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What is a US Army WWII German Japan Occupation Medal?
I am considering purchasing some medals from Ebay. How can I know if the medal is one actually given to soldiers from a war?
The Army of Occupation Medal is a military decoration of the United States military which was established by the United States War Department in 1946. The medal was created in the aftermath of the Second World War to recognize those who had performed occupation service in either Germany or Japan. The original Army of Occupation Medal was intended only for members of the United States Army, but was expanded in 1948 to encompass the United States Air Force shortly after that service's creation. The U.S. Navy and Marine equivalent of the Army of Occupation Medal is the Navy Occupation Service Medal.
To be awarded the Army of Occupation Medal, a service member was required to have performed at least thirty consecutive days of military duty within a designated geographical area of military occupation. The Army of Occupation Medal was presented with a campaign clasp, denoting either European or Asian service, depending on the region in which occupation service had been performed. Campaign clasps were worn on the full sized medal only with no corresponding device when wearing the Army of Occupation Medal as a ribbon on a military uniform.
In addition to the Germany clasp, for those service members who performed military duty during the Berlin Airlift in 1948 and 1949, the Airlift Device is authorized as a device to the Army of Occupation Medal.
Although authorized in 1946, it was not until 1947 that the first Army of Occupation Medals were distributed. The first two medals were simultaneously presented to Dwight Eisenhower and Douglas MacArthur for their supreme command service in the European and Asiatic theaters. The Army of Occupation Medal was also authorized for posthumous presentation, with the first posthumous award granted in 1950 to the late General George S. Patton.
Because of the legal status of West Berlin, as an occupied territory until the unification of Germany, the Army of Occupation Medal was issued for forty five years making it one of the longest active military awards of both the Second World War and the Cold War.
In addition, some recipients of the award were born two generations after the end of the conflict which the medal was designed to represent. Much like the National Defense Service Medal, the Army of Occupation Medal has come to be considered a "multi-generational" award.
A similar decoration, known as the Army of Occupation of Germany Medal was authorized for occupation service during the First World War.
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