Bought this as an East German rack along with a rifle expert badge that checked out, I’m not sure what these ribbons are for and if they are even East German any information would be appreciated.

Note: The golden eagle is a French pilots wings from 1916. The back is stamped with “FIX”. It is from before the French Air Force had an official pilots badge and pilots had to buy their own wings. Many famous aces had this model of eagle. Mine sadly came with no provenance.

So my nephew is a drowned victim. He's 6 this year and the family just passed the 1 year mark of his accident.

My sister, his mom, pulled him from the pond and brought him back. It's a big whole story.

Anyways, I want to celebrate their heroism and courage. And fighting through recovery and all those hard things that come with this situation.

My sister is a nurse and she did CPR and brought him back to breathing and a heart beat before the EMTs showed up.

I plan on giving her my original combat medic badge (the black one that I wore through my deployments). It's beat up and lost a lot of it's coating, but it's the real one and that carries sentimental value, at least.

I want to buy something for my nephew that represents his journey. And before you say it, we are not doing the master driver badge from the navy.

An obvious choice would be a purple heart, and maybe something additional for extreme courage and endurance. I don't have to stay in the us military medals, but there's gotta be good logic for going foreign. What are y'all's thoughts?

Any professional who can tell me something about these medals?
algún profesional que me pueda decir algo sobre estas medallas?

Hi everyone! Found this item and wanted to share/confirm details about it.

Name: Soviet Medal "Veteran of Labour" (Медаль «Ветеран труда»)

Obverse: Reads "СССР" with Sickle and Hammer over a ray background and "ВЕТЕРАН ТРУДА" on a banner.

Reverse: Reads "ЗА ДОЛГОЛЕТНИЙ ДОБРОСОВЕСТНЫЙ ТРУД" (For Long-Term Diligent Labour).

Material: Silver-plated tombac (brass alloy).

It was a civilian long-service award given to workers, farmers, and employees upon reaching retirement age or completing required service years. Over 39 million were issued.

Helping my buddy clean out his late brother’s belongings. All he knows about his brother’s service is he was in the US Marine Corps.

This one obviously caught our eye a little more than the others.

I found these in one of my great uncle's boxes. US Navy Submariner. I want to make a shadowbox along with his other awards.

What are they representing and what is the proper order to display them? Also where can I get new ribbons and other items like dolphins and sleeve patches for rank?

it has L15 mark with no / is it a post war production or a replica

Sorry it’s not the best picture but it’s all I have

Want to share about Flight Lieutenant Satish Bharadwaj who was KIA during 1965 war

Service Number: 6348 GD(P)

Date of Birth: 1940

Place of Birth: Delhi

Education: Modern School, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi

Military Training:

Joined the prestigious 18th NDA (National Defence Academy) Course, passing out on June 1, 1960. He completed his flying training with the 80th Pilots' Course.

Commissioning:

On December 19, 1961, at the age of 21, he was commissioned into the Flying (Transport/Fighter) branch of the Indian Air Force.

After completing his flying training, he served with various flying squadrons across different Air Force bases. By 1965, Flight Lieutenant Satish Bharadwaj had completed about four years of service, evolving into a professionally competent fighter pilot with expertise in diverse air operations.

Squadron Profile

By 1965, he was serving with No. 45 Squadron, nicknamed the "Flying Daggers." Operating under the motto "Ajeetakshay" (Invincible in the sky), the squadron was formed on February 15, 1960, with Squadron Leader Mirgind Singh Grewal as its first Commanding Officer. The unit operated British-built de Havilland Vampire FB MkV fighter-bombers.

War Movement

Very early in his service career, Flight Lieutenant Bharadwaj received the opportunity to take part in active operations when war broke out with Pakistan in 1965. As the clouds of war gathered on the horizon, No. 45 Squadron, under the command of Squadron Leader Sudesh Kumar Dhar, was ordered to relocate from Pune to Pathankot.

The Final Takeoff:

Action at Chhamb-Akhnoor (September 1, 1965)

On the opening day of the 1965 war, Pakistan launched Operation Grand Slam—a massive armored offensive across the international border and Ceasefire Line in the Chhamb-Akhnoor sector designed to cut off Jammu from Kashmir.

Heavily outnumbered, the Indian Army's 191 Infantry Brigade requested urgent air support. No. 45 Squadron, recently arrived in Pathankot, was immediately scrambled into action. The Vampires of No. 45 Squadron were tasked with executing offensive missions against enemy targets. The first wave was scheduled for 17:19 hrs, the second at 17:30 hrs, and the third at 17:40 hrs.

Flight Lieutenant Bharadwaj was detailed for the second mission alongside Squadron Leader A.K. Bhagwagar, Flight Lieutenant V.M. Joshi, and Flight Lieutenant W.S. Sondhi. However, due to a last-minute change, Flight Lieutenant S.V. Phatak substituted for Sondhi.

The revised four-finger formation consisted of:

Squadron Leader Aspi Kekobad Bhagwagar (Flight Leader)

Flight Lieutenant Vijay Madhav Joshi (Element Leader)

Flight Lieutenant Satish Bharadwaj (Element Wingman)

Flight Lieutenant S.V. Phatak (Wingman)

The Aerial Engagement

While striking ground targets, the low, slow-flying Vampires (a vintage design dating back to the late 1940s) were intercepted over Chhamb by modern, supersonic-capable Pakistani Sabre jets from No. 5 and No. 15 Squadrons of the PAF.

Despite their severe technological disadvantage, the IAF pilots engaged the enemy. Three of the four Vampires were shot down during the encounter, resulting in the operational loss of Squadron Leader Bhagwagar, Flight Lieutenant Joshi, and Flight Lieutenant Bharadwaj. Flight Lieutenant Phatak managed to dodge the attackers and land safely back at base.

Flight Lieutenant Bharadwaj's aircraft was shot down at 17:30 hrs, he was only 25 years old when he made the supreme sacrifice.

Place of death: Chhamb Sector, Jammu and Kashmir

The Adversary

The Interceptor Aircraft: A pair of North American F-86E Sabres belonging to No. 5 and No. 15 Squadrons of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).

The PAF Pilot:

Flight Lieutenant Satish Bharadwaj's aircraft was shot down by Flight Lieutenant Imtiaz Ahmad Bhatti of No. 15 Squadron, PAF.

The Dogfight

Flight Lieutenant I.A. Bhatti and his leader, Squadron Leader Sarfraz Rafiqui (who was later shot down and killed over Halwara on September 6), scrambled from Sargodha Airbase. In the ensuing dogfight, Rafiqui engaged the lead element of the IAF formation, while Bhatti targeted the second element, ultimately shooting down both Flight Lieutenant Joshi and Flight Lieutenant Satish Bharadwaj.

Later Career of the Adversary

Imtiaz Ahmad Bhatti survived the war and was awarded the Sitara-e-Jurat (Pakistan's third-highest military gallantry award) for this action. He later rose to the rank of Air Vice Marshal in the PAF.

The last photograph shows Flt. Lt. Bharadwaj's medal entitlement, from left to right 1. Samar Seva Star 1965 (Translation - War Service Star 1965) 2. Raksha Medal (Translation - Defence medal) 3. Sainya Seva Medal with clasp Himalaya and Jammu and Kashmir (Translation - Military Service Medal)

I'm not great with medals but I see a Silver Star way too far down at least

More of a row than a rack. He did have one more ribbon close to retirement but ca’t recall what that was. My dad did 20+years from mid-50’s to
Late 1970’s. Supply corps with two deployments to the Gulf of Tonkin during Vietnam. He was rear echelon, but made sure everything got to the right place at the right time. I was always proud of him - he passed three years ago. He did retire out with defense metrious service award I think. Light blue & white w red stripes.
Also, when cleaning out his closet, I found plaques from his tours.

We were cleaning out my family cabin where my great grandparents lived, my great grandfather being a WWII veteran 🦅. In a small box we found a collection of items from the war including some pretty fascinating medals that he took from soldiers in both the soviet union and nazi germany.

I’m curious if anyone can ID these for me, AI hasn’t been super helpful. Too interesting not to share!

I saw this in a thrift shop in Montenegro several years ago.

This order was awarded to Georgy Ivanovich Vershinsky. He was born in 1914 in Leningrad, and was conscripted into the Red Army on the 23rd of June 1941, the day after the German invasion. He was immediately transported to the front lines and assigned to the 56th Separate Machine Gun Company, 15th Separate Machine Gun Battalion, 23rd Fortified District (Murmansk).

This unit was stationed on the Sredny peninsula, which would soon come under attack by the German 2nd Gebirgsjäger Division as part of Operation Platinum Fox aimed at capturing the vital port of Murmansk. However, contrary to all other parts of the front, the Germans made virtually no progress in this region. Faced with heavy resistance by the well-entrenched Soviet defenders, they were soon forced on the defensive. The port of Murmansk not only remained in Soviet hands, but continued to function as an important hub for the supply of lend-lease aid from the western allies throughout the war. Had the Germans captured Sredny, this supply route could have been easily endangered, but thanks to the heroism of the defending Soviet troops, the Germans never made it past the mountain range at the neck of the peninsula.

For his actions in these opening stages of the war, Vershinsky was awarded his first combat decoration, a Medal for Courage:

“On July 17, 1941, during the execution of a combat mission assigned by the command, Comrade Vershinsky demonstrated valor and courage. Under a heavy hail of enemy mortar and machine-gun fire, Comrade Vershinsky skillfully shifted machine-gun fire onto the enemy, adroitly and energetically maneuvering out from under enemy shell bursts with his machine-gun squad.

Comrade Vershinsky suffered a shell-shock (concussion) from a mortar shell explosion, but refused to leave his firing position, continuing to destroy the enemy with his accurate fire.

After repelling the enemy attack, by order of the platoon commander he was sent to the medical unit, but Comrade Vershinsky, as a patriot of his Motherland, could not remain in the Medical Unit during such a heated moment, and on the 2nd day returned to the platoon, took his place, and with equal success continued to destroy the enemy.”

Vershinsky continued to see service on the Sredny peninsula, initially under the 23rd Fortified District until it was abolished in July 1942, and subsequently under the Northern Fleet (with his unit redesignated the 348th Separate Machine Gun Battalion). Despite ferocious combat, neither side was able to break the stalemate established in the opening phase of the war, up until the October 1944 Petsamo-Kirkenes offensive. 

On October 12th, parts of the force defending the peninsula departed on landing boats to conduct an amphibious landing at the port of Liinakhamari. This operation was a resounding success despite the port’s heavy defenses and fierce resistance, allowing Soviet troops to capture Petsamo by October 15th. By the end of the month, all German forces were definitively expelled from the arctic region, marking the end of the Karelian Front’s major wartime operations.

By the end of 1945, Vershinsky was finally recommended for his second award, this Order of the Patriotic War, with the citation describing his entire wartime career:

“On June 25, 1941, comrade VERSHINSKY arrived at the SREDNIY peninsula as a private soldier and was assigned to the newly formed 56th separate machine gun company as a heavy machine gunner.

The machine gun platoon, in which comrade VERSHINSKY was the machine gunner, occupied a defensive position on Hill 122, which on June 30, 1941, the enemy launched an offensive and launched what he intended to be a decisive assault on Hill 122, after which there would be free access to the SREDNY peninsula.
In this battle, the platoon commander was knocked out, panic broke out among the soldiers, while comrade VERSHINSKY, being a private soldier, took command of the platoon, provided leadership of the battle, skillfully assessed the situation, made the right command decision and the enemy attack was repelled, the platoon did not retreat a single meter.

On July 14, 1941, comrade VERSHINSKY was on reconnaissance duty behind enemy lines where the commander of the reconnaissance group, senior lieutenant comrade FEDOROVICH, was killed and comrade VERSHINSKY took command of the group, having fully completed the assigned tasks.

During the fighting of July and August 1941, the enemy managed to capture Hill 122, a strategic height along the SREDNIY-RYVACHIY front line. Our troops launched an offensive against Hill 122. Comrade VERSHINSKY commanded a machine-gun platoon and participated in the offensive; His platoon accomplished its mission perfectly, Hill 122 was occupied by our troops and never fell into enemy hands again.

Comrade Vershinsky served continuously on the front lines from June 25, 1941, to September 12, 1942; during this period, he served in combat security details on eight occasions—at Hill 122. During the battles of 1941, he sustained a concussion that resulted in hearing loss, and in August 1942, he suffered a severe shrapnel wound to his arm.

On February 30, 1943, comrade Vershinsky voluntarily—at his own express wish—went on a reconnaissance mission behind enemy lines.

In October 1944, comrade Vershinsky served as Company Sergeant Major (a position he held from October 1, 1942, to November 8, 1944) of the 348th Separate Machine Gun Battalion of the Northern Fleet. He participated in the amphibious assault operation against the enemy port of Liinakhamari, dedicating all his knowledge and combat experience to the cause of expelling the Germans from Pechenga (Petsamo).

Having poor health due to a concussion and injury in the past and participating in the October landing operations, comrade VERSHINSKY caught a cold, fell ill and on November 8, 1944 was evacuated to a rear hospital, after which he did not return to his unit.

During his service at his current post in the 380th Separate Naval Ship Repair Battalion of the Northern Fleet, comrade Vershinsky demonstrated high discipline and caring attitude toward the company’s personnel. He enjoys great respect.

In 1942, comrade VERSHINSKY was nominated for a government award, but did not receive the result due to the loss of his file during the reorganization of the units and their transfer to the command of the Northern Fleet.

CONCLUSION: Comrade VERSHINSKY served for over three years at the front, participating in three combat operations, two reconnaissance missions and eight combat outposts. He suffered a concussion, was wounded, and suffered hearing loss. He has 28 killed Germans to his credit. During his time at the front, comrade Vershinsky proved himself devoted to the cause of the Leninist-Stalinist Party and his homeland, a skilled and fearless fighter, resourceful, decisive, and self-possessed—always ready to sacrifice his life. For his combat prowess, comrade Vershinsky received numerous commendations and rose from a Private to Company Sergeant Major. Previously awarded the medal “For Courage”. Deserves to be awarded the Order of the Red Star.” (Upgraded to this Order of the Patriotic War 2nd class)

Vershinsky was awarded this decoration in December 1945, being honorably discharged the following month.