Navy Medals/Stripes?

[Living4Him03]

Hi,
Is anyone who has served in the Navy or is currently in the Navy knowledgeable about the medals/stripes given to Chief Petty Officers?

I am sorry but I don't know much about the Navy, but I have my grandfather's medals and I also have his stripes (i think that's what they are)

I am including a description of what I have below and if anyone has an insight into what all it means, please let me know. Thanks

There is one "stripe" (it's a pin) that has red, then a white stripe with a navy blue stripe in the middle then a yellow stripe and then the white stripe with the navy in the middle then red. What is this for?

Then there is a set of three of these stripes or pins. The first one has light blue, then a small yellow stripe, then a large green stripe, then yellow then light blue. The second one is the same as the one described above. Then the last stripe is red, small white stripe, medium navy stripe, small white, red, then navy, white, red. Again, what are these for and what do they mean?


Last are his medals, one is for serving in WWII, and one is a US navy one that is just regular I guess. The ones I don't understand are the one that says "national defense" on the back with an eagle on it. Was this just a general medal everyone received? There's also one that says "American Campaign" 1941-1945 on it and I'm assuming this also has to do with WWII??

If anyone can tell me at least something I'd really appreciate it. My grandfather died when I was twelve and I never got to ask him what all his medals meant ....I didn't even know he had the medals until he passed away and my grandmother gave them to me.

 

[Sybaris]

I'm a retired Chief

The "stripes" you're talking about sound like ribbons. They go on a bar and then the whole thing is pinned above the left breast. From yourdescription it sounds like you're looking at the whole thing. There's usually not quite so many colors to one ribbon.

Look at this:

http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/ribbons/navy_ribbons.html

and this for WWII:

http://www.usmedals.com/ribbons.html?s=navy&p=vietnam&id_medals=1213WB636559



The National Defense is given to everyone in time of war, I have two.

 

[Living4Him03]

Thanks for the information! I appreciate it! And also thanks for your service in the Navy

 

[rainyday]

I got out at 16 years as a Chief Hospital Corpsman. Yes, the 'pins' are actually ribbons.

Sybaris, good links.

Might I also suggest, if you need more information, that you use this link to military.com? It not only has links there to connect you to uniform shopping, thus ribbons, but also history and reunions where you might find veterans who can give you more info.

God bless and following seas!

PS, sybaris, no wonder you lived in the far East! It's where I was initiated as Chief coincidentally.

 

[Sybaris]

PS, sybaris, no wonder you lived in the far East! It's where I was initiated as Chief coincidentally.

Me too. On the USS Belleau Wood going to Kagoshima. There were only 4 of us, a huge mess (40+ if I remember correctly), and our CMC was the most senior, longest served enlisted in the USN at that time so it was a "genuine" inititiation.

 

[rainyday]

Me too. On the USS Belleau Wood going to Kagoshima. There were only 4 of us, a huge mess (40+ if I remember correctly), and our CMC was the most senior, longest served enlisted in the USN at that time so it was a "genuine" inititiation.

When were you there Sybaris? Just curious now. You stated in the other thread you were there 11 years (flip-flopping no doubt sea/shore as most you fleet types did ).

I only did one over seas tour there from '91-'94 and my daughter was born October '92 ... just a month after I was initiated. Yep, I was 8 months prego during that event! Since I was the only one at the hospital who picked it up that year, we joined forces with the base's initiation. Ah, you fleet types crack me up. You thought you were tough ... ha ha ha ... but I got them though! They had me dress as Olive Oil? Ha ha ha. Unbeknownst to them I came with a water balloon strapped to one leg, a naked baby doll to the other and 'went into labor' on their sorry butts giving birth to SWEET PEA! Woo hoo! That got my tossed in the jail and doused!

Now, onto something a little more serious though ... the Belleau Wood? That 'event' aboard your ship occured just days after my daughter was born you know. The hospital only has that small branch clinic out there so they brought that autopsy up to us naturally, to be performed in our lab. A good friend of mine assisted with that 'autopsy.' I'll never forget what he told me about the condition of that sailor's body. If you were there Sybaris, were you onboard for during that time? I'm just curious. That was a sad sad day out there for all of us Sailors and Marines!

 

[Sybaris]

When were you there Sybaris? Just curious now. You stated in the other thread you were there 11 years (flip-flopping no doubt sea/shore as most you fleet types did (

I was on the Ridge from '86-'90, Belleau Wood '94-'98 & ATGWP '98-'01

You might have known LIC, an old steaming buddy of mine. He and I were on there together. Then we both went to NAS Barbers Point and he would have gotten back to the Ridge around the middle of '92. He's retired and in Florida now.

I heard plenty about that "event" on the Wood. There were a few left in my WC from that period and yes, the condition of the body would lend one to consider the embodiment of pure evil in the perpetrator. There was a really good article in Esquire magazine about it.

Funny thing. I signed up on one of those sailor boards that has a board for each unit. Right after I did that on the Wood board I was contacted by the guilty party. He wrote several times looking for sympathy and suggesting that conditions onboard "made" him do it. I guess it's been about a year since the last time he wrote. I guess he contacts anybody that logs on there.

 

[rainyday]

No, I missed your friend then. I was only TAD on the Ridge for 32 days when they took several females out. They had to have a female HM so I volunteered as I had been wanting a ship for years and wanted that experience. Since I was FMF and always spent my sea tours with the jarheads at Lejeune ashore, this was my chance so I grabbed it. There was only a female officer and two junior enlisteds and myself. We stopped at Sasebo, dropped down to Singapore, took a day off on the equator before plunging below to Bali ... so I have fond memories of the 'Ridge' myself having been a wog walking aboard and a shellback walking off! LOL ... that was also 2/92 and the little one was already aboard. She rakes in honorary Shellback as well as Chief!

Strange about the culprit contacting everyone though. He's dealing with much guilt obviously. He wasn't alone though. I remember that whole court martial fiasco going down on the base with all the major networks there and there were several who attacked. I know Sasebo was small and there wasn't much to do there but that will never be conducive to the acts he took.