Welcome to the WWII Forums! Log in or Sign up to interact with the community.

Luzon and Mindanao Campaign medals

Discussion in 'Medals, Insignia, Badges & Recalls' started by BobS48461, Aug 3, 2019.

  1. BobS48461

    BobS48461 New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2019
    Messages:
    13
    Likes Received:
    0
    My father-in-law was in the 181st Field Artillary Battalion and fought in New Guinea, southern Philippines and Luzon. On his uniform, he has two ribbons that are the Luzon Campaign medal and the Mindanao Campaign medal issued by the Philipine government. He has a bronze star on each ribbon. Is anyone familiar with the bronze star recognition on these ribbons?
     
    BobS48461, Aug 3, 2019
    #1
  2. LRusso216

    LRusso216 Graybeard Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2009
    Messages:
    14,290
    Likes Received:
    2,607
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    I'm not quite sure what they mean. It would be helpful if you could post images of the ribbons. It would help us immensely.
     
    LRusso216, Aug 3, 2019
    #2
  3. Biak

    Biak Boy from Illinois Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2009
    Messages:
    9,135
    Likes Received:
    2,499
    Those are called Service Stars and reflect subsequent campaigns or battle participation within the overall campaign. Wiki explains it much better than I can;

    A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star 3⁄16 inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the seven uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or service period.[1] The service star may also be referred to as a campaign star or battle star depending on which award is authorized the star and the manner in which the device is used for the award.[2]
    Service star - Wikipedia
     
    Biak, Aug 3, 2019
    #3
    chibobber likes this.
  4. BobS48461

    BobS48461 New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2019
    Messages:
    13
    Likes Received:
    0
    7B7550F2-7E59-4E83-8592-0CFAA749F2B5.jpeg 5DED6021-29F7-4D60-AB55-A868427A24B7.jpeg I understand and he has three Services stars for battles on his Asiatic Pacific medal. When you look up other medals, it states the requirements to wear one, two and sometimes three service stars. I am trying to indentify what the requirements for the service stars are for these medals. I can’t find this background information on these medals
     
    BobS48461, Aug 4, 2019
    #4
  5. TD-Tommy776

    TD-Tommy776 Man of Constant Sorrow

    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2011
    Messages:
    7,217
    Likes Received:
    1,270
    Location:
    The Land of 10,000 Loons
    They are post-WWII Anti-Dissidence medals issued by the Philippine military. Here's a link to a PDF that explains those medals (near the end of the PDF). www.paf.mil.ph/sites/default/files/Airmen/awardsanddecorations_1.pdf

    There is no mention of bronze stars.
     
    TD-Tommy776, Aug 4, 2019
    #5
  6. LRusso216

    LRusso216 Graybeard Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2009
    Messages:
    14,290
    Likes Received:
    2,607
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    That's a good find, Tommy. While the campaign stars on his Asiatic-Pacific ribbon are easy to identify, the stars on the other ribbons are problematic. I have been unable to find information on them. That's kind of why I hoped for images.
     
    LRusso216, Aug 4, 2019
    #6
  7. BobS48461

    BobS48461 New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2019
    Messages:
    13
    Likes Received:
    0
    D7AE243A-34D0-4C62-8653-4D98FABC306F.jpeg Thanks Tommy and Lou. There is a star listed on the.PDF shown under Appurtances for a major battle/engagement. He has a star on each ribbon. I expect that other soldiers that served in the Luzon and Mindanao campaigns were given similar decorations. His discharge papers list NewGuinea, southern Philippine and Luzon for each star on his Asiatic-Pacific medal. The next step will be to find the engagements the 181st was in on Luzon and Mindanao and what Army units they were attached to. This is a picture of the ribbons on his uniform. They were poorly re-attached after a family member had the uniform “cleaned”. We’ve restored his three service stars on the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign ribbon and he also has a bronze arrowhead for an amphibious landing which we presume to be Goodenough Island on December 24, 1943.
     
    BobS48461, Aug 4, 2019
    #7

Share This Page