RARE #'d Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal + USMC/USA ribbon group: dual service!

Description

Quite a "backstory" here: I found this on eBay in early 2004, from a woman in California who basically knew NOTHING about militartia (she sold general knicknacks and antiques on eBay), but had purchased these (and some other items I was too late to get) from the children of the veteran, who'd died some years earlier (in 2000), aged early Nineties (he'd been her next-door neighbor for some years).
Robert Wayne Jones
(as my subsequent research discovered) served in the
US Marine Corps
in two hitches between 1923 and 1929, plus Reserve (inactive) service 1934-37. His highest rank was First Sergeant. His
Expeditionary Medal
is numbered:
M No. 2867
.
He later joined the
US Army
in 1941 and served until the fall of 1945, including lots of time in the
Pacific Theater
in the Quartermaster Corps, and came out a Master Sergeant. I am including all the paperwork I researched on him, including the orders for his
Bronze Star
(27th Infantry Division) from the end of World War Two.
Now, the two Freedom of Information Request service summaries I have on him (one for Marines, one for Army) are NOT complete (what a surprise), but do confirm his USMC Expeditionarty Medal ("Dominican Republic, 1923-24"). Now, here's one of the mysteries: this seller on eBay said she had bought
TWO Expeditionary Medals
(both numbered), but the other one was bought by someone else. Now, if you look at the ribbon group, you'll see a star on that Expeditionary Medal ribbon, representing a second award (I presume). I also cannot confirm the
Yangtze Service Medal
ribbon you also see there.
Bottom line: there is LOTS to yet be learned about this fascinating group, if you want to invest the time and money.
Please Note
: Quoted shipping fee reflects the basic, least-expensive First Class option for a strongly packaged item within Canada or to the United States, with the winner accepting responsibility if the item goes MIA in the mail -- a
very
rare occurrence (twice in 21 years, out of 750+ items!). If you want insurance, tracking, or similar, notify me after the auction, and
please do NOT send payment
until I research that and send you a
revised eBay Invoice
incorporating the new shipping quote. Thank you.