US Army American Campaign Medal and ribbon bar with presentation box awarded to a Czech Jewish refugee 2009.364.2_a front
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Washington, United States
Bronze medal with ribbon, ribbon bar, and presentation box issued to Tom (Tibor) Kovary for service in the United States Army from 1943-1946. On September 2, 1939, 19 year old Tibor Kovari and his 20 year old brother, Erno, were attacked on the street for being Jewish by Nazi sympathizers in their hometown, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. They fought back, put their attackers in the hospital, and were arrested, along with their father, Olivio. The incident received such widespread publicity that the authorities advised them to flee for fear of retaliation. They illegally crossed the border into Hungary, where they obtained visas for the US, arriving in New York on February 29, 1940. Both brothers joined the US Army: Tom was in Military Intelligence stateside; Ernest in combat, landing with the infantry on D-Day. He searched for surviving relatives, but found only one cousin, a survivor of Auschwitz death camp.
Bronze medal with ribbon, ribbon bar, and presentation box issued to Tom (Tibor) Kovary for service in the United States Army from 1943-1946. On September 2, 1939, 19 year old Tibor Kovari and his 20 year old brother, Erno, were attacked on the street for being Jewish by Nazi sympathizers in their hometown, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. They fought back, put their attackers in the hospital, and were arrested, along with their father, Olivio. The incident received such widespread publicity that the authorities advised them to flee for fear of retaliation. They illegally crossed the border into Hungary, where they obtained visas for the US, arriving in New York on February 29, 1940. Both brothers joined the US Army: Tom was in Military Intelligence stateside; Ernest in combat, landing with the infantry on D-Day. He searched for surviving relatives, but found only one cousin, a survivor of Auschwitz death camp.
- Title: US Army American Campaign Medal and ribbon bar with presentation box awarded to a Czech Jewish refugee 2009.364.2_a front
- Provenance: The medal was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2009 by Myra and Vally Kovary, the daughters of Tom T. Kovary., The medal was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2009 by Myra and Vally Kovary, the daughters of Tom T. Kovary.
- Subject Keywords: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Czechoslovakia--Bratislava--Personal narratives. Jews--Persecutions--Czechoslovakia. Jewish refugees--United States. Jewish soldiers--United States--Biography. Soldiers--United States--Biography. World War, 1939-1945--Refugees--United States., Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Czechoslovakia--Bratislava--Personal narratives. Jews--Persecutions--Czechoslovakia. Jewish refugees--United States. Jewish soldiers--United States--Biography. Soldiers--United States--Biography. World War, 1939-1945--Refugees--United States.
- Type: Military Insignia, Military Insignia
- Rights: Permanent Collection, Permanent Collection
- External Link: See the full record at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, See the full record at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Medium: a. Bronze circular medal attached to a ribbon. On the obverse is an embossed design of a Navy cruiser under full steam with a B-24 airplane overhead, and a sinking submarine in the foreground on 3 wave symbols. In the background are buildings representing the arsenal of democracy; around the edges is embossed English text; the initials, TJ, are embossed in the corner of the image. On the reverse is an embossed American bald eagle flanked by the date and text. The ribbon consists of the following stripes, left to right: oriental blue, white, black, scarlet, white, oriental blue, old glory blue, white, scarlet, oriental blue, white, scarlet, black, white and oriental blue. There is a ring and a suspension ring attached on the top of the medal and a metal tension pin on the back of the ribbon to attach it to the board in the presentation bo (c). b. Rectangular bar ribbon with the following stripes from the left to the right: oriental blue, white, black, scarlet, white, oriental blue, old glory blue, white, scarlet, oriental blue, white, scarlet, black, white and oriental blue. The ribbon is wrapped around a rectangular piece of metal with a tension pin on the back. c. Rectangular cardboard box base and lid covered by blue textured paper. There is a blue piece of board in the bottom of the base that can be pulled out with the top half-circle tab. The medal attaches to this board. There is a white paper label glued to the side of the base., a. Bronze circular medal attached to a ribbon. On the obverse is an embossed design of a Navy cruiser under full steam with a B-24 airplane overhead, and a sinking submarine in the foreground on 3 wave symbols. In the background are buildings representing the arsenal of democracy; around the edges is embossed English text; the initials, TJ, are embossed in the corner of the image. On the reverse is an embossed American bald eagle flanked by the date and text. The ribbon consists of the following stripes, left to right: oriental blue, white, black, scarlet, white, oriental blue, old glory blue, white, scarlet, oriental blue, white, scarlet, black, white and oriental blue. There is a ring and a suspension ring attached on the top of the medal and a metal tension pin on the back of the ribbon to attach it to the board in the presentation bo (c). b. Rectangular bar ribbon with the following stripes from the left to the right: oriental blue, white, black, scarlet, white, oriental blue, old glory blue, white, scarlet, oriental blue, white, scarlet, black, white and oriental blue. The ribbon is wrapped around a rectangular piece of metal with a tension pin on the back. c. Rectangular cardboard box base and lid covered by blue textured paper. There is a blue piece of board in the bottom of the base that can be pulled out with the top half-circle tab. The medal attaches to this board. There is a white paper label glued to the side of the base.
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