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Searching around for some uniform pics after reading UB's post about a uniform "beauty contest", and happened upon the attached assemblage of military decorations....

 

Anybody want to take a guess as to whose uniform is displayed?

 

http://loophole.smugmug.com/Other/Militaria/17079110_k7Njr7#1293764340_VzhQtGV

 

If it helps, the owner was entitle to wear more than these, including the following:

 

http://loophole.smugmug.com/Other/Militaria/17079110_k7Njr7#1293764363_8XNvZL5

 

 

 

LL

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Note the lack of branch insignia. It's a General Officer's uniform. The CIB indicates he was Infantry. And if you look at the topmost ribbon it's a MOH.

That eliminates a lot of folks. ;)

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Note the lack of branch insignia. It's a General Officer's uniform. The CIB indicates he was Infantry. And if you look at the topmost ribbon it's a MOH.

That eliminates a lot of folks. ;)

 

Need to have my eyes checked. I looked and missed the MOH ribbon.

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Col. Hackworth

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It's Doug.

The pic is from the MacArthur Museum in Norfolk.

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It's Doug.

The pic is from the MacArthur Museum in Norfolk.

 

Thanks. I was suspecting that since he had around 35 foreign awards and one might have been permitted to wear those on a uniform at one time. But I couldn't find a picture of Mac wearing any decorations -- Unlike Patton who apparently always wore his ribbons.

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Thanks. I was suspecting that since he had around 35 foreign awards and one might have been permitted to wear those on a uniform at one time. But I couldn't find a picture of Mac wearing any decorations -- Unlike Patton who apparently always wore his ribbons.

 

The jacket in the museum is actually not one that MacArthur wore. Just one with his authorized awards. And you're correct, he was seldom seen wearing decorations. The CIB was not awarded to MacArthur. It was given as an "honorary award" on his birthday. He never wore one on his uniform.

It was given to him by General George Decker, Chief of Staff U.S. Army, as an honorary award at MacArthur's birthday party in 1961. Decker was G-3 for 6th Army under MacArthur in World War II and he secured the award for the General when he was 81.

Here's a rare pic taken in Australia in '42.

Douglas

 

Not many know it but MacArthur was responsible for the creation of the Purple Heart in 1931.

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No mention of The General, but other interesting stuff about the Purple Heart as well as info about known fakes,

 

http://www.purplehearts.net/id6.html

 

Ahhh, this is on Wikipedia. The General was Chief of Staff of the Army at the time.

 

On January 7, 1931, Summerall’s successor, General Douglas MacArthur, confidentially reopened work on a new design, involving the Washington Commission of Fine Arts. This new design was issued on the bicentennial of George Washington's birth. Elizabeth Will, an Army heraldic specialist in the Office of the Quartermaster General, was named to redesign the newly revived medal, which became known as the Purple Heart. Using general specifications provided to her, Will created the design sketch for the present medal of the Purple Heart. Her obituary, in the February 8, 1975 edition of the Washington Post newspaper, reflects her many contributions to military heraldry.

 

 

 

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Sorry not to be on line when the first correct answer rolled in - Duffield cracked it - it is Douglas MacArthur.

 

For many civilians like me, and I'm sure for most military types, an absolutely fascinating character....his running gun battle in Vera Cruz, in which he shot 7 men and a horse, resulted in his first nomination for the Medal of Honor; he was nominated a second time during WWI, and ultimately received the MOH for his defense of the Philippines; he was awarded the Silver Star seven times. He was also the son of a MOH recipient.

 

LL

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