Seeking list of French Medal of Honor given to American Ambulance Drivers

Question

Seeking records WWI French Medal of Honor to American Ambulance Drivers. The Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 is a French military decoration, the first version of the Croix de Guerre. How would I find records of my Grand-father who was an Ambulance Driver that saved several French soldiers, receiving this medal in France. The French Croix de Guerre was awarded to French and Allied soldiers, including 11,589 Americans, for their service during World War I and was authorized by French legislation on April 2, 1915. Are there documents that list these Americans?

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Susan Hubeny · Answer

There were two volunteer ambulance organizations. American Field Service and Norton- Harjes. If he was a member of the American Field Service, then his information is listed in the book that was posted. If he was with Norton, there are no central records as Richard Norton died suddenly and most all of his files were lost. If your grandfather joined before August 1917 as a volunteer, then he was probably a university student. Most of the universities that sent students, have archive files concerning them and you could contact the university library and ask if they have any records. If he was a volunteer that also was federalized with the US Army after August, 1917, then you could see if he is listed on the WWI roster records that have recently been released. The best place to find these is on Familysearch.org. It is a free site but you do have to set up an account. If he is listed there, the US Army has a number of books that have information about the awards. These can be found online, I thought I had the site but can not locate it at the moment. Congress had to approve the wearing of foreign medals on US uniforms. If he was not federalized, and he is not in the American Field Service book and you do not know what unit he was with, then I am sorry to say that you probably will not find anything. France is not to willing to search their Archives records. I hope this helps. If I knew his name, maybe I could help you further as my Uncle was with Norton Harjes.

Chris Dickon · Answer

As before, the name information is in this book https://collections.nlm.nih.gov/bookviewer?PID=nlm:nlmuid-14310130RX3-mvpart#page/536/mode/2up/search/croix+de+guerre Examples

History Hub Administrator · Answer

Thank you for bringing your question to History Hub! There's at least one photo digitized in the National Archives Catalog showing several American servicemen who were awarded the Croix de Guerre, unfortunately they are not identified in the caption: Decorations - Presentations - By Foreign Governments - Parade for returning heroes. Armeo Ambulance Unit served two years in France receiving four citations for bravery as a unit. Shows individuals decorated with Fourragers and Croix de Guerre From RG: 165 American Unofficial Collection of World War I Photographs National Archives Identifier: 2643325 Hope this is helpful!

Jason, National Archives · Answer

Dear Ms. Neal, &#160; Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! &#160; We searched the National Archives Catalog and located General Correspondence, 1917 - 1919 ; Correspondence, Reports, and Other Records Relating to the History of the Service, 1917 - 1919 ; Records of Section Numbers 501 Through 650, 1917 - 1919 and Records of Units, 1917 - 1919 in Records of the American Expeditionary Forces (World War I) (Record Group 120) that - contain records relating to the U.S. Army Ambulance Service with the French Army.&#160; We also located General Correspondence, 1917 - 1919 in Record Group 120 that contain records of the Office of the Chief Surgeon of the American Expeditionary Forces, as well as General Correspondence, 1917 - 1946 in the Records of the Office of the Surgeon General (Army) (Record Group 112) that may have relevant records filed under War Department decimal classification number 220.514 Enlisted - Foreign decorations. For more information about these records, please contact the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RDT2) via email at Archives2reference@nara.gov . &#160; Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of NARA staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgement as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDT2. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience. &#160; We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your research!

Seeking list of French Medal of Honor given to American Ambulance Drivers

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