- 6 April 1917 to 11 November 1918 for any military service.
- 12 November 1918 to 5 August 1919 for service in European Russia
- 23 November 1918 to 1 April 1920 for service with the American Expeditionary Force Siberia
To denote battle participation and campaign credit, the World War I Victory Medal was authorized with a large variety of devices to denote specific accomplishments. In order of seniority, the devices authorized to the World War I Victory Medal were as follows:
The Citation Star to the World War I Victory Medal was authorized by the United States Congress on 4 February 1919.[4] A 3⁄16 inch silver star was authorized to be worn on the ribbon of the Victory Medal for any member of the U.S. Army who had been cited for gallantry in action between 1917 and 1920. In 1932, the Citation Star ("Silver Star") was redesigned and renamed the Silver Star Medal and, upon application to the United States War Department, any holder of the Silver Star Citation could have it converted to a Silver Star medal.
The following battle clasps, inscribed with a battle's name, were worn on the medal to denote participation in major ground conflicts.[1]
Army Battle Clasps
Major Ground Conflict: Start Date. End Date
Aisne 27 May 1918 5 June 1918
Aisne-Marne 18 July 1918 6 August 1918
Cambrai 12 May 1917 4 December 1917
Champagne-Marne 15 July 1918 18 July 1918
Lys 9 April 1918 27 April 1918
Meuse-Argonne 26 September 191811 November 1918
Montdidier-Noyon 9 June 191813 June 1918
Oise-Aisne 18 August 1918 11 November 1918
St. Mihiel 12 September 191816 September 1918
Somme-Defensive 21 March 1918 6 April 1918
Somme-Offensive 8 August 19181 1 November 1918
Vittorio-Veneto 24 October 1918 4 November 1918
Ypres-Lys 19 August 1918 11 November 1918
For general defense service, not involving a specific battle, the "Defensive Sector" Battle Clasp was authorized. The clasp was also awarded for any battle which was not already recognized by its own battle clasp. [My uncle received the three clasps which are in bold face print].
The World War I Victory Medal bears the clasps of the battles the U.S. Army participated in across the ribbon. Not all battles are shown on the bar clasps. Only the battles designated as battles that would have bars issued were shown on the medal. The famous Battle of Chateau Thierry to hold the Chateau and the bridge as a joint effort between the US Army and the US Marines against the German machine gunners did not get awarded clasps.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I_Victory_Medal_(United_States)
