For those of you who have them... do you display your medals and stuff or put them away?

Question

I was thinking about just throwing them away but my kids act like someday they might want them. Does anyone out there do anything special with theirs?

Answer 1

Oh trust me you should keep them nice and clean..... Does that answer your question??

I'm sure they would want them... *Wink*

Answer 2

You know.... this says so much about you. :)

What I've found is this. To the person that has been awarded the medals, the meaning is far deeper than the material object in their hand. They carry the memory of what they did that earned them the recognition. I'm sure that deep inside you stir up those memories constantly and they serve to guide you in many ways.

But you have to remember that those that love you..... that admire you..... that look up to you..... they don't have those memories inside as you do. They don't have that inner strength to pull forward that reminds them what it took to accomplish what you did. They have the medal in front of them to look at and say, "Wow.... that was from the time my dad did..........."

They are proud. Whereas you can keep that pride inside and be satisfied knowing you did what you had to do. They beam in the fact that they want the world to know what kind of father they have. And long after you are gone (let's hope that is sooooooo far from now) they will look and remember and talk and relive.

My medals are nothing like yours. But I set goals for myself.... personal goals. And the medals won were just symbols of what I finally was able to accomplish. Once I had the medal..... I was satisfied that I had met my goal. And the medals stayed in a shoe box in my closet. I came home years after college and saw that my father had made a shadow box and had pinned all of my swimming medals inside and had it displayed prominently on the wall. I had long moved out.... which hit me that this was one reason he probably did it. He needed to cling on to me and what I had accomplished with his help.

So sometimes...... it is for them more than it is for you. Don't you dare get rid of them. They might just mean more than you ever realized!!

Answer 3

I have a "time capsule" where I place odd bits with some family history. That includes medals and honours.

And I don't think it is your sole decision to make as you yourself has indicated.

Wrap them in acid free tissue paper (art and craft shops, art dealers, picture framers has this) including photos and papers. Place in a nice box and the top-shelf in wardrobe somewhere in the house you don't come across everyday for safe keeping.

On another note: I was tempted to part with some pearls given to me by my ex husband but opted for storage and I will in the future have them (professionally) redesign to be two identical sets of something for my daughters.
Same difference in a way?

Answer 4

I have so few of them as I was a peace-time National Guardsman, that displaying them would be a waste of material.
However my Dad was Marine Corps lifer, Vietnam veteran. He has several rows of medals. He made a clock out of piece of wood, cut in a coat of arms type shape, and mounted them on that and shellacked it. When he dies, we will have a new set of them mounted with the flag from his funeral. Then my brother and I get to fight over who gets which.

Answer 5

All my trophies and plaques and stuff are in a box in a closet somewhere. I wonder how much valuable space those things take up.

Not to make light of anyone's accomplishments or contributions, but I subscribe to the notion that if all you do is brag about what you did yesterday, you're obviously not getting much done today.

Answer 6

I have a special display built in the wall for all of the tropheys crowns medals and certificates i have recieved throughout my life..If you are like me you worked hard for those things and deserve to show them off

Answer 7

No!! Don't throw them away!! Those are wonderful things to give your kids when they grow up!! They are special to them and represent fantastic things you, their DAD, did!!

I don't have many, but the few I have are framed and on the wall. You can get shadow box type frames pretty cheaply and display them.

Answer 8

When I got out of the military, the uniforms went straight to the surplus store but I kept all of the other stuff. I put all of my army ribbons, medals, insignia and berets in a box, and every once and awhile, I take it out and look at them with my son. He has expressed interest in keeping them so I guess I will keep saving them for him.

It's only a memory for me, but for my son, it seems to make him proud that his dad was in the army, so he will get to keep them one day....

Answer 9

Keep them for future generations. There's always at least one kid in every family, that's interested in family history and would love the chance to hold their grandfather's medals. I keep my dad's medals in a safe place. You should display them, you won them for something you excelled in, so don't be modest

Answer 10

I certainly keep them. I have medals from shot putting, long-jumping, swimming, water-polo, runs- 5K, 10K, marathons, triathlons and a bunch of trophies from triathlons and figure competitions ( the club got to keep the water-polo trophies). I keep them to remind me of past successes and give me the drive and motivation to achieve further. It also inspires everyone that see them. Somebody even invested in a fitness chain after seing my athletic accomplishments.
It is not about vanity, since I sweated my bottom off to earn them, it is about inspiration and having a sense of history on the subject.

Hope this answers your question.

Answer 11

I was so disgusted with the "jane fonda idiots" and the general way we were treated when we disembarked stateside in those days, that I packed all my gear and put it way out of the way. To the best of my knowledge it's still up in the attic somewhere. That was over 30 years ago.