What do you think about all those non-official medals now for sale? Newest one is Honorable Discharge....

There's always a guy selling stuff like this in the VAMC in Oklahoma City. They set up in the cafeteria and bilk the DV's of their hard earned fundage. You can get anything from that medal there up to a cavalry hat covered in pins. Personally I can't see much use for medals after you're out except to fill a shadow box in your den. Mine are in a box at the back of my closet with a Dress Blue Uniform about 4 sizes too small!

With the exception of the Cold War one, I am good thanks, got the real ones issued to me. I don't need a commercialized commemorative medal to commemorate something I already have. Commercialism to the extreme.

SGM (Join to see), I think they're a good way for some company (or companies) to make a few bucks off veterans. Unnecessary. We have the official lapel pins to wear, after all:

https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/army-announces-new-veteran-lapel-pins

Most (maybe all) of them seem silly to me. I posted a thread on this a while back and pretty much saw the same consensus (silly)

I think that if you do some research you will discover they have been around for quite some time. While there are a great many commercially produced commemorative medals, there are also many officially produced commemorative medals as well (e.g. DoD WW II 50th Anniversary Medal, etc...).

The first medal for the Spanish-American War was a commemorative medal designed by (and if memory serves - paid for) by Teddy Roosevelt for the 1st USV after the US Government refused to authorize a medal for the veterans of the war. Later as President, he then ordered the War Department to create service and campaign medals for every conflict from the American Revolution up to that time. That tradition continues to this day, including the occasional refusal to recognize such service (e.g. Cold War, etc...).

If someone wants a to wear a commemorative I have no issue with it.

I like some of the commemorative medals like the Cold War one as all I ever got was a certificate.

If it ain’t issued, then it’s not to be worn! Waste of money.

Seems like people who are just trying to give themselves pats on the back are buying them and just slapping them on anything they want to. I know I earned every medal I was ever issued, couldn't imagine seeing myself wearing one of these.

It's a great reminder of the many lonely nights and days I spent away from the states, serving and honoring this country.

DUMB if you have the paper Honorable Discharge and it says Honorable on your DD-214 that should be all you need. I think all of these phony medal take away from the real medals that were rightfully earned.