Item Description
Original Grouping. One-of-a-Kind. This is a lovely medal grouping identified to Corporal Orvil W. Word, Company A, 343rd Machine Gun Battalion, 90th Division, who was wounded in action on September 26th, 1918, on the first day of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The grouping includes his medals and uniform-removed 90th Division patch. The 90th Division were the “Tough ‘Ombres” division, made up of Draftees from Texas & Oklahoma. They saw heavy combat in the St. Mihiel & Meuse-Argonne Offensives.
The grouping includes:
- Word’s Purple Heart Medal engraved ORVIL W. WORD. The medal is a WWII-era issue, and is in good condition overall. The Purple Heart wasn’t authorized until 1932, so wounded soldiers could apply for the medal anytime after that.
- Word’s WWI Victory Medal, with bars for St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, and Defensive Sector. Great condition overall.
- Army of Occupation “Pershing” Medal in great shape.
- Veterans of Foreign Wars Medal in great shape.
- 90th Division patch with remnants of stitching, a lovely uniform-removed example.
- Lovely Machine Gun Insignia with crossed French Hotchkiss MGs, a gorgeous & scarce example. If it had a pin, it’s now gone.
- American Legion & Veterans of WWI pins.
- Printed photo of Word’s grave.
Orvil Willard Word was born on November 18th, 1889 in Vernon, Texas. He was inducted into the draft on September 20th, 1917 and assigned to Company A, 343rd Machine Gun Battalion, going overseas on July 14th, 1918. He was wounded in action on September 26th, 1918 and returned stateside on June 6th, 1919. He passed away in San Antonio, Texas on April 24th, 1950.
This is a tremendous grouping, one that does not come up often. 90th Division items are always very difficult to find. Don’t miss out on this great group. Comes ready for further research and display.
- This product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle
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