Bidspirit auction | A Group of United States

A Group of United States World War II Service Medals Attributed to Colonel Gerald E. Rodehaver - This lot consists of a group of four United States military service medals awarded to Colonel Gerald E. Rodehaver, who served in the U.S. Army Ordnance Department during World War II. The primary decoration is a Legion of Merit, Legionnaire degree, featuring a five-armed white enameled cross with crimson borders, centered by a blue enameled circle with thirteen stars. The reverse of the Legion of Merit is officially engraved in the center circle with the name GERALD E RODEHAVER. The outer gold ring is embossed with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and the inner circular border contains the Latin phrase ANNUIT COEPTIS and the Roman numerals MDCCLXXVI (1776). The reverse of the mounting pin on the Legion of Merit ribbon is marked with the characters LI-GI, indicating the manufacturer Lordship Industries. The grouping also includes three campaign and service medals mounted on a single three-place pin-back ribbon bar. These medals include an Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal featuring two soldiers under a palm tree; an American Campaign Medal depicting a cruiser, a submarine, and a B-24 Liberator bomber; and a World War II Victory Medal featuring a figure of Liberation standing atop a broken sword. The reverse of all three campaign and service medals is embossed with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the dates 1941 - 1945. The World War II Victory Medal reverse further includes the Four Freedoms: FREEDOM FROM FEAR AND WANT and FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND RELIGION.