I recently got a “Ruptured Duck” in the mail. It was a timely reminder of the Greatest Generation and the end of World War II which marks its 80th anniversary this year.
Let me explain.
On May 8, 1945, the Allies accepted the unconditional surrender of Germany ending World War II in Europe. Known as V-E Day – Victory in Europe Day – it prompted massive celebrations around the world.
The United States will mark the 80th anniversary of V-J Day – Victory over Japan Day – on September 2, 1945. On that day Japan surrendered on the deck of the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
In April 1945, months before those historic days, the USS Hyman (DD-732) was one of 1,600 naval vessels, and 350,000 military personnel assembled for the invasion of the Japanese island of Okinawa. My father, then 18, was among the crew of that ship.
At Okinawa the targets of Japanese suicide aircraft, called kamikazes, were supposed to be larger ships, such as aircraft carriers. However, on April 6th the anxious pilots attacked the first ships they saw, and those were the destroyers stationed miles off the coast of Okinawa, including the USS Hyman. That destroyer shot down three of the suicide aircraft, but a fourth got through and slammed into the ship.
The Battle of Okinawa lasted three months. The United States suffered more than 49,000 casualties including 12,500 killed. Among the wounded was my father. Among the deaths were 12 of his shipmates. Soon after, he wrote this letter to his sister.
“Got a piece of shrapnel in my left wrist a while back. I haven’t told Mom anything about it, and don’t you…! The Doc is going to get it out I guess,’cause I can’t move my arm much with it in there.”
Like most veterans of that war, my father came home, raised a family and never spoke about the war. After he died in 1994, I got a box in the mail containing his navy uniforms, some documents, and a few of the medals he had been awarded. Using what I received, along with other sources, I was able to put together the story of his service.
I learned it was possible to get replacements for the medals he was awarded during his service. In October I sent away for the medals listed on his documents. In March they arrived.
Included among them were a Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, World War II Victory Medal, and an Honorable Service Lapel Pin, which is also called a “Ruptured Duck.” Why the Duck, I wondered?
This tiny pin was designed to be worn on civilian clothing by WW II veterans who were honorably discharged. It featured an eagle within a ring, which service members referred to as a “Ruptured Duck” because the eagle’s image looked more like a duck. The pin was awarded between September 1939 and December 1946.
The “Ruptured Duck” is now part of a display in my home office honoring my dad.
Replacement medals are available free of charge to veterans, next-of-kin, and family members. The process to get them varies, depending on the branch of service. The first place to look is on-line at: https://www.archives.gov/veterans/replace-medals.html. With the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in 2025, if you have a family member among the 16 million Americans who served, displaying their medals can be your way to honor the Greatest Generation.
