Original Items: Only One Grouping Available. The Bronze Star became part of the military award catalog in 1944. Colonel Russell Potter Reeder came up with the idea for the medal after an injury in Normandy, which medically retired him from the Army.

While he received the Purple Heart, Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star after he returned home from battle, he wanted commanders in the field to have a way to award ground troops immediately–especially those who had been in the line of duty for an extended period.

Colonel Reeder initially called his idea the “Ground Medal,” and his proposal quickly moved up the channels until it reached President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s desk in February 1944 and was signed into order as the Bronze Star Medal. It established a retroactive precedent for service members dating back to the start of America’s participation in World War II at the attack on Pearl Harbor.

In 1947, the Bronze Star retroactively replaced the Combat Medical Badge and the Combat Infantryman Badge during World War II.

This lovely document grouping, which includes a replacement Bronze Star Medal (no engravings or numbers), BSM ribbon and a US Naval Reserve Faithful Service medal. Accompanying the awards are the citations and documents which belonged to Chief Radioman Robert Emmet Riley who was on the Staff of Amphibious Group One, during the planning and attack stages of operations against enemy Japanese forces on SAIPAN, ANGAUR, IWO JIMA, OKINAWA and ULITHI from 1944 to 1945.

The Award Citation Reads As Follows:

“The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting
the BRONZE STAR MEDAL to

ROBERT EMMET MILEY, CHIEF RADIOMAN
UNITED STATES NAVY RESERVE

for service as set forth in the following

MILEY is authorized to wear the Combat “V”.

For the President,
James Forrestal
Secretary of the Navy

A "V" device is a metal 1⁄4-inch (6.4 mm) capital letter "V" with serifs which, when worn on certain decorations awarded by the United States Armed Forces, distinguishes an award for heroism or valor in combat instead of for meritorious service or achievement.

On 22 December 1945, in War Department Circular 383, the United States Army decided to introduce the "V" device to distinguish the award of a Bronze Star Medal for acts of valor and heroism, rather than meritorious service. Soldiers, including Army airmen, who were awarded the Bronze Star Medal for heroism in combat were now authorized to wear a bronze "V" on the suspension and service ribbon of the medal. Only one "V" was allowed to be worn on a ribbon. The Department of the Navy introduced the "V" as the "Combat Distinguishing Device", and on 15 February 1946, authorized the "V" device to be worn on the Legion of Merit and Bronze Star Medal for services or acts performed in actual combat with the enemy; in February 1947, this was changed to acts or services involving direct participation in combat operations. Most World War II veterans who were entitled to the "V" probably did not know about or apply for the device, since large-scale separations from the services were taking place after the war ended. Stocks of the device also were not available for issue for at least a year after the issuance of the Army circular.

This is a nice little grouping of items, perfect for the new collector. Comes more than ready for display.