Figure 2: National Unity Medal.

Type L

Figure 3: Round Ho Chi Minh medal. Figure 4: Communist Party Young

Generation Medal

Figure 5: Ho Chi Minh City Honor Medal.

Figure 6: Medal of Hu Zhiming’s Portrait. Figure 7: 50th Anniversary of the Good Nephews of Uncle Ho Medal.

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The third (Figurer 3) is a round, 33mm gilt medal with Ho’s profile in gilt on a red enamel center. The red metallic hero-style suspension bar contains Ho’s years of birth (1890) and death (1969). The obverse bears the inscriptions, VIETNAM above and HO CHI MINH below. The reverse is blank.

The fourth (Figure 4), known as the Communist Party Young Generation Medal is a 37mm five-pointed star with red enamel rays between the points and a profile of Ho in gilt on a red enamel background. The inscription below reads, VI THE HE TRE (For the Young Generation). The reverse, which is one of the very few SRV medals with an inscription reads in the center, 1931- 1971 (commemorating the founding of the Vietnamese Communist Party) and around this, DOAN THANH MIEN LAO DONG HO CHIMINH (Ho Chi Minh Labor Group).

Another important medal is the very prominent, Ho Chi Minh City Honor Medal (Figure 5). It is a 38ram five- pointed gilt star superimposed on a red-painted cogwheel (symbol of Communist labor) with the profile of Ho in the center of the obverse. The red metallic hero-style suspension bar reads, THANH PO HO CHI MINH (Ho

Chi Minh City). The reverse is blank.

Next is a famous Ho Chi Minh 25mm painted tin badge (Figure 6), which bears the portrait of Ho painted by a Chinese artist. This badge is one of two images of Ho Chi Minh featured on page 92 of the Illustrated Collection of Badges in the Chinese Peple’s Revolutionary Military Museum, published in 1986. Due to the enmity between the Chinese and the Vietnamese at the time, the badges (Numbers 900 and 901) are identified only as "The Medals of Hu Zhiming’s Portrait."

The next Ho Chi Minh medal commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the Good Nephews (Chau Ngoan) of Uncle Ho (Bac Ho)(Figure 7). It features Ho’s profile in gilt on a red center. The inscription CHAU NGOAN BAC HO is inscribed on a gilt circle around Ho’s image. Five semi-circles of red, green, blue, blue and yellow forming a stylized star surround this. It is suspended from a red metallic hero-style bar with the dates 1941-1991. The reverse is blank.

The last Ho Chi Minh medal of note contains Ho’s most famous quote, KHONG CO GI QUI HON DOC LAP TU DO (Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom), in red lettering at the base of the obverse. The circular gilt medal with the profile of Ho is suspended from a highly stylized ribbon-style bar of red and gilt.

Figure 8: First fake Ho Chi Minh Order.

Author’s note: After observing the appearance of fake

Gold Star Orders on eBay, I am sad to report that fake

Ho Chi Minh Orders have also appeared there and in

other market sources. These fake Ho Chi Minh Orders

can be identified by the backward tilt of Ho’s head on

the obverse. Two examples of fakes are illustrated here.

Figure 9: Second fake Ho Chi Minh Order.

Vol. 57, No. 1 33

Medal of Honor Recipient: Boatswain’s Mate First Class

Reinhardt John Keppler, United States Navy

Peter Kalk

Most World War II history buffs are aware of the Medals of Honor awarded to United States Navy officers during the fierce battle off Savo Island, in November of 1942. Not before or since, have four Medals of Honor been awarded to men on the same ship (USS San Francisco) during the same battle (Solomon Islands). Those naval officers will go down in history as some of the greatest World War II heroes of the United States Navy (Rear Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan; Commander Bruce McCandless; and Commander Herbert E. Schonland). But the enlisted man, who won the fourth Medal of Honor (Figures 1 and 2) for that engagement, was Boatswain’s Mate First Class Reinhardt John Keppler.

Figure 1: Obverse of the Medal of Honor

awarded to Boatswain’s Mate Keppler.

Figure 2: Reverse of the Medal of Honor

awarded to Boatswain’s Mate Keppler.

Reinhardt John Keppler was born to a German-American

family in Ralston, Washington, on January 22, 1918. One

of eight siblings, he grew up and attended public schools

in Wapato, Washington. His school mates, friends and

family would call him by his nickname "Rheiny". He

graduated from Wapato High School in June of 1935 and

later enlisted in the Navy in February of 1936. After

recruit training in San Diego, he was assigned to the

U.S.S. West Virginia (BB48). Aboard that battleship,

Reinhardt quickly advanced through the ranks, eventually

attaining the rank of Boatswain’s Mate Second Class.

During this time, the super dreadnought earned the "E"

award for efficiency in gunnery. Rheiny’s brother Herb,

tells a childhood story of Rheiny setting kitchen

matchsticks in the sidewalk to shoot at with his BB rifle.

Rheiny would step back about twenty feet, and begin

shooting at the tips of the matchsticks. It wasn’t long

before eight of the ten matchsticks were set afire from

the BB hits. Herb believes, that could be some of the

reason why the West Virginia later won the "E" award

for battle efficiency competition.1

After four years of honorable naval service, Reinhardt decided to try the civilian lifestyle. About three months

34 JOMSA