World War II Victory Medal (United States)

For the medal awarded to merchant mariners, see Merchant Marine World War II Victory Medal.

World War II Victory Medal
World War II Victory Medal
Awarded by Department of the Army Department of the Navy
Type	Military service medal
Eligibility	Served in the armed forces between the dates of December 7, 1941 and December 31, 1946.
Status	Inactive
Statistics
First awarded	December 7, 1941
Last awarded	December 31, 1946
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
World War II Victory Medal ribbon (top) and streamer (bottom)

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.^[1]^[2]

History

The World War II Victory Medal was first issued as a service ribbon referred to as the “Victory Ribbon.” By 1946, a full medal had been established which was referred to as the World War II Victory Medal. The medal was awarded to any member of the United States military, including members of the armed forces of the Government of the Philippine Islands, who served on active duty, or as a reservist, between December 7, 1941 and December 31, 1946.^[2]

The corresponding medal from the World War I is the World War I Victory Medal.

On August 8, 1946, the separate Merchant Marine World War II Victory Medal was established for members of the United States Merchant Marine who served during World War II.^[3]

Criteria

The medal is awarded for service between 7 December 1941 and 31 December 1946, both dates inclusive.^[1] The National Personnel Records Center has reported some cases of service members receiving the award for simply a few days of service. As the Second World War ended on September 2, 1945, there may be cases of service members who had enlisted, entered officer candidate school, or had been a cadet or midshipman at the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy or the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1946, receiving the medal without having been a veteran of World War II. The reason for this late date is that President Harry S. Truman did not declare an official end of hostilities until the last day of 1946.^[2]

Appearance

The bronze medal is 1 3/8 inches in width. The obverse 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 inscription WORLD WAR II placed immediately below the center. On the reverse are inscriptions for the Four Freedoms: FREEDOM FROM FEAR AND WANT and FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND RELIGION separated by a palm branch, all within a circle composed of the words UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1941 1945.^[2]

The suspension and service ribbon of the medal is 1 3/8 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; center 9/16 inch Old Glory Red 67156; 1/32 inch White; and 3/8 inch double rainbow in juxtaposition. The rainbow on each side of the ribbon is a miniature of the pattern used in the WWI Victory Medal.^[2]

Clasps

Unlike the World War I medal, clasps were not issued for the World War II Victory Medal. This was because campaign medals were frequently awarded instead.

Obverse
Reverse
The National World War II Memorial has an engraving of it in one of the two pavilions

References

1 2 "Army Regulation 600-8-22, Military Awards." (PDF). Headquarters Department of the Army. 2013-06-24. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
1 2 3 4 5 "World War II Victory Medal". The Institute of Heraldry: Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the ARMY. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
↑ piecesofhistory.com Merchant Marine World War II Victory Medal

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to World War II Victory Medal (United States).

United States Statutes at Large. vol. 59. Washington, DC: Office of the Federal Register. 1946. p. 461.
Code of Federal Regulations (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of the Federal Register. 2008. 32CFR578.47. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
NavPers 15,790: Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual (PDF). Washington, DC: Department of the Navy. 1960 [1953]. p. 161. OCLC 45726498. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
MIL-DTL-3943/237A: Detail Specification Sheet — Medal, World War II Victory (PDF). 15 August 2008. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
MIL-DTL-11589/149E: Detail Specification Sheet — Ribbon, World War II Victory Medal (PDF). 15 September 1995. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
"World War II Victory Medal". Fort Belvoir, Virginia: The Institute of Heraldry, U.S. Army. Archived from the original on September 9, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-04.

United States Campaign, Expeditionary, and Service Medals

19th century	Civil War Campaign Medal Indian Campaign Medal Dewey Medal Sampson Medal Cardenas Medal of Honor West Indies Campaign Medal Spanish Campaign Medal Spanish War Service Medal Army of Cuban Occupation Medal Army of Puerto Rican Occupation Medal Philippine Campaign Medal Philippine Congressional Medal

Early 20th century	China Campaign Medal (Army) China Relief Expedition Medal (Navy) Army of Cuban Pacification Medal Cuban Pacification Medal Nicaraguan Campaign Medal Haitian Campaign Medal Dominican Campaign Medal

World War I era	Mexican Service Medal Mexican Border Service Medal World War I Victory Medal Texas Cavalry Medal Army of Occupation of Germany Medal

Inter war era	Navy Expeditionary Medal Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal Haitian Campaign Medal NC-4 Medal Second Nicaraguan Campaign Medal Yangtze Service Medal Byrd Antarctic Expedition Medal Second Byrd Antarctic Expedition Medal United States Antarctic Expedition Medal

World War II era	China Service Medal American Defense Service Medal Women's Army Corps Service Medal American Campaign Medal European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal Army of Occupation Medal Navy Occupation Service Medal Medal for Humane Action

Late 20th century	National Defense Service Medal Korean Service Medal Antarctica Service Medal Coast Guard Arctic Service Medal Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Vietnam Service Medal Southwest Asia Service Medal Kosovo Campaign Medal Armed Forces Service Medal Humanitarian Service Medal Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal

21st century	Afghanistan Campaign Medal Iraq Campaign Medal Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Korea Defense Service Medal Air and Space Campaign Medal Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal

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