The colored ribbons on the wearers left breast side of a dress uniform are US Military Decorations and Service Ribbons. When he came home he had a rack of 6 ribbons. 1 of those ribbons I can guarantee was the Vietnam Service Ribbon which is green, yellow and gold. It looks like he also had a Meritorius Service Ribbon and possibly a Combat Action Ribbon but its hard to tell from the picture I have. If you have a closeup of his uniform I can tell you exactly what they are.
The purple heart is also a ribbon it is just an all purple one with white stripes on the edges, and you don't actually wear the medal on your dress uniform except for special occasions such as when it is presented to you...
I think what you are seeing is the large silver pin on star below his rack of ribbons which is just a marksmanship badge as everyone who completes training earns a marksmanship badge. His badge is a marine rifle "Sharpshooter" badge.
You have to qualify on your rifle in the Army and Marines a couple times per year and you earn a badge depending on how many targets you hit. For Marines they have 50 rounds and it is out of 250 points (1-5 points per shot for 50 rounds). 190 is the minimal qualifying score for "Marksman", 210 is "Sharpshooter", and 220 and above is "Expert". Hope this answers some of your questions!
|