Question about medals in old picture - Page 2
Create Post
Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 16 to 30 of 33
  1. #16
    Marine Free Member Quinbo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Ft. Bragg
    Posts
    3,992
    Credits
    30,514
    Savings
    0
    Images
    37
    Hashmark is for more than 4 years of service not 3. It is not impossible but very unlikely to achieve the rank of buck sergeant and not have a hash mark. WWII Victory medal.




  2. #17
    Marine Platinum Member Zulu 36's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Seminole County
    Posts
    6,153
    Credits
    20,890
    Savings
    0
    Images
    7
    Quote Originally Posted by Old Marine View Post
    He could have moved through the ranks during the war, but if he did he would have a little more cabbage on his chest. I figure this Marine is not right out of Recruit Training and had been around the block for a couple of years before this picture was taken. Back then I doubt that they passed out stripes at the mess hall.
    I once worked with a retired Marine GySgt who enlisted in 1940 and was at the Philly Navy Yard when Pearl Harbor happened. He said a few weeks later, everyone was mustered and volunteers were requested for a "special assignment." He figured it was an early crack at the Japs, so he volunteered.

    He spent the next three-years in Puerto Rico guarding ammo dumps. Then he was detailed to be a DI at Parris Island. He said he was probably the only DI there with no Pacific combat experience. He was a hashmarked Sgt when WWII ended and no combat time at all.

    He did admit that the Corps made up for their neglect during the Korean War when he was with F/2/7 at Inchon through Chosen. Yes, that Fox/2/7, and he wasn't posing. I have since verified he was the Company Gunny as he claimed to be. Got a Silver Star and a couple of Hearts.


  3. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Bulkyker View Post
    Hashmark is for more than 4 years of service not 3. It is not impossible but very unlikely to achieve the rank of buck sergeant and not have a hash mark. WWII Victory medal.

    Saw my typo AFTER I lost the edit feature.


  4. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by USNAviator View Post
    Doc

    All Gunny and I tried to do was help out a son who had a picture of his Dad. Perhaps it was dated, he didn't say. I think Gunny and I established what the badges were but I doubt if anyone can tell me what that ribbon is!

    My best guess is stated above. As for rank, to make Corporal in the pre-war Corps usually took at least 5-7 years.
    OKAY SIR, BUT IF YOU LOOKED AT OUR RIFLE MARKSMAN RIBBON IT LOOKSLIKE THE ONE THE CPL HAD ON SIR<

    FAIR WINDS AND SEMPER FI SIR


    STEPHEN DOC HANSEN HM3 FMF


  5. #20
    Marine Friend Free Member USNAviator's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Glen Allen, Virginia
    Posts
    3,113
    Credits
    8,023
    Savings
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by doc h fmf View Post
    OKAY SIR, BUT IF YOU LOOKED AT OUR RIFLE MARKSMAN RIBBON IT LOOKSLIKE THE ONE THE CPL HAD ON SIR<

    FAIR WINDS AND SEMPER FI SIR


    STEPHEN DOC HANSEN HM3 FMF
    Agreed Doc, that's what I posted in number 6. But without a better picture I think it's guess by all of us.

    What confuses me Doc is his rank. An E-4 out of boot or is that an E-3? Did they have have Lance Corp. during WW2?



  6. #21
    To Be Honest Sir I Dont Know Much Of The Preand Ww2 Ranks It Looks Like A Cpl But Did Some One Mention Buck Sgt?

    Anyway Fair Winds And Semper Fi Sir


    Stephen Doc Hansen Hm3 Fmf


  7. #22
    Marine Free Member BauerBrat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Actually I live in the country
    Posts
    92
    Credits
    147
    Savings
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by USNAviator View Post
    Agreed Doc, that's what I posted in number 6. But without a better picture I think it's guess by all of us.

    What confuses me Doc is his rank. An E-4 out of boot or is that an E-3? Did they have have Lance Corp. during WW2?
    Commander, I was in from '54-'64 and they brought back the rank of Lance Corporal in 1958, I believe. From what I remember, it wasn't used during WW2


  8. #23
    This Marine has two chevrons which in those days was a Corporal (E-3). There was no LCpl rank at that time. They did have Technical Sgts back then.


  9. #24
    Marine Family Free Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Alabaster
    Posts
    4
    Credits
    17,343
    Savings
    0
    Thanks guys for all the comments on my dad's picture. Here's what I know about his service. I wish I had paid more attention to what he said while he was alive. He enlisted in August, 1941. He was in California, maybe still in basic training when the war began. They strung barbed wire on the beaches the day after Pearl Harbor. He did rise through the ranks rapidly because it was wartime, he could type, and because certain adminstrative jobs he was assigned to required a certain rank. He never saw a day of combat. Went to New Caledonia and then the rest of the war in Hawaii where he met my mother who was a WAC.

    One other thing I remember him saying... his rifle training was with a 1903 Springfield.


  10. #25
    The 'ladder' badge was for all sorts of qualifications, pistol, flamethrower, grenade. Looks like he got them all, which was actually pretty common. It wasn't considered an 'expert' qualification badge. The longer one is, as has been stated, a rifle qualification badge, likely 'sharpshooter'.

    From what I can see of the ribbon, I'd also guess a Good Conduct Medal, not uncommon during WWII at all to be a Cpl with one and no hashmark quite yet.

    If you know your dad's dates of service, we could probably pin this down some more.


  11. #26
    I'm not sure if the Corps did like the Army during that time period, but I guess it's possible that personnel filling certain billets were given temporary rank that the billet called for, but if they left the billet, they reverted to their "permanent" rank. At that time, in the Army, it was possible to be a PFC (permanent), but wear 1st Sgt chevrons because you were filling the billet of a 1st Sgt. Kind of like the Corps' practice of using LDO's to fill certain billets where it's difficult to get an officer to volunteer for. Gitmo used to be one of the places where the CO would often be a Gunny or MSgt holding the rank of Major as an LDO.


  12. #27
    I've seen that temporary rank stuff , but not at the low enlisted ranks where you were always senior ( whatever ) and thus incharged , regardless of your peon rank !


  13. #28
    The badge on the left is definitely a rifle sharpshooter qualification badge. The badge on the is the Marine Corps Basic Qualification Badge that was worn during the era. Additional information is at: http://www.angelfire.com/md2/patches...arksmansh.html


  14. #29
    Marine Family Free Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Alabaster
    Posts
    4
    Credits
    17,343
    Savings
    0
    Regarding the 'temporary rank". I'm sure my father had a temporary rank. He was, believe it or not, a sergeant major at the end of the war. But his "real" rank was a lower rank sergeant of some sort.

    Again, thank you for contributing to the discussion of the picture. My two brothers are also enjoying reading the comments.


  15. #30
    Marine Friend Free Member USNAviator's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Glen Allen, Virginia
    Posts
    3,113
    Credits
    8,023
    Savings
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by adowns View Post
    Regarding the 'temporary rank". I'm sure my father had a temporary rank. He was, believe it or not, a sergeant major at the end of the war. But his "real" rank was a lower rank sergeant of some sort.

    Again, thank you for contributing to the discussion of the picture. My two brothers are also enjoying reading the comments.
    Can you take a closer look with magnifying glass and describe the ribbon. That's the only thing we don't agree on.. BTW glad to help out. Most of us have Dad's who served and who have passed on

    I wish their generation talked more but they didn't


Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not Create Posts
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts