Images(2)

Medal, Commemorative

Object number2007.178.19 a,b

ManufacturerPossibly The D. L. Auld Company

Date1945

MediumBronze; nylon ribbon

Credit LineGift of Joe Davis

DescriptionWorld War II Victory medal and ribbon bar. World War II Victory medal with ribbon that is multi-colored on left and right sides, with red in center. Circular bronze medal attached via metal loop at bottom of ribbon. Medal: embossed image of Greek Goddess Nike, proper right foot on top helmet, holding sword and stake in each hand; image of sun with beams emerging in background. Text on left and right side of Nike is name of war. On back of medal: around object in arc is country name and dates. In center is commemorative message and image of branch. Straight pin on back of ribbon. World War II Victory ribbon bar. Rectangular, same appearance as medal. Straight pin in back.Dimensions(a) Width: 1.375 ; Length: 3
(b) W: .375; L: 1.3125
Inscriptions(a)
On left side of Nike, "WORLD"; on right, "WAR II".

On back of medal: around object in arc, "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / 1941 1945". In center, "FREEDOM / FROM FEAR AND WANT / [image of branch] / FREEDOM OF SPEECH / AND RELIGION".
Historical NotesArnold Herbert Smith served in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Arnold Herbert Smith was a Pittsburgh police officer before spending twelve years with the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Police Force. Arnold Herbert Smith, Sr., was born on October 11, 1923, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Schenley High School in 1942, and quickly enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving in the Pacific Theater. Three years later he married Mattie Lesesne; four children were born to this marriage. Years after his divorce to Mattie, he married Estella Pennington, with whom he had one son. Smith worked as a steelworker before joining the Pittsburgh Police Force in 1974; he eventually worked for the Housing Authority before retiring in 1986. Smith was also active in organizations, being a 32nd Degree Mason, a Shriner, and a member of both the Veterans of Foreign Affairs and the Fraternal Order of Police. He died September 19, 1999. The World War II Victory Medal was first issued as a ribbon, and was referred to simply as the "Victory Ribbon." By 1946, a full medal had been established which was referred to as the World War II Victory Medal. The medal's front depicts the Greek Goddess of Victory, Nike, standing triumphant and holding a broken sword, representing the broken power of the Axis. One foot rests upon the helmet of Mars, the God of War, representing the end of the conflict. Behind Nike is a sunburst, representing the dawn of peace. The reverse recalls the "Four Freedoms" speech by President Roosevelt, with a laurel sprig, surrounded by the words "United States of America," and the dates of the conflict. The edges of the ribbon revisit the multi-colored rainbow ribbon of the WWI Victory Medal. This again honors all the allied nations. The wide red center represents the new sacrifice of blood by WWII combatants. The thin white lines separating the central red band from the outer multi-colored bands represent the rays of new hope, two of them signifying that this was the second global conflict.

Previous owner Arnold Herbert Smith Sr. (1923 - 1999)

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