How is it that every Naval officer wears the exact same set of ribbons on the bottom row of their ribbon boards?
Only Lee Marvin, who also has those ribbons, explains that one bar represented 4 or 5 separate engagements.
Very poor technical advising. I hope that Herman Wouk (the author), and the Naval adviser, James C. Shaw, weren't made aware of this grand faux pas.
Their ribbons were very different and not all officers had all the ribbons. The stars on the individual ribbon denotes multiple awards of the same ribbon.
shareCertain decorations were common to just about everyone, such as the American Defense Service Medal and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and one or two others.
They weren't awarded ribbons (generally); they were awarded medals, which were represented in non-formal wear by ribbons.
And, not to put too fine a point on it, but campaign stars on a medal (or its ribbon) didn't necessarily denote multiple awards per se; on certain awards, campaign stars represented separate campaigns or campaign periods, while still being one award.
In either case, as an illustration, five campaigns - or five additional awards - would each be denoted with an additional bronze service star (or bronze oak leaf cluster, depending on the decoration), totaling five such "attachments". Once five bronze stars (not to be confused with Bronze Star Medals) are accumulated, they become a single silver service star (or silver oak leaf cluster). Hence, seven total awards would end up as the medal (or ribbon), itself, plus a silver attachment on the medal's ribbon (on the left, as you face the medal) and a bronze attachment (to the right of the silver one).
Remember also that some awards are enlisted only, some officer only and some both. I am not saying that was the distinction here but it might have been.
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