World War II Victory Medal

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World War II Victory Medal DESCRIPTION: The bronze medal is 1 3/8 inches in width. On the obverse is a figure of Liberation standing full length with head turned to dexter looking to the dawn of a new day, right foot resting on a war god’s helmet with the hilt of a broken sword in the right hand and the broken blade in the left hand, the inscription "WORLD WAR II" placed immediately below the center. On the reverse are the inscriptions "FREEDOM FROM FEAR AND WANT" and "FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND RELIGION" separated by a palm branch, all within a circle composed of the words "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1914 1945".

RIBBON: The ribbon is 1 3/8 inches wide and consists of the following stripes: 3/8 inch double rainbow in juxtaposition (blues, greens, yellows, reds (center), yellows greens and blues); 1/32 inch White 67101; center 9/16 inch Old Glory Red 67156; 1/32 inch White; and 3/8 inch double rainbow in juxtaposition. The rainbow on each side of the ribbon is a miniature of the pattern used in the WWI Victory Medal.

CRITERIA: The WW II Victory Medal was awarded to all military personnel for service between 7 December 1941 and 31 December 1946.

COMPONENTS: The following are authorized components and related items:

a. Medal (regular size): MIL-DTL-3943/237. Medal set with full size medal and ribbon bar. NSN 8455-00-269-5782.

b. Medal (miniature): MIL-DTL-3943/237. Available commercially.

c. Ribbon: MIL-DTL-11589/149. NSN 8455-00-257-0577. Available commercially.

d. Streamer: The WW II Victory Medal ribbon is not used as a streamer by the Army. The Navy and Marine Corps does use the ribbon design for a streamer.

BACKGROUND: a. The World War II Victory Medal was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79^th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945.

b. The medal was designed by Mr. Thomas H. Jones and approved by the Secretary of War on 5 February 1946.

c. The Congressional authorization for the World War II Victory Medal included members of the Armed Forces of the Government of the Philippine Islands. It also specified the ending date would be the date of the termination of hostilities as proclaimed by the President. President Truman officially ended the state of hostilities on 31 December 1946.

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