Page 30 - Anthology

The Army of Occupation of Germany Medal is a type of decoration of the United States military which
was created by the (55 Stat. 781) act of the United States Congress on November 21, 1941. The
decoration recognizes those members of the U.S. military who served in the European occupation force
following the close of the First World War.

The medal is retroactive by design and is awarded to any service member who performed occupation
garrison duty in either Germany, or the former Austria-Hungary, between the dates of November 12, 1918
and July 11, 1923. The medal was primarily created due to the rising tension with Germany, between
1939 and 1941, and also as a means to honor the World War I service of General of the Armies John J.
Pershing , whose likeness appears on the actual medal. Initially the blue edge stripe was wavy, to signify
4
the Rhine River, but that proved impractical to mass-produce and was changed to a straight line.

The first Army of Occupation of Germany Medal was presented to General of the Armies Pershing with
retroactive presentations made to any service member upon application to the United States War
Department.

Army Wound Chevron

Wound Chevron was a badge of the United States Army which was authorized for wear on an Army
uniform between the years of 1918 and 1932. The Wound Chevron was displayed on the lower right cuff
of a military uniform, and denoted wounds which were received in combat against an enemy force.