Wake Island Device

Metal device attached to American military medals for service in WWII Battle of Wake Island

Award

Wake Island Device

Type| Ribbon device
Presented by| United States

The Wake Island 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

[edit]

* Awards and decorations of the United States military

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Navy/Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal Display Recognition". www.amervets.com. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
2. ^ "Pt 4 - Campaign and Service Medals". U.S. Navy. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
3. ^ "The Battle of Wake Island: Nation's Morale Lifted in 1941". The National WWII Museum | New Orleans. 2020-12-23. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
4. ^ "Military Awards" (PDF). U.S. Army Center of Military History. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
5. ^ "The Wake Island Militia | Naval History Magazine". U.S. Naval Institute. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
6. ^ Jowdy (2020-09-01). "Remembering the End of WWII". Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Retrieved 2024-05-22.

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Wake Island

Topics|

* Wake Island
* Peale Island
* Wilkes Island
* Wake Island Airfield
* Wake Island Rail
* Wake Island Time Zone
* Wake Island Device

History|

* Battle of Wake Island
* Winfield S. Cunningham
* Shigematsu Sakaibara
* Takasago Maru
* Japanese submarine Ro-60
* Wake Island (1942 film)
* Wake Island Conference
* KEAD (Wake radio station)

Typhoons|

* Typhoon Olive (1952)
* Typhoon Ioke

Shipwrecks|

* Libelle
* SS Suremico
* Japanese destroyer Hayate
* Japanese destroyer Kisaragi
* Patrol boat 32
* Patrol boat 33
* Japanese submarine Ro-66
* Suwa Maru

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