I just learned one of my uncles received three air medals serving as Tech Sergeant in B-17 crew. He was KIA on his 20th mission. He has certificates signed by Hap Arnold.

I know all medals for meritorious service are important and valuable. But for those in the military, how significant are these medals? I'm wondering for example, if all B-17 crews would've received these and papers signed by Gen. Arnold.

I think the Air Medal was for 5 combat missions. My father got one and he had 7 combat missions with the 9th BG over Japan.

Was at Ft. Sill recently. On display in the old 1869 fort was the uniform of a modern Indian warrior. Served in the Army in Korea and Vietnam. Among his many decorations was an Air Medal. Did they award those for helicopter missions in Vietnam?

quote:

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The Air Medal was established by Executive Order 9158, signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt, on 11 May 1942. The Air Medal was awarded retroactive to 8 September 1939. The medal is awarded to anyone who, while serving in any capacity in or with the Armed Forces of the United States, have distinguished themselves by meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.

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as per wiki

Currently, Air Medals are given for 20 combat missions. You can also receive them for a single significant mission. The next step up would be the Distinguished Flying Cross. So even though they are plentiful these days it's still an important medal.

Thanks for the input!

The Air Medal ranks just below the Meritorious Service Medal and above all Commendation Medals in order of precedence.

Criteria for it's award varies from time to time, between services, and from conflict to conflict. I can't speak to the WW2 Bomber Commands' award criteria, but my father was an 8th Air Force P-51 pilot and he earned 7 of them, each for a specific action. I have the official orders and citations for each.

Army Air medals in WWII were fairly hard to get. Not impossible, but not just given away either. In Vietnam, Air Medals were very watered down. I believe you would get them every 3 combat missions as an Army pilot (yes, people would literally earn 50 or 60 on a tour). Nowadays, they are not extremely hard to get, but not easy either. One guy I know got one for calling in a Medevac for a ground unit. Another guy got one for killing a couple of dudes. It just depends really. Air Medal with Valor device is definitely much harder to get.

Thanks whatthecrunch!

Air Force criteria when I was there was an AM for every ten O1B (North Vietnam) missions, and for every fifteen O1A (South Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia) missions

To have an Air Medal that is signed by Hap Arnold... Significant. Gator2_01 is correct in saying that every 20 combat sorties, an individual will receive a medal nowadays. Of course, it is completely believable that your uncle had 3 Air Medals with around 20 sorties. I don't know what the rules were in WWII, but this sounds appropriate. As an aviator, this is a significant medal, as it lets others know that you have been involved in some combat sorties.

HCA -
In WWII the way I understand it, one Air Medal was awarded for every five missions and for specific accomplishments. Five missions does not sound like much but in WWII it was tough, especially early in the war.
Most folks don't realize the Air Corp suffered the highest losses in the war of all services, and making it to 20 was an acomplishment into itself. Your Uncle is a hero of mine. I do not know his name but I have pictured him in my mind from the history books that I have read.

I will forever cherish his sacrifice.

My Dad flew P-39s in the South Pacific in the earlier part of the war. Was returned to the States as they needed instructors with combat experience. He flew 75 combat missions. A year or so ago, I was able to get his records from the National Archives. He had a silver OLC and four bronze OLCs. That is 10 Air Medals for 75 missions

I have my grandfathers air medal. He was the pilot of a b26 Martin marauder that was shot down off the coast of Sicily after being jumped by 25 German me109's.

He died obviously but I recently received his macr (missing aircraft crew report) detailing everything single thing about him along with all the telegrams the war Dept sent to my grandmother and his purple heart documents and too many other things to list.

Fascinating stuff.

GasAg is right or at least it was 5 combat sorties (missions) requirement when I flew in Viet Nam and Thailand.

Did some checking and in retrospect it was 20 combat sorties for us.

[This message has been edited by Msgt USAF Ret (edited 2/24/2013 11:26p).]

GasAg:
Thanks for the comments. My dad just recently passed away, but he was able to locate a surviving crew member of his older brother's B-17 crew. He learned that they thought each mission would be their last; and that my Uncle would say the departing prayer for the crew. That meant alot to my dad and me. In addition to the 3 air medals, the 2 purple hearts and the associated certificates, I have dozens of other records that came home in his footlocker, now in my living room. One of the docs is his personal flight record that shows everything he did in the air. These men were surely brave.

PS: In addition to the B-17 crew member Uncle, I had another - brother #2 - that served as paratrooper in PIR 508; he jumped, took a bayonet, but survived D-Day; a few months later, he jumped in Holland (Market Garden), and was KIA in Nijmegen. My grandparents corresponded with a Dutch family that saw - from their rooftop - my Uncle fight and die. They tended his grave until my Uncle was re-interred here in the USA.

Finally, my grandfather - Dad's father - served in the Army in France in WWI. He got back home, but never recovered from gas exposure; died in VA hospital in Memphis. Much to my delight, I discovered a large scroll portrait of him and his Army unit. They look tough. I also discovered another large picture of the troop transport that carried those boys over to France: the SS Leviathan (Google it..awesome.) I had always wondered how he got over there, and now I know definitively. I'm getting all these pictures restored and docs scanned for future generations.

[This message has been edited by Hill Country Ag (edited 3/4/2013 8:16p).]

Great family, HillCountry. Distant relative , also, got gassed and never recovered. Died midthirties.

What's interesting is that the use of gas in WWI probably saved millions of Americans in WWII. Ironic that Adi thought war was above his genocide in the rest of the continent

Just to clarify, you get an air medal now for 20 combat missions (not sorties) and of course for a single significant event. You may fly several sorties in a day coded under the same mission number.

Every Kiowa and Apache crew that showed up on station in Afghanstan when the RPGs were flying and laid the lead on the enemies ass deserved one in my opinion. As long as the bad guys died and we didn't, really don't care what the criteria is.