Leland says:

Kind of cool. I got some of that costume jewelry back in the day.

tommy says:

have you ever tried to read the color codes off resistors? That’s a cinch compared to this stuff.

Still, this is very cool. It seems that insiders get more from it than we civilians do; I see a lot of those colors and I think ‘decorated soldier’ not ‘hey - you were in China? where were you stationed, for how long, and when?’

cool…

t

Andrew says:

You could probably memorize the ones that tell you to “Go out of your way to thank this guy” — Okinawa or Omaha Beach come to mind. (Nothing against the good folks who have served in other places, but I have an especially deep respect for anyone who fought in the Pacific or landed at Normandy.)

Sean Egan says:

A short update for Andrew:

A block of ribbons is like an individuals resume. It tells those who know how to read the ribbons what the indivdual has been involved with and what their performance was. Ribbons come from catagories, campains, training, heroism, and service. Regrettably the military does not award ribbons for specific battles such as the landings at Normandy or Iwa Jima. Those actions are covered by campaign ribbons. If you wish suggestions on which ribbons desirve more appreciation than others, the ribbons given to individuals for heroism are the most respected in the military, ie Congressional Medal of Honor, Purple Heart, Silver Star and Bronze Star are but a few. Check the military web sites for a complete list as some are specific to each branch.

Rick says:

Just wanted to say thanks for providing this information. My dad was a WWII vet, who never, EVER wanted to talk about his experiences. He died a couple of years ago. I’ve been helping Mom clean out the attic. You’ve helped me piece together the meaning of some of the army artifacts we found, and learn a bit more about Dad… Thanks!