Pin, Military
Object number2009.76.13 a,b
Date1943-1945
Mediumgold metal
Credit LineGift of Ruth O. Frank
DescriptionHonorable Discharge lapel pin.Dimensions0.5 x 0.625 in. (1.3 x 1.6 cm)Historical NotesHonorable discharge, or "Ruptured Duck," lapel pin. This pin was given to US soldiers who were honorably discharged but had not yet returned to the United States, clearly marking the honorably discharged from AWOL soldiers. There is no expiration date for the "Ruptured Duck." William K. Frank was born in 1890 and educated at Shady Side Academy. He attended Cornell University, receiving his mechanical engineering degree in 1911. He worked for Damascus Bronze Company and its successor the National Bearing Division of the American Brake Shoe Company until 1927. He then moved into executive positions at Copperweld Steel Company until retiring in 1951. During WWII, he served the War Production Board in several capacities; his service, as a "dollar-a-year-man," took him to Europe to study ways to bring war-torn industries back into production. Frank was also heavily involved with the Jewish and wider community of Pittsburgh. After WWII, he retired to New York where he died in 1964.
Previous owner
William K. Frank
On View
Not on view
1939-1945
1939-1945
c. 1945
1941-1945
1939-1946
