Champaign County Illinois World War Service Medal
Champaign, IL: Champaign County, Illinois, c1919. Presumed one of multiple originals produced for the returning Veterans. Medal. Maximum dimensions are approximately 1.5 inches by 1.75 inches. This medal, according to a Champaign County Illinois historian, was presented to service members upon their return. It has primarily the shape of a cross with a loop at the top where a ribbon went. The center of the cross is a circle with wording around the edge and a shield in the center. There are figures of a soldier on the left and a sailor on the right side. At the top there is an eagle. At the bottom it says World War 1917-1918 (the '7' is faded). The wording around the shield says Champaign County Illinois, but that portion is indistinct. The back has a faded design (presumed patriotic and is believe to say The Citizens of Champaign County Thank You For Your Service Rendered in the World War. The symbol of the 33rd Infantry division was a plain cross within a circle, and therefore bears some similarity to this citizen's cross. Champaign County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. Champaign County was organized in 1833, having been previously a part of Vermilion County. The county and county seat were named for Champaign County, Ohio and Urbana, Ohio respectively, the homeplace of Illinois State Senator John W. Vance, who authored the bill to create the county. The development of the county was greatly furthered by the arrival of the Chicago Branch of the Illinois Central Railroad, and even more by the establishment of the land-grant university. A number of Illinois men and women were playing an active role in the World War long before the United States entered the conflict. Some were fighting on the western front, some were Red Cross nurses or welfare workers. Others joined the Lafayette Escadrille (the American aviation unit in the French army), or entered the French Foreign Legion. Records compiled by the Office of the Adjutant General show that Illinois gave 351,153 men to the Army, Navy, and Marines of the United States during the war. Out of every twelve men in the Army one was from Illinois. Illinois furnished more men to the armed forces than any other state in the Union, with the exception of New York and Pennsylvania, both of which had larger populations. The state's own division, the Thirty-third, was the only distinctly Illinois division that saw active service in France. Money, next to men, was the greatest need of the government and Illinois gave its share and more. About seven percent of the subscriptions received for the nation's war loans, a total of approximately $1,300,000,000 came from Illinois - which, at the time, had about five percent of the population of the United States. Statistics compiled by the State Council of Defense show that the total contributions of the state to various funds raised by war aid and relief organizations was more than $45,000,000. One of the largest Illinois contributions to the war effort by Illinois farmers was the farm crop of 1918. Estimated by the Department of Agriculture to be worth $879,697,000 it was the greatest crop in money value that was ever produced by any state in the Union. As factories were quickly converted into munitions plants the output of Illinois factories in direct war contracts in 1918 was approximately $2,000,000,000. By the time the War ended, more than 5,000 men from Illinois had given their lives in defense of world freedom and liberty. Condition: Fair.
Keywords: First World War, WWI, World War One, Champaign County, Illinois, Service Medal, Medal Award, Soldiers, Sailors, Veterans
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