I was honorable discharged in 1987. Can I wear the ruptured duck lapel pin (it was my Grandfather’s from WWII)?

SPC Scott Domogalla — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 14:54:22 -0400

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 23 at 2017 4:09 PM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 16:09:28 -0400

It would appear this pin may still be issued, otherwise acquired, and worn. Warmest Regards, Sandy

http://www.americanwarlibrary.com/theduck.htm

Common Myths About The Ruptured Duck Pin

Not true. Actually, the plan for a multi-service branch, universal Honorable Discharge Lapel patch originated in 1919 at the close of WWI. The purpose of the patch, and later pin, was to permit Honorably Discharged military personnel to wear their uniform for a period of time after they left military service due to their inability to afford civilian clothes, while at the same time identify themselves as no longer active duty personnel. The pin...

Response by SMSgt Lawrence McCarter made Oct 24 at 2017 1:05 AM

SMSgt Lawrence McCarter — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 01:05:14 -0400

My Dad and Father in Law were both WWII Veteran's and were issued those ruptured ducks. I'm proud of both of them but they earned it NOT Me, I wouldn't even think of wearing it. As a Viet Nam Veteran I feel I could wear a pin from that war if I chose to but not for anything I did not serve in.

Response by PO1 Donnie Balentine made Nov 5 at 2018 12:18 AM

PO1 Donnie Balentine — Mon, 05 Nov 2018 00:18:17 -0500

Actually, anyone who has been separated from any of the armed forces after WWII are eligible to apply for the ruptured duck award. You have to submit documentation proving you were honorably discharged post WW2. https://www.amervets.com/replacement/duck.htm

The Honorable Discharge ("Ruptured Duck") Lapel Pin Display and Lapel Pin

All Military Service branches, Active, Reserve and Guard are applicable:Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy

Response by CPL Steven Boyenger made Nov 5 at 2019 1:32 PM

CPL Steven Boyenger — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 13:32:31 -0500

Here is text from the Code of Fed. Regs. (CFR). See item (g) below:
Code of Federal Regulations
Title 32 - National Defense
Volume: 3
Date: 2007-07-01
Original Date: 2007-07-01
Title: Section 578.63 - Lapel buttons.
Context: Title 32 - National Defense. Subtitle A - Department of Defense (Continued). CHAPTER V - DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY. SUBCHAPTER F - PERSONNEL. PART 578 - DECORATIONS, MEDALS, RIBBONS, AND SIMILAR DEVICES. - General.
§ 578.63Lapel buttons.
(a) Lapel buttons are miniature replicas of military decorations; service medals and ribbons; and identification badges. Lapel buttons are worn only on civilian clothing. The buttons will be worn on the left lapel of civilian clothing for male personnel and in a similar location for female personnel.
(b) Lapel buttons for military decorations. Lapel buttons for military decorations are issued in the following two forms:
(1) A rosette, 1/2-inch in diameter, for the Medal of Honor.
(2) A colored enamel replica (1/8-inch by 21/32-inch) for the service ribbon for other decorations.
(c) Lapel buttons for badges. The only badges that have an approved lapel button are certain identification badges as follows:
(1) Presidential Service Badge;
(2) Vice Presidential Service Badge;
(3) Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge;
(4) Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge; and
(5) Army Staff Identification Badge.
(d) World War I Victory Button. A five-pointed star 5/8-inch in diameter on a wreath with the letters “US” in the center. For persons wounded in action, the lapel button is silver; for all others, the lapel button is bronze. Eligibility requirements are the same for the World War I Victory Medal.
(e) Honorable Service Lapel Button (World War II Victory Medal). A button of gold-color metal consists of an eagle perched within a ring composed of a chief and 13 vertical stripes. The button is 7/16-inch high and 5/8-inch wide. Eligibility requirements are honorable Federal military service between September 8, 1939 and December 31, 1946.
(f) Lapel button for service prior to September 8, 1939. (Not issued or sold by the Department of the Army.) A button 7/16-inch high and 5/8-inch wide, of gold-color metal consists of an eagle perched within a ring which displays seven white and six red vertical stripes and a blue chief bearing the words “National Defense.” It may be worn only by a person who served honorably before September 8, 1939 as an enlisted man, warrant officer, nurse, contract surgeon, veterinarian, or commissioned officer, in the Regular Army or a Citizen's Military Training Camp for 2 months, or in the National Guard, Enlisted Reserve Corps, or Senior ROTC for 1 year, or in junior ROTC for 2 years.
(g) Army Lapel Button. The Army Lapel Button is a gratuitous issue item made up of a minute man in gold color on a red enamel disk surrounded by 16-pointed gold rays with an outside diameter of 9/16-inch. Eligibility requirements are as follows:
(1) Soldiers transitioning with an honorable characterization of service (those being transferred to another component for completion of a military service obligation, and those receiving an Honorable Discharge Certificate).
(2) Non-adverse separation provision.
(3) Minimum 9 months continuous service—a break is 24 hours or more.
(4) Active Federal service on or after April 1, 1984; or, service in a Ready Reserve unit organized to serve as a unit (National Guard unit or Army Reserve troop program unit) on or after July 1, 1986.
(5) Retroactive issuance is not authorized.
(6) No soldier separating from the Service is to be awarded more than one Army Lapel Button.

Response by SPC Michael Gifford made Dec 6 at 2019 6:49 PM

SPC Michael Gifford — Fri, 06 Dec 2019 18:49:07 -0500

the ruptured duck is like that of the honorable discharge medal. they are not issued nor approved by federal dic, however you can apply for it threw the foreign wars committee. so this means a couple of things. 1 as long as you are active duty you can nott wear neither of these as they are not official us military medals. however, outside active duty... the honorable discharge medal and the duck pin are approved to be worn... 2 being the original issue is to that of those of the ww2 era and any "legacy" conflict after. meaning any family member my apply for a duck pin, as a family only needs to validate it once. where each individual of the family then needs to have complete their own record of honorable services on discharge.

so in any active branch, no!
if honorably discharged and served in a state of congressional declared war, yes.
family member served in state of congressional declared war +you have honorable discharge, yes.

considering it falls into the state of honorable discharge medals and ribbons. it would be duck pin or honorable discharge medal, not both. as the duck pin supersedes the honorable discharge medal threw family ancestry.

and the last state of congressional declared war was in vietkong, prior to vietnam after ww2. so those are the 2 authorizing conflict sources of the duck pin w/o ancestry linking.

also, for those who didnt know... after seperated the beret has no affiliated uid to be worn. however the uid pin's are subjected as family service unto an established unit. as that is the origin of uid's in the first place. so after one separates honorably, it is considered an honor unto your family. where the returned unit after honorable services is to the family crest pin. meanwhile any person who recieves a general or dishonorable or other then honorable separations has been considered to have tainted their name upon the family and are not allowed to wear their family crest, believe it or not. where unless by written authorization of acceptance from their family house headship, considering if you actually know the roots and headship of your household name, could one be approved to be considered a member of the family again. if not, by technicality all offspring of that family should by all means of technicality take an alternately giving name if any separation was made in other then honorable terms. which is yet another pin to be worn on the uniform after service. as the family crest replaces uid.

another pin earned outside of active military to only be worn on a non-active duty uniform is the french foreign legion pin or the soldier of fortune pin. which is to be worn on the flower lapel or beret or next to other badges above a medal set. for only when +100cfk's have been acquired is one granted the privilege of wearing an omega pin. sadly the sof listings disband in 2016 along with blackwater america ect... however blackwater has recently reformed into "ameri corp". so of those interested in a contractor's life after service... there yeah go.

I am a proud wearer of my family crest, air assault, the duck pin, and the omega pin's. additionally wearing german and russian weapons ropes as 1 time quals along with my kosovo, iraq, afgan, and enduring medals. also im registered with the templar order of the white sanctum of north america and the american legions, so i wear a templar crusader patch as my active unit on the left. i do not wear jump pins because according to the ar 670-1 jump pin's need to be recertified yearly. as the last time i had a certified jump was cross training in 2008 a year after my separations. as technically my jump pins could be worn as my last active duty uniform, but i earned the family crest, duck pin, and omega pins after my separation in june 2007 as i would much rather wear those!

as just because we have completed our contracts of services honorably, does not mean we have completed our oath of service. as our oath's stand inevitably till our life is forfeit.

gifford family motto - malo mori quam foedari! Death before Dishonor!

Response by SGT Joey Landry made Feb 5 at 2020 2:06 PM

SGT Joey Landry — Wed, 05 Feb 2020 14:06:40 -0500

http://www.americanwarlibrary.com/theduck.htm Here is a link that would make it appear you can wear the award.

Common Myths About The Ruptured Duck Pin

Response by Maj John Bell made Mar 26 at 2021 3:32 PM

Maj John Bell — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 15:32:25 -0400

Do you know the history of the ruptured duck insignia?

The original Ruptured Duck was a cloth insignia depicting an eagle inside a wreath. It was worn on uniforms above the right breast pocket by WWII servicemen and women.

It was issued to service personnel who were about to leave the military during the war with an Honorable Discharge. It also allowed them to continue to wear their uniform for up to thirty days after they were discharged since there was a clothing shortage at that time. This showed the MP's that they were in transit and not AWOL. It wasn't even issued to those who remained in the service after WWII.

Are you a WWII servicemen?
Is there a clothing shortage?
Are you worried about getting snagged by the MP's for AWOL when you aren't?

Yeah... I guess you can wear it. I understand how you want to honor your granddad. My Dad was a WWII, Korea, and Vietnam vet. When I bought a surplus field jacket with Sergeant stripes on it, he nearly dislocated my shoulders taking it off. "you don't wear things you didn't earn." So I wouldn't. Dad might crawl out of the grave and kick my ass.