| Atlantic Fleet: Service in the Atlantic Fleet | May 25, 1918 | November 11, 1918 |
World War I Victory Medal (United States)
| World War I Victory Medal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Service medal |
| Awarded for | "service between April 6, 1917, and November 11, 1918, or with either of the following expeditions:
|
| Description | A medal of bronze 36 millimeters in diameter. On the obverse is a winged Victory standing full length and full face. On the reverse is the inscription The Great War for Civilization and the coat of arms for the United States surmounted by a fasces, and on either side the names of the Allied and Associated Nations. The medal is suspended by a ring from a silk moire ribbon 1 3/8 inches in length and 36 millimeters in width, composed of two rainbows placed in juxtaposition and having the red in the middle, with a white thread along each edge. |
| Country |  United States |
| Presented by | Secretary of War and Secretary of the Navy |
| Eligibility | Military personnel only |
| Motto | The Great War for Civilization |
| Status | Obsolete |
| Established | 1919 |
  | |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Mexican Border Service Medal |
| Next (lower) | Army of Occupation of Germany Medal |
The World War I Victory Medal (known prior to establishment of the World War II Victory Medal in 1945 simply as the Victory Medal) was a United States service medal designed by James Earle Fraser of New York City under the direction of the Commission of Fine Arts.[1]
Award of a common allied service medal was recommended by an inter-allied committee in March 1919.[2] Each allied nation would design a 'Victory Medal' for award to their military personnel, all issues having certain common features, including a winged figure of victory on the obverse and the same ribbon.[3]
The Victory Medal was originally intended to be established by an act of Congress. The bill authorizing the medal never passed, however, thus leaving the military departments to establish it through general orders. The War Department published orders in April 1919, and the Navy in June of the same yea