8 May 1919 as the ''Marine Corps Expeditionary Ribbon''. A full-sized medal was authorized on 1 March 1921. The Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal is therefore one of the oldest medals of the United States military which is still issued to active duty personnel. Award criteria To be awarded the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal, a Marine must have engaged in a landing on foreign territory, participated in combat operations against an opposing force, or participated in a designated operation for which no other service medal is authorized. After 1961, some commands permitted eligible personnel to choose between the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal, or the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, depending on the nature of the operation in question. Design In 1919, the Corps established the Expeditionary Ribbon to recognize "limited service against an opposing force." Two years ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prisoner Of War Medal
The Prisoner of War Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was authorized by Congress and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on 8 November 1985. The United States Code citation for the POW Medal statute is . The Prisoner of War Medal may be awarded to any person who was a prisoner of war after April 5, 1917 (the date of the United States' entry into World War I was April 6). It is awarded to any person who was taken prisoner or held captive while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing Armed Force; or while serving with friendly forces engaged in armed conflict against an opposing Armed Force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. As of an amendment to Title 10 of the United States Code in 2013, the medal is also awarded for captivity under circumstances "which the Secretary concerned finds were comparable to those circumstances under which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
