| World War II Victory Medal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Service medal |
| Presented by | Department of War andDepartment of the Navy |
| Eligibility | Served in the armed forces between 7 December 1941 and 31 December 1946. |
| Reverse |  |
| Status | Obsolete |
  Service ribbon (top) andcampaign 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 |
TheWorld War II Victory Medal was aservice medal of theUnited States military which was established by an Act ofCongress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945.[1][2]
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 bronze medal was designed byThomas 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 afterWorld War II had ended. The World War II Victory Medal was first issued as aservice 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 theGovernment of the Philippine Islands, who served on active duty, or as a reservist, between 7 December 1941 and the ending of hostilities as declared by the president.[2]
On 8 August 1946, the separateMerchant Marine World War II Victory Medal was established for members of theUnited States Merchant Marine who served during World War II.[3]
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.[1] TheNational Personnel Records Center has reported some cases of service members receiving the award for only a few days of service. As hostilities during the Second World War ended on 2 September 1945, there may be cases of service members who had enlisted, entered officer candidate school, or had been a cadet or midshipman at theU.S. Military Academy, theU.S. Naval Academy or theU.S. Coast Guard Academy between 3 September 1945 and any date in 1946, receiving the medal without having been a veteran of the period of active hostilities during the war; the reason for this late date is that PresidentHarry S. Truman did not declare an official end to hostilities until the last day of 1946.[2]
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 theNational Defense Service Medal.[4][5]
The bronze medal is 11⁄2 inches in width. Theobverse is a figure of Liberation standing full length with head turned to dexter looking to the dawn of a new day, right foot resting on a war god's helmet with the hilt of a broken sword in the right hand and the broken blade in the left hand, the inscriptionWORLD WAR II placed immediately below the center. On thereverse are inscriptions for theFour Freedoms:FREEDOM FROM FEAR AND WANT andFREEDOM OF SPEECH AND RELIGION separated by a palm branch, all within a circle composed of the wordsUNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1941 1945.[2]
The suspension andservice ribbon of the medal is 13⁄8 inches wide and consists of the following stripes:3⁄8 inch double rainbow in juxtaposition (blues, greens, yellows, reds (center), yellows greens and blues);1⁄32 inch White 67101; center9⁄16 inch Old Glory Red 67156;1⁄32 inch White; and3⁄8 inch double rainbow in juxtaposition. The rainbow on each side of the ribbon is a miniature of the pattern used in theWorld War I Victory Medal.[2]
Although the World War I Victory Medal includedclasps, the World War II Victory Medal did not. This was becausecampaign medals were awarded instead.
United States campaign, expeditionary, and service medals | |
|---|---|
| 1862–1906 | |
| 1905–1921 | |
| 1911–1941 | |
| 1936–1945 | |
| 1942–1949 | |
| 1953–1999 |
|
| 2003–present | |
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