West Indies Campaign Medal (Marine Corps)

TYPE I	TYPE II
BACK(s)
DEVICE(s)
none

Description:

1. This medal was authorized 27 June 1908.
2. This medal was for members of the Navy and Marine Corps who served aboard ships in the West Indies.
3. The service member must have performed sea duty in the West Indies between the dates of 1 May 1898 and 16 August 1898.
4. The award was a one time decoration only. 
5. It was rarely given, as most of those men were "Sampson Medal" entitled to the and two awards could not be given for the same service. For this reason it later was discontinued.
6. After it was discontinued, awardees of the West Indies Campaign Medal were eligible to exchange it for the Spanish Campaign Medal.

Background:

1. About 4,000 medals were issued to Navy personnel and 400 to Marine Corps service members.
2. In 1910, procurement for the medal ended and it was replaced with the Spanish Campaign Medal.
3. The Medal
   1. OBVERSE
      1. It shows Morro Castle, which guards Havana Harbor.
      2. Text reading “WEST INDIES CAMPAIGN” is inscribed on the upper half of the medal, and the numeral “1898” appears on the bottom. 
   2. REVERSE
      1. The medal issued to Navy personnel displays the the words “United States Navy” the Marine Corps version displays "United States Marine Corps".
      2. Both versions have an a wing spread eagle perched atop a ship's anchor with chain. 
      3. Below the anchor are the words "FOR SERVICE".
      4. Across the bottom appears a wreath formed by a branch of oak on the left and a branch of olive on the right with the stems joined at the bottom by a conventional knot.
   3. RIBBON
      1. The Type I drape and ribbon are three yellow and two red stripes.
      2. The Type II drape and ribbon are three yellow and two navy blue vertical stripes.
   4. DEVICE(s)
      No devices were authorized for multiple engagements or combat participation.
4. In 1908, the red-and-yellow color scheme was selected for the West Indies and Spanish campaign medals. Hundreds were awarded and worn before Navy leadership belatedly decided that a ribbon bearing the colors of the defeated Spanish nation - who by that time once again were allies - was inappropriate and orders were issued changing the ribbon color to blue-and-yellow.
   The change was duly made in 1913, but not without scores of the medals leaving the service through discharges and
   retirements. Officially, the color remains blue-and-yellow.
5. Information from
   Naval History and Heritage Command
   The Call of Duty : Military Awards and Decorations of the United States of America by John E. Strandberg