Where’s the Medals??

I went to the Neville Museum in Green Bay last weekend to see a special exhibit titled Traitor State Wisconsin that a friend called to my attention knowing that I was a military medals collector. First off I really like the Neville and have been there several times before. They have some good collections and always try to have interesting temporary or traveling exhibits. This Traitor State Wisconsin exhibit focuses on the Wisconsin based opposition to the American involvement in the First World War and the reaction to it. The exhibit did a good job illustrating the hysteria and paranoia that was running rampant at the time and not just in Wisconsin I might add. Also included is some general war history and souvenirs some of which to my collectors mind were only minimally attributed like the spiked German helmet from the Grand Duchy of Baden simply labeled as a German helmet “captured “ by a local soldier. Since the Germans quit using these leather helmets about a year before the American troops got there I am sure that the capture story would have been interesting. The only military service medal that I saw on display was a medal issued by the city of Milwaukee to it’s National Guardsmen for service on the Mexican Border and it was on the wrong broach with the correct broach just laying on the middle of the ribbon. It was simply labeled military medal for Mexican Border Service. There were no WWI medals in the display at all! Not the common victory medal or even one of the two types of Green Bay WWI medals which I know the museum has in their collection. Maybe next time the high paid experts will consult the some collectors.

Illustrated below is what the Milwaukee Mexican Border Service medal should really look like.