Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-12-09
MILITARY INSIGNIA.
Subject is comprehensiyeIy Deal
With by National Geographic Society

With by National Geographic Society
what does that insignia mean?"
For what was his medal given"
In years past the average America
citizen considered 1t part of hh
blissful democracy to be ignorant
matters military; since the armistic'
Of year ago it has become hall
mark Of the we'll informed, as well a
patriotic duty, for him to know thu
decorations won by our valiant sol
diers in their glorious smash, at Ger:
manys mailed fist.
Moreover, there 10 q keen interest
akin to that the. .collegian shows |,
the ,pennants Of rival football teams
in the insignia which distingnishe.
various military units Of the American
E1pediionary Force. And, finally
comes the Victory Medal, soon to b
the proud possession Of some 100000
men and, in after years, to be th'
cherished heirloom Of Americaf
families.
Up to. this time information on in
sigma has been . available only il
piecemeal, and there has been mucl
misinformation, leading TO confusion
Therefore, the National Geographic
Society enlisted the. cooperation o
Col. Robert E. Wyllie, general staff, |
S. A., WHO had charge Of all war de-
ma rtment records concerning tn
award of medals in the present, wal
and the archives Of, these bestowed i
other wars, in compiling a conplet
list OF. the medals, decorations, ard In
sigma. of all kinds recognized by thu
American government in the past, ant
multiplied so profusely during th'
great war. .. ar. ..,r
The results of Col. Wyllie's compila
ton appear in an article, THE 10
nance Of Military Insignia III th'
December. number. Of the Naiona
Geographic Magazine, the official or
gan. of. the National Geographic So
ciety. Supplementing the historica
and descriptive sketch are 124 illus
trations, in color of each medal
ribbon, and organization shoulder in
sigma. authorized by the United States
government to be worn by it's uniform
ed forces and by civilians. who hay
been honored for signal services t
their country. Accompanying tn
Illustration, in color, is a description
of the history of each Of the insignia.
The 124 illustrations in. color ar
triumphs of color printing, reproduc
ing, by a special process, the exac
shade and hue in each design. II
addition there are 81 other illustra
tions, in half tone, mainly depictini
incidents Of note in connection wit!
the bestowal of awards Of the presen
war.
Col. Wyllie's exhaustive, article no
only deals with the history, the exac
significance, and the etiquette govern
ing the wearing of insignia, but IL goe
into the Highly fascinating history o
the origin of medals and similar deco
rations, and the development of tn
practice in this country, where dis
tinctive customs have been establish
ed.
In making available this data, of in
terest to the 4,5OO,O0O men who wer
in uniform before the World War con
cluded and to the many more million
of their families and friends, the Ma
tional Geogra phic Society sought t
perform not only an immediate servic
but to make a permanent volume o
reference, akin to such other compila
tions as its now famous Flag Number
and the issues devoted to birds an
dogs. -
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