The Wake Island Device ("W" Device) is an award device of the United States military which is presented as a campaign clasp to both the Navy and Marine Corps Expeditionary Medals.[1][2]
The Wake Island Device is authorized for any sailor or Marine who was awarded the Navy or Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal due to service during the defense of Wake Island during the opening days of U.S. involvement in the Second World War. To be awarded the Wake Island Device, a service member must have been awarded either the Navy Expeditionary Medal, or the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal, and must have served on Wake Island between December 7 and December 22, 1941.[3]
The Wake Island Device is worn as a campaign clasp, inscribed with the words “Wake Island”, centered on the upper portion of the Navy or Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal. When wearing the Expeditionary Medal as a ribbon, the Wake Island Device is annotated by a silver “W” device, centered on the decoration.[4]
A total of only 449 Marine Corps and 68 Navy personnel were eligible for the Wake Island Device, making it one of the rarest of United States military awards.[5] As a point of comparison, there were a total of 472 Medal of Honor recipients during World War II.[6]
See also
References
- ↑"Navy/Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal Display Recognition". www.amervets.com. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
- ↑"Pt 4 - Campaign and Service Medals". U.S. Navy. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ↑"The Battle of Wake Island: Nation's Morale Lifted in 1941". The National WWII Museum | New Orleans. 2020-12-23. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
- ↑"Military Awards"(PDF). U.S. Army Center of Military History. Archived from the original(PDF) on January 7, 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ↑ "La milicia de la isla Wake | Revista de historia naval" . Instituto Naval de los Estados Unidos . 18 de enero de 2023. Consultado el 22 de mayo de 2024 .
- ↑ Jowdy (1 de septiembre de 2020). "Recordando el fin de la Segunda Guerra Mundial" . Sociedad de la Medalla de Honor del Congreso . Consultado el 22 de mayo de 2024 .
- dispositivos de condecoración militar de los Estados Unidos
- Batalla de la Isla Wake
- esbozos militares de los Estados Unidos
- Orden, condecoración y talones de medallas